Originally Posted by
aster
Many thanks guys. Marriott does look good but I'm not sure I want to invest in numerous years of status-maintenance for what someone later mentioned could be diluted or even pulled completely. With cruise lines you have some that simply tally up all your historical night and don't put any time limitations on it. Thought maybe some hotel chain might do the same.
I love the teenager comparison, reminds me a lot of certain affiliate programs where nobody cares what you have done in the past but only how much MORE you can give them.
Interesting idea with the Hilton CC but I probably don't want to qualify using someone else's address and pretending to be resident. Definitely a great tip to share with my US-resident friends who are also looking for the same perks.
JUST A THOUGHT. Putting the status thing aside for a moment - just off the top of your head, which hotel programs have a relatively easy path to the next tier that offers complimentary lounge/club access for all room rates (and not just in specific rooms)? As in lounge/club access for 2-3 hrs every evening with all drinks included. Any hotel program stand out? I used to be with Swissotel for that reason but they've been gobbled up by Accor it seems...
Try having a look at GHA. They allow a somewhat accelerated tier advancement if you stay even single nights at multiple brands in a year, so I remember it was possible to hit the highest tier with just 5 nights (I could be wrong) as long as they were at 5 difference brands. That said, I would also consider which hotel chains are best represented at the price point I want at the destinations I most often visit