True, but most of the programs aren't really "loyalty" programs anymore. They are rewarding and provide transactional value back to you, but the brands are not "loyal" to anyone and I would never describe myself as loyal to any of them. Achieving the status tiers and the benefits that come with them makes travel easier but it really isn't any deeper than that to me.

Especially now that pretty much all of the major hotel brands have killed off any illusion of true hospitality. Starwood once did a nice job of engendering loyalty between its hotels and guests but that culture has been fully killed off by Marriott. There are individual properties out there that take good care of their own regular guests. But the big programs are purely about transactional value these days - maximizing the "rebate" value you get off of paid stays in the form of award stays.