Planning your travels around where a given chain has hotels seems like and odd and frustrating way to go about business. I appreciate collecting points may be beneficial, and sometimes status can be of benefit too. "Sometimes" and "may" being the operative words.

I've long given up being bothered by either miles or points, and am utterly enjoying life as a free agent. It's a funny world; when I travelled "enough" to collect a meaningful amount of points or miles, the very last thing I wanted to see on my time off was another sodding airport/airline/chain hotel combination. It was anchors out in my hometown, pledging not to move a meter unless it was for food, good company or a good party. Now that I travel less and don't earn a meaningful amount of points or miles, it's utterly pointless (pun intended) to tie myself to a hotel chain or an airline/airline alliance.

I first and foremost seek out places I want to visit, then start looking at places to stay. Since I'm on my own time and budget, and have had it with yet another chain hotel, I'll seek out the smaller and unique hotels in the area I'm going to. Planning a trip around where to collect the most miles and/or points is a million miles (pun intended again) from how I'd plan a trip.

PS
I was in Croatia a few years ago, and it's really nice place. Has a large selection of very nice hotels, with the added benefit that none of them are another androgyne hotel chain. I'm off to Slovenia and Poland in the summer as part of a road trip and, again, plenty of very nice and affordable non-chain hotels available.