As someone who has never travelled for work, I will take free status from whatever chain, but to be tied to a specific chain is pointless to me. There are so many places in the world that being loyal to a chain would result in a crappier hotel, at a higger price than a higher standard locally run hotel.

My advice, take whatever free status you can get with a credit card, go where you want to go, and not where your specific hotel chain just happens to have a hotel at.