Originally Posted by BigLar
As a Marriott anything, you have the same availability as everyone.
it's not true at all.
if you're platinum in marriot you have A reserved room in any hotel prior 48 hours (i'm not sure about the exact number of hour though). i've just booked a hotel in viena for june and when tried to book another one got a messsage that as a platinum i'm limited to one room at a time.
Second, I'm getting 13 points/$ from Marriott, and 20 from Hilton. Did you slip a decimal point there?
it's irrelevant question to count points. you should calculate how many stays you need to get a free night in the same hotel. from that perspective both systems are quite the same. it's worth also for precise calculation to take into account points you get from a qualidied credit card companies. in marriot as a platinum you get 5 points/$ and in hilton if my memory serves me right it's only 3. so the difference makes sense.
all in all two systems are very similar. it's like to compare Mercedes and BMW. it's a matter of taste and personal convenience