I'm not staying at them at all currently, because the standard point return is low compared with the premium I have to pay (over Motel 6, which is literally right next door).

However, they seem to run a promo twice a year where you make 2 stays and get 8000 points. They've done it this Spring, and had a targetted promo (same thing) running right now (I didn't get targetted). They usually run another one in the Fall.

So, with a grinding bit of hotel-hopping (which I know you are no stranger to ), you could conceivably rack up 300-400K points in a year. That will buy you a nice chunk of time and some very nice properties (check out the Preferred Hotel near Naples ).

OTOH, you are correct: there is a slew of Choice properties in UK, France, Germany, and even a few in Italy and Scandanavia, but the quality of the properties is hit-or-miss. I went through the trouble of getting a map and plotting the properites (UK and France) so as to lay out a 2-3 week road trip with free stays every night. A bit of work, but that's half the fun.