Following is the logics behind my decisions:

Airline: Non-stop fights top the list of my priorities. Elite status is the second on my list. Being out of IAH, I nearly always fly Continental even if I have to pay for a slightly higher fare. Being in Atlanta, Delta should give you a lot of non-stop flights. However, if ticket prices are important and you are willing to make connections, there are several airlines will give you miles and status for the Delta program. Further, if you don’t care about status, then you may want to be in one more FF program with lots of partners.

Hotel: I am very price sensitive in this area. I always stay at the cheapest 3* or better hotels. Since my European travels tend to be leisure trips, I found the Hiltons, the Hyatts, .. etc to be inconveniently located and expensive. My three favorite hotel chains in Europe are the Holiday Inn Express, Best Western and Accord. I found the hotels with these chains are more consistent in quality and value. This summer I was pleasantly surprised by a 4* hotel in the Clarion chain.