Originally Posted by shawbridge
I've never paid much attention to hotel points, and stay in the US, Europe, Australia, Latin America, etc., usually at locations close to my client. But, I was wondering if one chain (or a couple) do a better job for their frequent stayers (e.g., more reliable upgrades to executive club floors, easier to get free rooms, etc.).
I stay at Hilton, Marriott, IC/CP/HI, Starwood and have the Starwood Amex but also occasionally at Hyatt, Fairmont, Shangri-La, Mandarin Oriental.
I'm active and have elite status in Starwood, Hyatt, Marriott, and Fairmont. For me, the clear winner from this group is Starwood; the points are the most valuable, because they can be used for any standard room without most capacity controls. While it takes a little longer to earn the equivalent of a "standard" award than the other programs do, it takes a *lot* less than an "anytime" award (for the programs that even offer them; I think just Marriott). And the SPG Amex card is by far the best in terms of earning power per dollar spent.
As far as upgrades go, don't count on them in any of the programs unless you reach the top tier. Mid-tiers generally get few or no upgrades, in my experience. And at Fairmont, nobody gets upgrades. Fairmont also does not offer any type of rewards for dollars spent. You can earn, at best, 1 free night per year after 10 stays (or after 5 stays if you're willing to pay for 2 more at the same time). They do give you a few upgrade coupons, but they will likely not cover more than a fraction of your stays if you stay enough to qualify for them.
Other benefits vary from program to program. For me the most useful one is the top-tier ability to get a room when hotels are sold out, but that's really only valuable if you're traveling on business because you'll have to pay full rack rates.