I agree with SanDiego1K.

I think in the U.S. you can pretty much stay in one of any major city's finest hotels and earn points/miles (perhaps not the finest - in NYC and SFO, my two preferred hotels aren't affiliated, for example). Outside the U.S., particularly in Europe, this can be a bit more problematic.

If you've got this type of job/employer, you're probably making a decent salary and traveling quite a bit anyhow. So you're already racking up airline miles and hotel points (in those destinations where the finest hotels and resorts just happen to already be affiliated with a frequent stay program - these places do exist).

In this context, given the choice, I'd go for the finest regardless of points. You only live once. Live well (in the present)!

Omni OMNI to Premex: You are a very good speller. However, in two recent posts you've spelled the word "absolutely" in ways excluding the "e". In each of your posts the word "absolut" flashes at me like a (very) dry martini. What's up?