Should I stick with IHG Platinum or get Hilton Gold for my upcoming trip
 

Have a Europe trip coming up Paris, Brussels, and Amsterdam and I was just gonna book it all on my IHG card but now I'm thinking to get the Hilton Amex Surpass Card for the Gold status
Any suggestions? Just don't know what to do
I don't really care about the free breakfast since I always wake up late. Which program do you think will give me the most room upgrades and stuff etc etc. IHG Platinum so far 90% of the time I do get room upgrades and 100% of the time I get late check out 2pm. I just can't decide which status will benefit me the most in Europe between those 2 PLEASE HELP

What properties work best for your trip? I think choosing European vacation properties based on hotel loyalty benefits is a way to end up disappointed. Figure out what works best on location and service level and go from there.

Just picking hotels that are mid-tier cheapest in that range seems IHG is the cheapest

Just picking hotels that are mid-tier cheapest in that range seems IHG is the cheapest

Hilton's footprint isn't excellent in Europe, specifically in Paris. If I'm not wrong, it's only 3-4 properties, and they mostly charge more than mid-tier hotels.

The biggest perk with Hilton is definitely breakfast, they consistently deliver that benefit in all properties we've been around the world. Upgrades are always a luck in the draw, even as Diamonds. Late check out is non-existent, so don't bank on your Gold status for anything past 12-1pm.

I would recommend Marriott, but oddly, in the European market, Marriotts are really expensive and do very well in the luxury market. We stayed at a few luxury collections and Autographs, they all recognize status really well with comp suite upgrades. BUT, they do cost more! The Marriott in Paris Champ De-Elyesee will easily set you back more than $1,000US/nightly rate. Personally, I heard the best status recognition is Hyatt if you can earn globalist status, but they also cater to a luxury market.

If you are open, maybe try to match your status to the other chains such as Best Western (good pricing in all of Europe), Choice (they excel in the Nordic regions, and I think they have properties in Brussels) or try Accor. You can buy the business IBIS card that gives you instant gold status, and if you stay in mid-tier Novotels/Mecures they might just give you some small room upgrades.

Do you want cheapest, because you'll be spending all day seeing the sights, or do you want to spend more time in the hotel and therefore have the best lounge/room offering at a reasonable price point?

IHG is a lottery. Hilton is somewhat better. But it's the Marriotts and Hyatts that get you the best hotel for your $, as long as you have elite status (which you won't get from a credit card)

honestly now I'm thinking just to get the Supras Card and just charge all the hotels on it so I can hit the sign up bonus otherwise my cheap ... won't hit the 2k lol

I would only be able to get hilton gold and my current IHG plat hotels prob around $150 a night

I would stick with IHG, even if it’s not perfect. If you’re not worried about breakfast, then it’s not so bad for status benefits even if it’s a bit inconsistent. If you’re mostly in Europe, it can be quite expensive and impractical keeping or regaining status with Hilton. The spread is not that great and Hilton can be unnecessarily expensive.

I'm thinking now just to get the Hilton Surpas Card for the sign up bonus because I can actually hit 2k spend

What works in location? I wouldn’t be picking hotels on a vacation that are inconvenient just because I might have a 20% chance of an upgrade, and the upgrades at someplace like Hampton Inn aren’t going to be much.

And if you’re just going to use Surpass, even MORE reason to just pick based on convenience and price. IMO it’s not worth bending a vacation out of shape for upgrades at mid-market properties.

Thinking about getting the Surpass to reach the sign up bonus with my spend in Europe

Dude, you need a purpose and agenda for getting the Surpass. The only outsize benefit of that card is the Gold status = free breakfast, and 100k points when you meet the min, spend.
100k points with Hilton won't get you far in redemption for any hotels in Europe. A regular hilton in Paris easily cost you 50-70k a night, so that's only 1 free night.

The reason why so many ask you what you travel pattern is, so you build loyalty to a hotel chain that gives you the best benefit to your travel habits. Not just for a one-time credit card sign up.

Well, I got the Hilton card which offers gold status along with free breakfast and, so far, lots of upgrades. Definitely think it’s worth it, but I do agree with the posters above that it’s not worth bending vacation stays just to perhaps have the benefits. At least, with the card I don’t have to qualify for gold any more.

One example is my recent trip to Berlin, where early January prices were really low. There are so many more IHG properties and few Hilton ones, so I moved everything to IHG and profited from their current 4x points promotion. For my upcoming trip to Athens I will book quirky independent hotels as recommended by Lonely Planet, using hotels,com where possible (booking refundable rates because I am flying with Alitalia and they might go bankrupt). The chains often don’t work and the choice can be limited, as both Hilton and IHG are in Athens. Hilton in particular is too dear in terms of price.

IHG has a decent footprint in Europe - I've experienced decent upgrades - and hilton's main perk is the breakfast... you noted earlier that you're not an early riser ( trust me I can relate ) so I'd think leaning towards IHG! Also, keep in mind the point breaks quarterly list is coming out in a week or so and often there are some really nice 10 or 15k hotels on that list...