I think for me is building the free nights up quickly.
What would be best for this? I should of researched more before asking my question

To me Holiday Inn is the quickest to build up points to redeem on free nights. I try to find hotels for IHG that offer 5k to 10k packages. Marriott may be the worst.

There's no clear winner, it depends on different factors. Hilton generally offers better and more frequent promos for faster earn, and the points rates are more variable, so rooms are priced more reasonably when prices are low. One Marriott positive is that you only pay for four nights if you book a five night award stay. OTOH, you have to pay resort/destination fees with Marriott, whereas Hilton and Hyatt waive those on awards. That is a huge negative for the Marriott program IMO.

Maybe it was lost in here, and I think it's been reinforced by most posters.

People likely pick their group by convenience, for example, I often stay in NY so Marriott has the best coverage. Many of my work events are also held in a Marriott so again it makes sense. Having recently begun staying with Hyatt hotels, which are definitely limited in number in NY, I can say, and I think many others agree that the service and recognition with Hyatt has been much better than what people see at Marriott, however people stick with Marriott due to the footprint.

Hilton doesn't often get celebrated for service or recognition, nor footprint. So it's likely going to be convenience.

--

For me, I plan on continuing to use Marriott as my primary because of their footprint, however won't seek anymore than Plat / Tit(as Amb at current provides no value) and would like to maintain Explorist + on Hyatt to give me more coverage.

Thank you right now it seems like hilton is the way to go?

I seemingly go back and forth.

I was a Hilton loyalist many years and then discovered SPG and quickly became rah rah for them. I was disappointed by the negative changes Marriott brought to SPG with Bonvoy and reverted back to Hilton. However, after years with SPG there were aspects that I found that Hilton was missing even as a Diamond - things like suite upgrades and late check out.

Lately Marriott has been slowly winning my business back, primarily because I prefer booking on their app and they have a good corporate rate thru my company which Hilton doesn't have. I also appreciate that Marriott has added the option to show the "all in rate" when shopping. Hilton also has redone both their app and website in the last year and has made the booking experience extremely frustrating. As a Hilton Diamond and Bonvoy Platinum this would be my assessment:

Marriott Pros:
-Better Elite Treatment - Suite upgrades and guaranteed late checkout
-Better Booking experience
-More up to date properties (mileage may very)

Marriott Cons:
-Hard to earn points - You get just pittance for your stays and credit card spend
-High point Redemptions
-Resort fees on point redemptions
-Spotty/Inconsistent breakfast benefits

Hilton Pros:
-Points are earned easy (Diamond + CC easily earning 20pts/dollar spent)
-Low point redemptions (High end properties can be found for the 20-30k point range)
-No Resort Fees on point redemptions
-Good breakfasts across all brands - consistent benefit

Hilton Cons:
-Spotty upgrades (even for Diamonds)
-Ungenerous late check out - most will only allow 1 hour later
-Dated properties (mileage may very)
-Terrible Website/App
-Too many "Elites" - Nothing higher than diamond and nearly everyone seems to be a Gold

I agree with that. Hilton does have some dates property sites. Marriott seems to be up to date and maintenance seems top notch. The late check out is really nice from Marriott. It would be nice if Hilton could get on board with Marriott it would be nice. I have 23 nights in Marriott with 16,000 points (never used any). Very good help! Thank you

Whichever chain you choose, it is helpful (especially in the U.S.) to get one of their credit cards. I have the mid-range ($95 annual fee) Chase Marriott Visa and the no-annual-fee Hilton AmEx. They are both helpful to keep points from expiring.

Has anyone compared properties across brands like what does hyatt have compared to the w or st Regis or a ritz?

Park Hyatt : Ritz/StR
Grand Hyatt: JW
Andaz: W
Thompson: Le Meridien (not the perfect comparison, but it works)
Centric: Westin
Regency: Sheraton (but IMO your average Regency >>> average Sheraton)
Unbound: Autograph
Joie de Vivre: Tribute
Miraval, Alila - no direct comparison, amazing properties for Hyatt

Are certain brands more or less likely to have lounges?

HR lounges, think some GH lounges, Centric no lounges I believe

Hyatt not a lounge-heavy chain, but better IMO as Globalists get the better full breakfasts in the restaurant vs. a mediocre lounge breakfast (though again Regency >>> Sheraton in that regard)

interesting comparison isn't a centric more like a indigo or curio and a westin more like a jw or a regenc? The w i don't see the relevance to the andaz, the w are ultra modern and funky where as andaz are definitely nice but aren't funky and ultra modern from my experience

Not perfect, but comparing Hyatt to Marriott, comparisons are definitely fair...Andaz many say is a grown-up W.

haa andaz is a grow up W that's funny, I appreciate the perspective