I have 60 potential hotel nights over the next 3 months. I could re-qualify for SPG or Marriott (+15 CC nights) with those nights.

My first leaning is toward SPG because of their current 4x promo, nicer room upgrades, easier reward bookings/flexibility.

However Marriott does have the 2x1 weekends and lifetime status. The nights would put me at 40% toward lifetime gold.

Curious how others would choose?

do you have more nights later in the year? Are there mulitple SPG properties that you can alternate?

I would shoot for SPG PLT through 25 nights/stays, if possible, then 35 Marriott nights would get you to gold with the CC. then you can work your way towards PLT and earn toward lifetime status for the rest of the year.

That's typically my annual plan - SPG on minimum stays, then MR, subject to changes based on promos. I'm at 21 SPG stays right now, but am focused on MR through the Megabonus, then back to finish off SPG with the Amazon promo.

I am about 35% to lifetime gold on nights, over half way there on points, so I would like to say I'm in a similar position.

That being said, I just made the move to SPG and I have to say I'm much happier than with MR. I will continue to stay at MR when SPG isn't available or when I reach PLT on SPG and need to level up on MR. In the end, the decision is yours, but with free internet on SPG, more resort locations I'm interested in, and IMO better customer service, I think I made the right decision.

Do the SPG Plat for 25 night stays and then do the MR Plat challange which is much less than the required 75 nights ... just call MR's number and ask for their challange. I believe the Gold challange is only 25 nights within 3 months period. IMHO, benefits-wise (some might disagree with me here) there isn't much difference between MR Plat & Gold you get best room, upgrade & lounge access with gold.

I am biased towards Marriott for three reasons:

Far more locations.

Ability to earn lifetime elite status.

Less spend to earn free nights.

Most significant downside with MR based on what I have read at FT is that Starwood is more generous with upgrades.

SPG ... no hesitation

As a European we don't see much of Starwood, but its fairly obvious, even in Continental USA that their coverage is far less than Marriott. If you're travelling to the EU, you might as well forget about Starwood completely, yet whilst Marriott doesn't have anything like USA coverage its quite comprehensive in the UK, and covers the capitals and several other major cities on the continent.

Marriott concentrate more on the value of points in their scheme, you earn at a much higher rate, 10 to $, and rewards cost between 7500-40,000 points per night. This compares to 2 points per $ earn rate with SPG and although rewards can start from as little as 2000 per night they're few and far between, for the most part award nights are 3,000-30,000 points per night. Clearly to equal Marriott value SPG redemptions should be 1500-8,000 points per night... This is a huge disparity.

Against that, SPG does have some very strong promos and elite status is easier to obtain, mind you Marriott megabonuses are by no means shabby. Once you get to top tier at SPG upgrades are better and so frequent as to be almost the norm with many suite upgrades (I hear). The result is that SPG is very well liked. Effectively they put their reward scheme budget into providing a better hotel experience for their guests, and less cash into providing free nights, but when you finally grunt your way to that night, you can at least get it at SPG, with a genuine "no blackout, no capacity controls" redemption program. Then again SPG can afford to, at their earn/burn ratio they'll have far fewer redemption stays, and far more paid stays.

It is clear that this is a case of "yer don't git 'owt fer nowt". What you gain in one place, you lose in another, after all the cost of running a mid-high tier hotel doesn't vary that much from one location in a certain city to another, and the bit of our money that goes into encouraging loyalty is limited, after taking into account all the other costs. SPG leave more of that bit of cash in hotel hands to provide more suites and keep CL's open, Marriott takes it off the hotels and hands it to us in the form of extra points for future free stays.

What is to be learned from this? Well SPG seeems extremely popular and very highly regarded, yet its earn/burn ratio provides poor redemption value, next to Marriott. Marriott is constantly being sniped at for lack of upgrades and CL closures, yet its scheme provides much better value in terms of more free nights per $$$ spent.

It would seem we prefer the bennies at the hotel to the points, or at least we do here at FT...

Me, I value my points and enjoy my frequent redemptions

I agree with just about every word of this.

The only thing that would swing it towards SPG not mentioned is that they do have some really nice hotels for rewards, Turnberry in the UK is an example, there are a few in Europe and some nice resort type locations scattered around the Pacific. If you want to save points for a trip of a lifetime, SPG do have some nicer places for that.

However, for me, the stays to free nights ratio is just too much higher than for MR and as I spend 200 nights a year alone in an hotel room, arriving late and leaving early, suites are not a huge benefit. However sufficient points for a good few week's woth of holidays in very nice hotels is important to me.

Also, I do get a free breakfast in a Marriott even when they don't have a Lounge which I didn't get in SPG properties when I was SPG Plat.

BINGO! Everyone values something different-but I value FREE breakfast-followed by availability/spend to free rooms-then upgrades. I have an aircard, could CARE LESS about free internet.

That said, personally I would go for MRgold/SPG plat. Why worry about MRplat? It doesnt get you much above gold. SPG plat has been good to me the few years I have been.

OP-have you looked into Hyatt? I rank GP Diamond miles ahead of SPG plat.

My decision was based on where I wanted to use my points. SPG has some pros and cons, but the more limited hotel basis did impact me. (For example wanted to use points for a free stay in Spokane in January. SPG NO options) I like to use my points for Europe and once again while Marriott's far from "everywhere" they had better overall options.

However, that was also a factor for "earning" Lots of places I go there's no SPG option. IMHO that's the big drawback with them. If you don't only travel to "big cities" it's harder to utlilize.

Not unless you're Platinum with Starwood, has been my experience. Lately (last 5 years) I have seldom been actually upgraded* as a Gold SPG, but frequently received upgrades to suites with Marriott.

Now, if you make Platinum with SPG, you do get suite upgrades more regularly than as a Platinum with MR.

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*I'm not counting the "upgrade to an SPG room" which seldom means anything.

(bolding by me)
....of the above, which is more important to you and your family? Mine doesn't care about the upgrades....but we use the BOGO weekends consistently!

.....assuming that you have familiarity with both chains - consider the locations in which you will be staying for these nights - which do you prefer? 60 nights in hotel(s) which you dislike -for the sole purpose of attaining bennies - can be a miserable experience.

Two years ago, I requested a status match for SPG found that the chain just did not work for me. Tried Hyatt and I completely agree with PhillyPhlyer40 - miles ahead of SPG! Combined with Marriott Plat, my family and I have almost the perfect mix of bennies that are of value to us.

I have been SPG Platinum for the last 10 years and the benefits of the status are minimal.
Seldom I am up-grade to a suite.
The greatest advantages are the easy way to book free nights and their SPG Ambassador Program. The guy that takes care of my account makes miracles. He gets everything I request and he makes a genuine effort to make it happen.
Other than that SPG Platinum is pure BS