Currently I'm booked for the next 30 days in a Residence Inn and paid up front to get a cheaper rate (saved me about 10% a night). I'll be on the road in one location for at least 6 months staying in this hotel. Hotels are crazy expensive out here (30 days, paid in advance and I still paid $161/night) so I should be able to rack up a fair number of points.

A couple of questions

1. Called MR customer service and the very nice lady I spoke with explained I should probably wait till I hit Gold and do a Platinum challenge at that time to get to Platinum faster. Sounds like it would basically let me get there about 16 days faster, 9 nights vs 25, but I cannot remember what the challenge was to hop from Silver to Gold. If I do decide to hop from Silver to Gold via challenge, would I only be required to get 25 nights after that to reach Platinum or would I have to actually hit 75 nights before I got Platinum? What does FlyerTalk suggest is the best route for the challenges? Is there some super secret handshake I can give to get a better challenge offer?

2. I just finished my minimum spend on my CSP with this hotel stay, will hit minimum spend on my AMEX Plat within the next few weeks, and then will likely be looking to add another card to the mix. Actual hotel stays aren't my goal, would really prefer having airline miles so I can get to Africa first class for free. I'll be staying at a camp, so no need for a hotel for the trip. I thought about getting the Marriott Visa, 10 points per dollar between my regular MR points and the cards bonus, but not sure if 10 MR points are worth more for airline miles than getting 2 UR points using my CSP. Are MR points even worth transferring to airlines or should I just save them up for when I do want to stay in a hotel?

3. Lastly, any general advise on how to maximize this extended road stay?

TL;DR
Long trip staying in a Residence Inn (6 months), enlighten me to your favorite tricks to maximize this.

For a stay of six months, many sales/general managers will negotiate a rate that is below what is published.

Travel packages are an excellent way to turn MR points into airline miles. You will also get a seven night certificate which can be used independently of the airline trip. For example you can redeem 250k MR points for a cat 5 7 nite cert + 132k miles on UAL.

Well, one way to "maximize" points would be to see if there is a non-extended stay Marriott you could stay at instead of the RI. For a 6 month stay, there are definitely benefits to staying at an RI, but you will only get 5 pts/$ spent rather than $10 pts/$. So you could almost double your points by staying at a FS, FFI, SHS, CY, etc instead of the RI. So did you pay the whole 6 months upfront or just a week or less?

Will they not give you Plat challenge right now? I'd see if they would give you that right now.

Do you have the Marriott Premier Visa card? If not, you should get that. I think there is 70K offer going on right now plus you would get another 5 pts/$ for your hotel charges to that card. So basically a boatload of more points there.

If there are more Marriott's in the area and you don't mind moving around between them, once you are a Plat, you can get a check-in amenity for every "stay". Also, some of the Megabonus versions focus on stays rather than nights. Depending on which you have, more stays may be better for you.

But the biggest factors would be to get into a 10pts/$ spend hotel rather than the RI, make sure you are paying with your Marriott Visa card, and try to get to Plat as quickly as you possibly can (via a challenge if they will give you one).

According the MR rep I spoke with you can only jump 1 level per year via challenge. So I had to choose between jumping from Member to Silver or Silver to Gold or Gold to Platinum. I didn't know if I was asking for the right thing and if there is a way to go from member straight to Platinum based on nights stayed. I can meet pretty much any nights base challenge since I'm already booked 30 of the next 30 days. I will hit Plat without a challenge in the next couple of months, but I want to pump up as soon as I can.

I'd prefer to stay in one hotel for an extended period because it will save me the cost of taxes on the hotel. Stay at least 30 days or more and get my hotel tax dollars back is better than a megabonus for me.

If you are going to commit to the RI at least for the next 30 days, make sure you get a 1 BR unit instead of a studio for the next space and quiet. I'd also make sure it was on the top floor and at the end of a hallway. They also have a decent breakfast and 3 nights of evenings of light meals if you care about saving money there too and aren't too picky.

If you don't need full kitchen facilities and can get by with a microwave & small fridge and one, larger room, I'd consider a SHS for the full points earning potential..

Also, get the Marriott Visa credit card TODAY as that will give you 15 nights added to your total so after your first 30 day stay you'll almost be at Gold to line up the PLT challenge. I'd call on your 50th night (combined with the credit card nights) to see if they'll consider you Gold without having to checkout first, to keep your tax savings.

With regards to the Plat Challenge, I'd suggest to hang up and call again as the challenge policy differs between agents IME, and you might get one who wouldn't mind giving it to you. Of course, they're looking at future stays so it's always good to call after you have reservations on file that indicates future loyalty.

Definitely get the credit card for more points. If a full kitchen is not something you need (perhaps you just need a fridge/microwave), I'd suggest looking into full service Marriotts or SHS, FFI, etc for 10 points/$. Also, sign up for all bonuses/promos. Some promos such as megabonuses will vary depending on how you're targeted (I've seen them with 3 different versions within the same promo period), but it seems that you can easily call and switch it if one suits you better (i.e a nights-based promo vs stay-based). A quick search of megabonus promotions on FT should give you an indication of what may be offered.

At RIs, they do groceries for you at no additional charge. Just fill up the list in your room and leave it at front desk in the morning. It's a great way to earn extra points as they put the charges on your regular bill (IME), and they sometimes have good discounts with local grocery stores. Your groceries will magically appear in the fridge/ on the counter when you get back! Try to request a 1 BR rather than a studio as you'll get an oven (Suites generally only have 2 stoves inset in the counter), plus as others have mentioned, the extra space and quietness is always nice.

Lastly, I'd consider negotiating a long term rate with the properties. 161 seems excessive considering your situation.

It might be helpful to know which RI the OP is looking at. A $161/night rate for on or near Time Square NYC may not be a bad rate. It really depends on where the OP is staying and when.

Odessa, TX. Hotels probably about the same rate as NYC because of the oil boom and Midland is even worse.