it's not true at all.
if you're platinum in marriot you have A reserved room in any hotel prior 48 hours (i'm not sure about the exact number of hour though). i've just booked a hotel in viena for june and when tried to book another one got a messsage that as a platinum i'm limited to one room at a time.


it's irrelevant question to count points. you should calculate how many stays you need to get a free night in the same hotel. from that perspective both systems are quite the same. it's worth also for precise calculation to take into account points you get from a qualidied credit card companies. in marriot as a platinum you get 5 points/$ and in hilton if my memory serves me right it's only 3. so the difference makes sense.


all in all two systems are very similar. it's like to compare Mercedes and BMW. it's a matter of taste and personal convenience

BigLar was obviously talking about award stays, where his comment is absolutely accurate.

Oh, I'm really getting screwed then! Just kidding ;) Yes, you're right.

How do you figure? Free nights are based on how many points you earn, not how many stays you've made. And as I said, I earn (significantly) more points per dollar at Hilton than at Marriott.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of my stays are for business, and I have to use my corporate Amex card for those. No extra points on either chain.