I have been reading various forums on hotel programs and I would like to ask the FT community their thoughts about earning points fastest towards free night stays. 3 Programs I am interested in are 1) Hilton, 2) Marriott and 3) Holiday inn. Those hotel chains have the most hotels in the respective area I will be traveling in to accumulate points. I would like to use accumulated points overseas.

Assuming I started at zero points, I would like to earn enough points to stay multiple nights say level 6 or 7 marriott hotels, level 6 Hilton hotels or any intercontiental hotel overseas.

Which of the 3 hotel chains should I concentrate my stays on to earn points fastest toward future overseas free nights?

Fav destinations for my future stays would include ireland, Australia, Czech republic, South Pacific, Scotland, and Canada.

Appreciate the FT community's input on this matter.

Earning power depends on your stay and spend pattern.

1. Co-branded credit card will accelerate your earning power. Hilton Surpass is one option. Priority Club and Marriott also have co-branded credit cards.

2. Advantage of Hilton is double dip and if you have the ability to spend $40,000 per year you can earn complimentary HHonors Diamond status with HHonors Surpass card. If you are a 25 stay per year frequent guest you will earn Diamond status on hotel travel.

3. Marriott has highest threshold for top elite Platinum at 75 nights. Marriott Visa can get you 15 nights towards that level. In my opinion the Marriott points earning ability is lower due to fewer big promotions. Hilton has this same issue, but HHonors double dip for points and points and credit card bonus points make for more points earning potential than Marriott Rewards.

4. Priority Club is easiest to reach top level Platinum status on points. Priority Club has the feature of many combinable points bonuses per hotel stay. You can earn loads of points. A feature of IHG Hotels is the ability to buy InterContinental Ambassador status for $150 and membership includes a Buy One Get One InterContinental Hotels certificate.

5. Each hotel chain has a similar number of several hundred upscale and upper upscale international hotels.

Depending on the level of your hotel activity the best strategy is to take advantage of the great free night offers of Starwood and Hyatt. These hotel chains have very nice properties in most major international cities and what you earn in free nights promotions has extraordinary points value in comparison to the points earned in Marriott or Hilton promotions. The limitation of Starwood and Hyatt are fewer hotels in USA than IHG, Hilton, and Marriott.

IHG, Marriott, or Hilton are each a good primary program. IHG earns points fastest, has the most hotels, but probably fewer high-end properties in US (better international). Hilton has great credit card advantages. Marriott is a combination of lower priced awards (after Hilton's 2010 changes) and plenty of high-end resorts for vacations.

Hilton is slow if you only spend a few nights at a time. I rarely get bonus points with hilton because I spend an average 1 night at a Hilton property at a time.

The membership fee for new members is US $150. Priority Club Rewards members may also purchase membership for 24,000 points. InterContinental Ambassador status holders are entitled to higher levels of recognition valid only at InterContinental Hotels & Resorts. Members will receive the following benefits at InterContinental brand hotels:

▪ Upgrade to a superior room
▪ Priority waitlist reservations
▪ Late checkout until 4:00 pm
▪ Instant check-in
▪ Instant checkout
▪ Complimentary Weekend Night Certificate upon enrollment and renewal
▪ Fresh fruit and mineral water upon arrival
▪ VIP greeting and in-room welcome gift
▪ One free pay TV movie per stay (where available)
▪ Complimentary standard newspaper delivered to members' room every day
▪ Airport chauffeur service (at published rate)

Here is what I earned for a 3-night stay at a Conrad (higher-end Hilton):

CONRAD 10K OFFER - Conrad Bangkok 10,000 24-Aug-2009
Base Points - Conrad Bangkok 3,895 24-Aug-2009
AA DOUBLE DIP - Conrad Bangkok 389 24-Aug-2009

So basically, I earned 13,895 HH points & 389 AAdvantage miles for a 3-night stay. During the same period, I stayed 8 nights (2 stays) at LM Plaza Athenee and 3 nights (one stay) at Westin GS and earned less ... around 6500 SPG points only. Even though SPG points are more valuable than HH's, my point is that you have to monitor all the promos and bonus offers for all the programs to take advantage of what's being offered and to maximize your points/status earnings across the board.

I personally find the Hyatt elite status the easiest to achieve especially with the last promo but that's one program you aren't interested in: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hyatt...1-10-redm.html

You don't mention it, so let me point out that Hilton is "updating" (read: devaluing) its redemption chart effective 1/15/10. See

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hilto...n-changes.html

Heres what I earned at normal priced Hiltons @ 2 nights per hotel. 4 Nights a week (2 hotels a week.)

64,000 points in 2 years.