Secondary Hotel Loyalty Program
 

I will be making Platinum on Priority Club probably before April. Looking to find another hotel program to complement it.

My earning nights are for business, and usually about the Hol. Inn Express level. Locations near ports and shipyards along the West Coast are important.

My reward nights are usually domestic, but could be in Asia or Europe. I do like higher class hotels for my reward points. ;)

The reason I'm looking for another program is that in Hawaii and Europe the Priority Club pickings are not that good. :(

Any recommends from the awesome experts on here?

First of all welcome to Flyertalk!

Personally, I reccomend Hilton. Their lower tier properties like the Hampton Inn and Hilton Garden Inn are quite good and better than the similar Marriott properties (in my opinion). Also, there seem to be Hamptons almost everywhere.

Good luck.

I'd add SPG as an option, but you need to check the number of properties. Marriott has plenty of hotels, but if it's just a backup and you're unlikely to hit 50 nights for Gold, the benefits are minimal. Proper planning with SPG can get Platinum with 25 nights.

I second Hilton. If it weren't for the fact that award nights count toward status, I probably wouldn't get past silver. But this year I made diamond.

I vote SPG or Hyatt. PC provides you good coverage for the most part. While a smaller chain such as SPG or Hyatt might not provide as many options, they will provide you with some very nice properties and both have excellent loyalty programs and promotions.



Halothane

I'll put in a vote for Marriott..... like IHC/HolInn, Marriott has wide range of hotel brands/prices which also puts them in the most places. You have all the options of staying at low-cost places for points to add-up for a freebie at a high-cost place, or vice versa.

There's just not enough Hyatts, even with Hyatt Places, to be sure to get enough nights if, like me, someone decides which cities you go to fairly randomly. (Although Hyatt is my #2 after Marriott.)

Small-town Hiltons, SPG tend to be so inconsistent, in my experience, while Marriotts are more reliable.

Your situation sounds tailored more towards Hilton or Marriott, instead of Hyatt or Starwood. Small towns, such as ports or shipyards, are more likely to have lower to middle tier properties like Hilton Garden Inn and Fairfield Inn. Hyatt and Starwood have wonderful properties, but they're more upscale and often more expensive. Small town coverage is spotty. For instance, Louisville has two Hyatt properties and one Starwood. Louisville is not THAT small a place.

Between Hilton and Marriott, I only have Marriott experience, from back when I was a consultant in smaller US cities. My Marriott experience has been good, down to the Fairfield Inn level (the lowest brand). And there are nice properties outside the US.
Marriott Gold and Platinum are very nice, but the nights-only qualification is difficult as a 2nd program. Hilton has easier tier status qualification, if that matters.

I would look at hotels near a few places you might work. Choose based on that. If you're fortunate enough to be working near a couple good inexpensive Hyatt Places or Four Points, they have generally better high-end benefits, and I'd go for one of those programs.
I'm lucky enough that there are plenty of inexpensive Hyatts and SPGs in Chicago, my main place for current hotel travel, and so I can build points for China and Europe. Maybe you are, too.