Who is staying and who is moving? I've decided to stay for another year at least
 

After reading and evaluating the other options IHG, Hyatt, Hilton and Starriott, I've decided to stay even with all the changes to "points" new categories, and conversions.

With the 3:1, CC changes I'm finding the advantage for me personally is getting very close to moving to Hilton, but between hotels where I travel to and places I like to vacation that Starriot holds narrow lead. So complaints about devaluation, compared to competition they still have small lead for me, but be careful Starriot any more devaluation or a perk from Hilton will make me take my 200 nights someplace else, LOL

Other than getting top tier status for free (via the CC), which of course totally devalues it, what advantage does Hilton have over Marriott? Much worse top tier benefits, far fewer aspirational properties, inflationary currency that is Delta-like in variable pricing...no interest personally.

As long as my job + CC spending generates enough points to stay for free on every vacation, tough for me to move away from Marriott, even if I expect a future decline in overall customer service & on-property treatment. If anything, I'd be using AmEx FHR more and getting benefits that way at more interesting hotels.

Hilton displays premium room availability online, with pricing. It's readily bookable (sometimes one needs more than a standard room) and I appreciate the transparency, even if some of the premiums come at a very substantial points premium.

What's the argument for top status via CC devaluing it? Is Hilton going to run out of free breakfasts, points, lounge access, or 48-hr room guarantees?

Fair - that would be a nice enhancement. I also like how you (I think) can pick your specific room when checking in. Cool tech.

That being said, those wouldn't make the 10 top benefits that are most important to me in a loyalty program.

Hilton already has poor top tier benefits (no guaranteed 4pm check-out which is a deal-breaker for me and many others, weak to nonexistent suite language, no SNAs, no Ambassador, nothing like that). And this is with the mostly new ability to get said status for free...so they don't have much incentive to improve it.

Hilton can't run out of points but they can keep increasing the amount needed for rooms...when you see rooms going for 200K-300K points a night, there is something wrong. And the more people who have access to a lounge, the more it can become a gong show and lead to inevitable declines.

Sticking with MPG (MR + SPG) as a primary and Hilton as a backup. Hyatt doesn't have the footprint for me to be able to earn Globalist and IHG Spire doesn't have enough benefits to interest me. I enjoyed having the ability to confirm suite upgrades at the time of booking with Fairmont, but Accor ended that.

Since a large part of my travel is in Asia, I anticipate suite upgrades at Hilton and MPG. I have received great upgrades at Hilton in the US, as I have with Marriott and Starwood, but it is more of a surprise than something I would depend on when traveling with family. My experience in the rest of the world has been somewhere in between.

Staying but also not staying would be the best way to describe my position. I have already done enough stays to renew Ambassador so I am staying by default but equally in the last 6-8 weeks I have barely touched spg/marriott and started to enjoy some other hotel programs.

Overall feel with the BRG changes and way it was implemented alongside a general feeling things are getting devalued and by that I don't mean points or redemptions as I actually think it's reasonable but just the value Spg put on its guests has pretty much gone. The Ambassador Service just gets worse and not via fault of the ambassadors simply they have no power. The imaginative people at Spg have all left leaving a bland faceless entity left! Not saying the likes of Hilton or Hyatt or IHG are better but some smaller programs I am really enjoying, Melia plat gets great treatment for instance. I would say I feel Hilton have stepped up their game also however and actually from a customer service / recovery point of view are much better than spg/marriott which only a few years ago would have been an unthinkable statement when comparing Hilton to Spg!

So yeah will be around next year but my loyalty that Spg built up have pretty much been lost at the moment as I have been given no reason to be loyal or feel valued!

I've been torn, will make 100 nights this next stay and have 6 months and another 100 nights, perhaps worth putting them at another program that does status match, Hilton is the one that comes to mind for me first, LOL

Even if they don't status match (they may, no idea), you can get the CC and get top tier for basically free

is there anything beyond diamond with hilton - via status match or otherwise?

They do status match and it is quite easy. https://statusmatch.hiltonhonors.com

Still not enough for me to switch to Hilton due to the reasons you have stated in this thread.

As SPG LTP and future LTPP, I don't have to worry about SPG/Marriott stays for status. Hyatt Globalist 55 night qualification will be my priority, and then I'll split stays between Hyatt and SPG/Marriott, whichever is the better option for where I'll be staying. Hyatt TSU is very nice for family vacations. I am planning on using them in Bangkok, Ohuket, Bali and Paris in 2019.

I gave up on Hilton a few years ago when they increased qualification requirements for Diamond and the massive devaluation. I do have fond memories of HH award stays in Paris, Rome, Venice, and Hawaii. I still have 470K HH points which I'll use when I need a Hilton hotel.

The Sheraton Times Square is not on the free room at renewal list (soon to be 50K/night). That was the only reason to keep the CC, so I'll cancel it as soon as the last charges post.
I may still get gold status, whatever that's worth, from my AMEX plat card.

I've burned all but 4K of my points on a weekend in NYC. I'm outta here.

There is no where to really move to. Hyatt's footprint doesn't work and HHonors is not much better.

I don't have much of a choice.

I spend a lot of time in Ottawa (38 nights so far this year) and the Hilton is too far away to be useful. A Hyatt property only just opened up there, but it's not in the core of downtown (yes, I know Ottawa is small). I really love the service at the Sheraton + its location in the middle of all the client sites I have to visit - it's so much better to camp out in my room between meetings instead of coffee shops.

This is the issue with Sheraton. It's the brand that has no idea what it wants to be. The difference between properties even in North America is notable. One property can be amazing the other can be like "are you really in the Starwood program. Really?"