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So, with a bunch of opportunities for staying enough nights to make a status challenge, I'm debating which one to go for, and would appreciate the wisdom of the board (although with somewhat predictable support by certain SQTalkers for particular chains! 
)
The following are my thoughts on each program/challenge and the plusses and minuses - if anyone has any experiences, thoughts or tips to share, it would be very helpful.
Starwood
Details of the challenge:
* 18 nights in 90 days
* No Plat given during the challenge (although I'm gold, FWIW)
* Status will last until Feb 2014, I believe?
+ Generous upgrades including suites
+ Very good coverage in the regions I'm likely to travel to most (Europe/Asia)
+ 18 nights not as onerous as Hilton
+ A lot of affordable Starwood options (FP, Aloft, etc) if I need to do "status runs"
+ Best rate guarantee program generous in both the number of points and ease of approval
- Some cities have surprisingly iffy coverage (Singapore, anyone?)
- The target clientele/interior design of the top end (St. Regis etc) seems to be aimed at people roughly 30 years older than me
- No amazing promotions at present
- Since Gold has so few benefits, the stays during the challenge will not be as pleasant (no exec floors, no real upgrades, etc)
Hilton
Details of the challenge:
* 21 nights in 90 days
* No Diamond given during the challenge (although I'm gold here too, FWIW)
* Status will last until Feb 2014, I believe?
+ As with Starwood, good coverage in most cities, esp. in Europe/Asia
+ Diamonds now seem to get decent upgrades on a roughly same basis as SPG Plat
+ Stays during the challenge will be easier than Starwood as HH Gold has much better benefits, including exec floor upgrades, free breakfast, etc
+ As with Starwood, decent "budget" options as well as the higher-end ones
- 21 nights is rather a lot in 3 months
- Although Conrad is very nice, I'm not sure that there are a whole lot of "very special" properties that you see with the Park Hyatts for example
- No amazing promotions at present
- For some reason, only one single property in HKG (Conrad) which can be very expensive at times, and since there is no other choice, it's going to be a choice between huge cost and forgoing QS/QN/benefits
- Have heard that their BRG is somewhat useless due to too many restrictions (and no points option for reward)
Hyatt
Details of the challenge:
Hyatt didn't really blip in my radar very much until recently, when I learned of their Diamond SC. But due to the following factors, it is potentially very interesting:
* 12 nights in 60 days
* Diamond given during the challenge, and suite upgrades available for use immediately
* Status will last until Feb 2013, apparently, for challenges in H1 (2014 for H2)
+ I like the hotels a lot, especially the PHs which are exactly to my tastes in terms of the philosophy and interior design (although lounges would be very appreciated in the "you want my arm and a leg for a pint of beer and some snacks?" cities such as northern Europe and Switzerland)
+ 12 nights is very doable in 60 days, especially when one has a "burst" of 8-9 nights in just one week, which only leaves 3-4 more nights to finish in the remaining time
+ Diamond upgrades very generous, and also available during the challenge period
+ Confirmable suite upgrades seem to be a good option vs. gambling each time against properties that have very stingy exercise of discretion
+ Very generous (as far as I'm concerned) promo right now, where I would basically get 3 nights at the very top end Park Hyatts where I would never dream of paying the going rate by staying 4 nights more than the SC requirement
- Really iffy coverage (No properties in KL? Almost non-existent network in Europe?)
- Non-US Hyatts generally tend to cost a lot more than the budget counterparts in SPG or HH (i.e. GH BKK the only option in BKK, which costs about 4x the FP or Aloft, unless a certain SQTalker is willing to help out in that particular regard
)
- Status will only last till Feb 2013. Not entirely sure whether I'll make 25 QS, especially with the lack of budget options
==============
My dilemma arises from the fact that I will generally only be able to make one top tier's worth of stays in any given year, if that. 25 QSs in SPG or HH wouldn't be nearly as much effort/cost as 25QS in Hyatt, which tips things in favour of SPG or HH especially given their extensive network.
However, given that I am also unlikely to travel that much after this year (when I'm tied down to my desk and only likely to travel a few times), I'm thinking that it might actually be better to do the Hyatt, have a whale of a time with the Diamond this year, get the free nights at the Park Hyatts, and then abandon the status game from next year (save for, perhaps, the HH Gold) and concentrate on the best properties regardless of chain, especially if I end up only staying 10-15 nights per year in hotels which makes it cheaper to pay for the better rooms vs. doing status runs etc.
So, a very long winded and extensive post. As I mentioned above, all thoughts/opinions/advice welcome!
)The following are my thoughts on each program/challenge and the plusses and minuses - if anyone has any experiences, thoughts or tips to share, it would be very helpful.
Starwood
Details of the challenge:
* 18 nights in 90 days
* No Plat given during the challenge (although I'm gold, FWIW)
* Status will last until Feb 2014, I believe?
+ Generous upgrades including suites
+ Very good coverage in the regions I'm likely to travel to most (Europe/Asia)
+ 18 nights not as onerous as Hilton
+ A lot of affordable Starwood options (FP, Aloft, etc) if I need to do "status runs"
+ Best rate guarantee program generous in both the number of points and ease of approval
- Some cities have surprisingly iffy coverage (Singapore, anyone?)
- The target clientele/interior design of the top end (St. Regis etc) seems to be aimed at people roughly 30 years older than me
- No amazing promotions at present
- Since Gold has so few benefits, the stays during the challenge will not be as pleasant (no exec floors, no real upgrades, etc)
Hilton
Details of the challenge:
* 21 nights in 90 days
* No Diamond given during the challenge (although I'm gold here too, FWIW)
* Status will last until Feb 2014, I believe?
+ As with Starwood, good coverage in most cities, esp. in Europe/Asia
+ Diamonds now seem to get decent upgrades on a roughly same basis as SPG Plat
+ Stays during the challenge will be easier than Starwood as HH Gold has much better benefits, including exec floor upgrades, free breakfast, etc
+ As with Starwood, decent "budget" options as well as the higher-end ones
- 21 nights is rather a lot in 3 months
- Although Conrad is very nice, I'm not sure that there are a whole lot of "very special" properties that you see with the Park Hyatts for example
- No amazing promotions at present
- For some reason, only one single property in HKG (Conrad) which can be very expensive at times, and since there is no other choice, it's going to be a choice between huge cost and forgoing QS/QN/benefits
- Have heard that their BRG is somewhat useless due to too many restrictions (and no points option for reward)
Hyatt
Details of the challenge:
Hyatt didn't really blip in my radar very much until recently, when I learned of their Diamond SC. But due to the following factors, it is potentially very interesting:
* 12 nights in 60 days
* Diamond given during the challenge, and suite upgrades available for use immediately
* Status will last until Feb 2013, apparently, for challenges in H1 (2014 for H2)
+ I like the hotels a lot, especially the PHs which are exactly to my tastes in terms of the philosophy and interior design (although lounges would be very appreciated in the "you want my arm and a leg for a pint of beer and some snacks?" cities such as northern Europe and Switzerland)
+ 12 nights is very doable in 60 days, especially when one has a "burst" of 8-9 nights in just one week, which only leaves 3-4 more nights to finish in the remaining time
+ Diamond upgrades very generous, and also available during the challenge period
+ Confirmable suite upgrades seem to be a good option vs. gambling each time against properties that have very stingy exercise of discretion
+ Very generous (as far as I'm concerned) promo right now, where I would basically get 3 nights at the very top end Park Hyatts where I would never dream of paying the going rate by staying 4 nights more than the SC requirement
- Really iffy coverage (No properties in KL? Almost non-existent network in Europe?)
- Non-US Hyatts generally tend to cost a lot more than the budget counterparts in SPG or HH (i.e. GH BKK the only option in BKK, which costs about 4x the FP or Aloft, unless a certain SQTalker is willing to help out in that particular regard
)- Status will only last till Feb 2013. Not entirely sure whether I'll make 25 QS, especially with the lack of budget options
==============
My dilemma arises from the fact that I will generally only be able to make one top tier's worth of stays in any given year, if that. 25 QSs in SPG or HH wouldn't be nearly as much effort/cost as 25QS in Hyatt, which tips things in favour of SPG or HH especially given their extensive network.
However, given that I am also unlikely to travel that much after this year (when I'm tied down to my desk and only likely to travel a few times), I'm thinking that it might actually be better to do the Hyatt, have a whale of a time with the Diamond this year, get the free nights at the Park Hyatts, and then abandon the status game from next year (save for, perhaps, the HH Gold) and concentrate on the best properties regardless of chain, especially if I end up only staying 10-15 nights per year in hotels which makes it cheaper to pay for the better rooms vs. doing status runs etc.
So, a very long winded and extensive post. As I mentioned above, all thoughts/opinions/advice welcome!
so there may yet be plenty more of those long late nights.
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