I am with
@Matt. Many of the "holy grail" type of hotels actually are not ones you can use a certificate for. These hotels are independent or in chains like Aman, Belmond and Four Seasons that don't need to have the same types of incentives. They have a clientele.
It is easy to be sucked in to the notion that some of the big chain hotels are the be all and end all. There are a lot of amazing places to stay out there. I would not trade staying in a riad in Fez, an eco lodge in the Amazon with no electricity, a tented camp in the Tsavo park for anything. And I wouldn't not go to places like the Azores, Easter Island or many others I have been to just because there were no points or certificate worthy choices, but that is beside the point.