It's been mentioned many times that status chasing is quite regularly not just a waste of time, but also quite regularly sees you worse off than if you just ingore the status lure and book the hotel/room that suits you at the time.
I've flagged away IHG status (even though it still shows me as platinum
) as I prefer, in places without a Hilton, to just find a place I like/sounds good. At the moment, I'm fortunate that Hiltons do suit my travel destinations to retain diamond and with a certain discount, usually make them OK price wise.
As for hire cars...........forget the hassel and buy the cheapest. Status is not worth the angst of chasing points, chasing rental credits, expecting but not receiving upgrades etc.