If you are a travel junkie like myself, but aren't loyal to a single hotel chain, or airline brand, you still can rack up elite or loyalty status pretty easily if you already have status at a partner program.  This is done through the lesser-known "status matching" or "challenge" as these elite programs wish to gain the loyalty of other travelers who are already loyal to the other brands.  This guide will show you the easiest methods to get a certain level of status if you start with status elsewhere already. [...]