Be certain to read the terms and conditions for any particular hotel loyalty program you are interested in, but below is an example how one might be able to advance through a hotel loyalty program through either "heads in beds" stays versus through a benefit from a credit card. An actual hotel loyalty program may also have restrictions on a minimum number of stays not just nights stayed.
A hypothetical hotel loyalty program has tiers:
A customer may have a cobranded credit card that provides Intermediate status just for having the card, though registering the status with the chain may or may not be required.
Requires 5 nights to reach.
Requires a total of 10 nights to reach.
Requires a total of 20 nights to reach.
If the customer wants to receive Veteran status the customer will usually have to meet the 20 night required for Advanced ( NOT the 10 night difference between intermediate and advanced ), or get a more premium credit product that provides Advanced status, should such a product exists.