Amex Gold & Venture X - good combo?

Hey all, I’d like to hear your opinions.

I’ve been trying to plan out what CCs I’d like to get for travel benefits in the future. I’ve been considering the Amex Gold & Venture X combo.

A few things to note: I am affiliated with an airline and therefore get to fly in standby for cheap. So the primary goal of travel cards for me is to pay for hotels, and maybe flights when I don’t want to do standby or when my airline doesn’t fly to a destination. Lounge access is also nice but I can’t get in on standby.

I definitely want to get the Amex Gold for the incredible spending multipliers & eventually the Platinum (it looks like it would pretty much pay for itself for me). I’ve been considering the Venture X lately because of the 2x multiplier, but I’m not a huge fan of their hotel transfer partners. Seems like there are few options and they’re mainly domestic (which is fine for sometimes but not all the time). But, it looks like this card also basically pays for itself if you use the credits.

Est monthly spending:
• Groceries- $480
• Dining- $300
• Everything else- $400 combined, estimated

So here are my questions/concerns summed up:

1. Is the Venture X worth it for hotels? Are there any hidden gem hotels/franchises that fall under their transfer partners?

2. Or is it worth it for hotels bc of the travel portal and price-matching, even though C1 miles have lower value than other ecosystems?

3. If Venture X points are lower in value than Chase & Amex, would it be more beneficial to get the CFU & CSP and use that 1.5% back on every purchase?

4. Is it foolish to heavily use two ecosystems day-to-day, or is Amex & C1 a good combo?

I also have the Savor card if that helps, but I figure if I use the Amex Gold then that is the better card. I guess I can use the Savor for entertainment purchases.

Would anyone recommend a different setup?

TL/DR: Is the Venture X good for hotels? Is Amex Gold & Venture X a good combo?