I'm curious...you were dealing with the same manager the entire time and in the end, he said your original booking rate would be honored? By his logic, none of us would know the cost of our hotel stay until check-out...I agree it makes no sense.
I just checked my reservation that I made a few days ago. The listed price on the universal website has gone up by ~$100/night for the same room types and dates. Guess I better bring a printed copy of my reservation in case I get flagged by the same manager