Due to my Marriott experience, I didn't pay any attention to Gold status provided by my Surpass. I stayed Hilton and Hyatt this past week and was pleasantly surprised to get the $30 credit at Hilton. I also had success with the Hilton gift cards. I manually checked out at the desk and offered up the card at the last minute as our visit had been kind of hectic maximizing the fun stuff.
First guy ran the card and instantly said it was declined. I said, no, it has $50 on it and turned the card and started to dial and confirm in front of him. Another desk clerk told him he was doing it wrong so I cancelled my call. She quickly showed him how to do it. The food credit here had been changed from a breakfast credit to $30 on whatever you ordered. This was easy with no limitations.
Meanwhile at Hyatt, I had booked a 2nd room to accommodate 6 of us even though the rooms do sleep 6. I prefer a bit of privacy and having 2 baths for that many people. (Although having 6 at Hilton, only 2 of us slept overnight, and I let them know in advance there.)
Hyatt put snacks in both rooms with a handwritten welcome letter and gave me an oceanfront upgrade on connecting rooms. This was very much appreciated and unexpected. I had sent a note to request connecting if possible but would be happy with even the same floor.
So nice to have hotels without the resort fees and extra parking fees. Rates at Hilton were in the $900 range for the basic room and at Hyatt the rooms I booked were in the $700's before tax, but the ocean front were higher, so I figure that was enough to cover parking!
