Okay, either I missed something important or the reservations people at Hilton Reservations need a brush-up course.

I used PlanetFeedback.com to write a letter of complaint about my recent experience at Hilton Pasadena, where I was denied Gold VIP benefits. (As a result of this letter I later got a phone call from a manager at Hilton Pasadena, offering some faint apologies.)

Today I noticed the following response to my letter, which I had agreed to make public on the PlanetFeedback site:

Just because you have a gold card does not mean you are a gold vip w/ hhonors. gold vip is a very special program that very few people have. to be an offical gold vip member you have to be nominated for this so called "honor" by a manager of a hotel you don't get the "vip" status just buy staying. just thought i would let you know.
-an employee of Hilton Reservations Worldwide

Any truth at all in this? It certainly doesn't jibe with anything I've been told...