Whether or not the stay is "free", you are still entitled to all of the same Gold perks and amenities. In late March, I was granted access to the executive lounge at the BKK Hilton, without any additional prompting on my part (though, I had brought along a printout from their web site, just in case ) The next day, my request for a late checkout was initially rejected but the computer system was evidently down and the Hilton personnel had forgotten that I was Gold. After presenting my Gold card, the request was granted immediately.