Thanks for the advice,although I will say that these things are generally known.

The car issue had nothing to do with AA booking. I've booked with priceline and paid considerably less than you did,with no problems. That beef is with Hertz and has nothing to do with AA.

Most (maybe all) hotel programs have information on their sites that say that third party bookings are not eligible for stay credit, nor do elite benefits apply. AA is a third party. Again,this is not an AA issue,but a Hilton rule over which they have no control. You made the choice to forfeit Hilton benefits for AA miles.

Cheers.