On the plus side, I arrived at the Phoenician - and to my surprise the agent said "Welcome Mr. Beantown, becuase of your platinum status, we have upgraded you to a suite." Isn't that the way its supposed to ALWAYS work.
On the negative, I have to agree that no one know anything about the "instant awards" and all the SPG materials state that the awards vary by property - ask at each hotel! If its just a silly $20 credit, why doesn't the SPG marketing material and rule book just say that!