Does Hilton let you check in and charge without paying?

And "credit cards are the spawn of the devil" OMG that's just too funny! A credit card is an inanimate object. It does nothing that YOU don't tell it to do.

But you won't be happy at Marriott. Not everyone that works there is perfect.... of course I have found that to be true at other hotels

Somehow the fact that you "didn't get an upgrade" is probably more the issue then this. (IMHO if that's mentioned early in a rant it's the real issue.)