Ms World Traveler 73 is Starwood Preferred Gold, but there was no complimentary upgrade offered. This was despite it being very obvious that the hotel was probably 15% occupied. I saw maybe 15 guests over a 4 day stay in a resort with 200 + rooms. The place has a wonderful view and the rooms are of good standard. The real hook was the price – we stayed for 4 nights for about $110 USD an night. My impression was that in Egypt, you got exactly what you paid for.
Well, my experience is that in Egypt you rarely get what you paid for, more often you get what you've managed to negotiate.
Did you ask for a complimentary upgrade and was straighforward refused?
What I do in Egypt is book the standard room, insert a $20 note in my passport when checking-in and say "gimmie the best room you can ;-) ".
Never dissapointed.