Currying favor doesn't mean guaranteed good coverage. MP likely booked MGM properties because of her status and it should have been easy PR for them: limo for the family, suite in the Bellagio, some meals and a summary. That's 4-5 blog posts all promoting MGM, for the sum total of comping a 15 minute limo ride. That's dirt cheap marketing. Unfortunately for MGM PR, their front line staff blew it, and as result they got a bunch of posts suggesting that MGM could care less. A decent attempt at marketing undone by poor customer service.

It amazes me that so many staff, across a variety of businesses, are seemingly clueless to situations like this. If someone checks in with top status and 0 spend history, how do you not go into overdrive to do everything possible for them? They either know someone who can get them that status or someone in the company is trying to woo them for a reason that you are too junior to know about; neither situation is one where pissing them off will end well for you.