Getting hotel Gold status and then using Amex Travel seem counterintuitive
As an Amex Platinum member I have enjoyed the card's various benefits for years, one of which being automatic gold status with Hilton and SPG. I just booked a trip for the first time using "amextravel.com" and was pleased with the ease of the website. However, I was surprised that the Hilton where I'm staying refused to honor the gold status, and refused to give me any credit for the stay on my hhonors account (and I swear gave me a really crappy room out of spite...). I understand this may be common knowledge (it is to me now), but it begs the question why one would use amextravel after receiving the gold status perk from Amex (aside from 5x the Amex points, I guess). It's a shame, but I won't be using Amextravel anymore. U'd think Amex and Hilton or SPG could work out a special deal.