We were there last week, it appears elites are getting good upgrades into the Rainbow Tower lately, we were on the 30th floor (out of 31) and second room from the ocean (all the rooms on the corners are King beds with two lanais, which I've seen reports of Diamonds getting) which is definitely a positive. The downside of Rainbow tower is the potential for long elevator waits. $15/person/day food and beverage won't go far, though it will cover breakfast at the Wiki Wiki Market. Pools are crowded, I think that's a constant theme, we lined up at 8:45 AM one day to get chairs at the Super Pool when it opened at 9:00 AM, they were all gone by about 9:01 AM.

If you're a Football fan, the Tropics Alehouse is a short walk from the hotel with NFL Sunday Ticket and a few decent drink specials, when I found it on Google at first I thought they were referring to the Tropics Restaurant and Bar at the HHV, but it is a separate (and more reasonably priced) alternative a short walk away.