Unfortunately the "upgrades" for gold are left to the interpretation of each property. The program only specified an "upgrade" of some sort (to a preferred room, whatever that may be), which could mean slightly farther away from the soda machine or the elevator. It's touch and go, with some properties being very generous and give out real upgrades, while others look at the "gold status" as fools' gold.
But then, SPG's gold status is relatively easy to get, so I'll take whatever bones they choose to throw my way now and then. It pays, too, to check FT to see which properties treat golds better. My experience suggests that quite a few properties actually are nice even to mere golds.