I'm curious to know the exact words the manager said in reference to the room numbers as there would be a HUGE difference here between the guests being told their rooms numbers in advance and the guests being given their room numbers in advance. I've never heard of guests being told their room numbers in advance unless the guest contacts the property and requests a specific room. However, it IS common practice to assign [give] guests a room before they arrive, especially among elite arrivals. It is a possibility that while these rooms were empty at the time you saw them, that those people who were being assigned those rooms later in the day had specifically booked a waterview room, in which case they of course would take precedence over you being upgraded. However, what is not acceptable here, or in any case, is the staff lying about the situation rather than just being honest to begin with.