Are the 10 passes for AMEX Hilton CC automatically loaded to your PP account?

Just did a trip in the Middle East last month and PP is definitely not useless there.

• IGA lounge in IST had plenty of great food options including a homemade Pide station and another station that made some absolutely awesome Kibbeh (Kofte), although don't expect any cocktails beyond a standard liquor and mixer (e.g. whiskey and coke) which is still a level above the TK lounge that doesn't offer spirits. Waited about 90 seconds in line at peak time and there were places to sit.
• Primeclass Lounge in MCT had some fairly decent food, a good drink (asked for it strong after some weak drinks in Muscat and boy did they make it strong!), a pool table IIRC, and a live singer who was pretty good. Was busy but not packed.
• Ahlan lounge in Dubai terminal 1 had a large selection of food for breakfast, was very quiet when I went, and a bartender happy to make whatever you wanted. You may miss it, but there is a table of some decent Arabic desserts near the front of the lounge when you enter. There are a couple other lounges with access; but this one seemed to be the best (in T1 at least).

Agree. I got turned away from a few lounges with Priority Pass in the past year, in NRT, SEA, SFO, and YVR. Not getting much benefit out of it as I used to.

Sitting at PDX Caper's and it's open until 10PM today which is a nice surprise.... definitely a nice change from the recent +/- 12PM closings.

Count me as a happy PP member again! :)

Agreed. I was just in the IGA lounge in Istanbul and had a great experience. The food selection was great.

IGA Lounge Istanbul Review
 

I was at the IGA Lounge last month, and put together a photo-heavy review of the place: https://noworkalltravel.com/2023/04/...-istanbul-ist/.

tl;dr good food selection, ample seating, indifferent customer service

While I do agree Priority Pass lounge coverage is starting to be useless in the US. As a Canadian, I'm happy that it hasn't changed in a negitive direction here. While YMMV, imo, Plaza Premium is amazing for the US (and select countries), while Priority Pass tries to be a Jack of All Trades (but clearly isn't doing the best in areas like the US).

The United States has seen quite a bit of inflation recently, and it seems like the experience credit remains $28. Assume payments to lounge operators have also not increased.

Would not be surprised to see more lounges pull out of the program, and the experience benefit being worth not much for those still eligible.

For example at SFO in 2019 I could get a dungeoness crab cocktail and a beer for $28. Now a similar appetizer uses up the whole credit.

For those that travel domestically in the US and pay for PP, is the restaurant credit worth it? I have it through my AmEx platinum card. When I first got it, it had that benefit, but quickly went away. I use it occasionally, like flying out of IAD (Turkish Airline lounge), but since the card also includes access to Delta Sky Club and I usually fly Delta, I don't use it that often. And since I don't really pay for PP, it is just a nice to have on those rare occasions when there is no SkyClub or I am flying a different airline.
But now with capacity controls on the Delta Sky Club, it may be worth paying for PP to get the restaurant credit. Is it widely available and easy to use?
Downside?

I think you will receive better quality replies if you mention the airports where you might be able to use the restaurant benefit.

Fair enough point. Most major ones on the east coast - NYC, BOS, IAD, DCA, BWI, ATL. Then mostly in the south - CLT, MSY, AUS, JAN, TLH. South Florida airports.

Yeah, the usefulness is definitely dependent on the airport. I fly in/out of PDX regularly and there's no PP lounge but the restaurant (Caper's) is great. I easily save enough each year to pay for the fee on my Chase card. Getting into a few lounges at other airports is just icing on the cake.

We're flying through ATL tomorrow, arriving there at 1:30pm. From the large number of recent 1* reviews on Yelp from PP travelers saying that they were unable to get in, I'm guessing that I'm not going to be able to get into the PP lounge. Has anyone been to the Samuel Adams Brew House recently? Was there much of a wait?

Coming home, our ATL layover is from 5:40am-8:30am, so I figure that there may be a decent chance of getting into PP when they open at 6am.

Also, any experience with the PP international lounge in Quito, Ecuador? Any problem getting in for a late night flight?

Should have no problems and it's a pretty good lounge from a food perspective, but they do strict enforcement of the 2 drink maximum when you're there (they scan your boarding pass at the bar every time you get a drink).