I decided to upgrade because of the balcony. When I got to my room there was none. When I went down to inquire they said that balconies may or may not be available.
When selecting my room none of that was information was available. It only showed the nice picture of the balcony.
I asked if an upgrade was available, and they said yes, but I would have to pay about 25% more. I explained that according to my hotels.com gold status I should have a free upgrade, if rooms were available. And since the room was available, then I asked what was the problem.
In short, the front desk, and the front desk manager said that hotels.com/Expedia doesn't matter - Misrepresentation or not.
Next time, they concluded, I should know better and just book directly with Starhotels.