Do pilots make a lot of money?
I can only answer from a US standpoint as that is the jurisdiction I know best, elsewhere in the world things may be different. 

The first thing you can check is this data from the Bureau Of Labor And Statistics according to their data 


  2015 Median Pay
  
  The wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more
  than that amount and half earned less. Median wage data are from the
  BLS Occupational Employment Statistics survey. In May 2015, the median
  annual wage for all workers was $36,200.
  
  For Pilots the 2015 median pay was 102,520 USD per year


You should read over this article as well as it covers a wide variety of how pilots are paid and the such. 

Here is some more data on salary as well. You should how ever note that for many articles the data is submitted by choice and may not accurately reflect the true pay scale. 

Here is some discussion on the per hour pay but I should caution you to be weary of per hour statistics for pilots. In many cases these numbers are computed using flight hours which does not accurately reflect how much a pilot may work as there is more time involved in a flight than just what the hobbs meter records. Here in the US it is my impression most commercial (121) pilots are salaried. 

My two flight instructors recently went to the regionals after completing their ATP hours from talking to them it is evident that starting pay is very low (under 30K a year). 

One interesting (and often debated issue) is that the FAA requires pilots to retire at 65 (was previously 60). This in theory puts a cap on their earning potential as an airline pilot (however they can fly non 121 operations like a 135 charter afterwords).

As for perks, that depends on the airline (and may to some extent depend on seniority). Its common to get some comped tickets for family members and the such but its not what it once was. I have heard that many pilots can fly standby on their own (or in company) airlines for free. They may also be able to ride in the jump seat if there is one. This can be attractive for a young single pilot but is not very efficient for family travel. 

Free hotels and things will depend on the route you are flying. If overnight stay is required they may put the pilot up (i.e. long haul routes) but you should not expect 5 Star Penthouses and bottomless lobster dinners. However there are plenty of short routes for which a pilot may end up back at their base at the end of their shift.   

If you are looking for a decent overview of the pilots life I would advise picking up a copy of Cockpit Confidential it has a lot of the answer you may be looking for and is very to the point.