Choice Privileges - Redeeming awards for friends?

Every hotel program I'm a member of allows you to make award reservations for anyone you want. I had thought Choice was the same.

However, I ran across this on their website (http://www.choicehotels.com/en/choice-privileges/gp/rules-regulations#cp_nights):

A member may redeem a reward night for an immediate family member (spouse, partner, children, parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters). Immediate family members (spouse, partner, children, parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters) can use the free night even if the member is not occupying the room.

Does this mean what it seems to say? I can get an award night for my brother but not for my neighbor?

I give nights to friends all the time. call in to choice 1800 number and tell the on special instructions that your brother "friends name" will be checking in.

BigLar, I think it's written this way to discourage selling / bartering /etc.

They obviously have no way of looking up whether your in-law or partner or sibling by a completely different surname is actually in your "immediate family" or not.

They can, however, if they wish (I don't know if they actually do) keep track of all this, and perhaps put a limit on how many different people you redeem for. (Thus if someone was trying to sell Choice points stays all the time and Choice had a record of them requesting this for thousands of different people yet claiming they were all "immediate family", then they might crack down. :))

i suppose just like US airways, choice can close down any accounts. and one then has the burden to prove that those rooms are for immediate family.

Every hotel program I'm a member of allows you to make award reservations for anyone you want. I had thought Choice was the same.

However, I ran across this on their website (http://www.choicehotels.com/en/choice-privileges/gp/rules-regulations#cp_nights):

A member may redeem a reward night for an immediate family member (spouse, partner, children, parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters). Immediate family members (spouse, partner, children, parents, in-laws, brothers and sisters) can use the free night even if the member is not occupying the room.

Does this mean what it seems to say? I can get an award night for my brother but not for my neighbor?

This past year I gifted a number of free nights to family or friends who were in need for one reason or another. In every case I called and asked to speak to the front desk manager to make sure they could check in on my reservation. In 5 of my gifted stays at 5 seperate hotels, I had to FIGHT to get the front desk to allow it. After calling the Platinum desk and having them call the hotel directly, I was able to get the rooms in every case.

Some properties, not all, simply don't understand the their own rules. In short they HAVE to let your family or friend stay, but please do what I've done and call the hotel after you book the room to ensure they will let your family/friend check-in without you there. If you don't and get a bad property, they will deny the check-in for the friend/family. I won my case in every instance, but only after a call to the Platinum desk and a call from them to the hotel.

That being said, many hotels gave me no problem at all. Consistency is definitely lacking at Choice (no surprise).

The problem is that choice reservations doesnt seem to be able to make the reservations in the family members name like other programs can. They always tell my dad that the reservation will be in my name but it ends up in his.. Luckily the two times we've did this it hasn't been a problem.

The problem is that choice reservations doesnt seem to be able to make the reservations in the family members name like other programs can. They always tell my dad that the reservation will be in my name but it ends up in his.. Luckily the two times we've did this it hasn't been a problem.

I don't know of any program that actually has an award reservation in the name of someone other than the account holder.

I don't know of any program that actually has an award reservation in the name of someone other than the account holder.

Hyatt and Hilton have made reservations for me this month that were in the name of someone other than the account holder whose points were being used for the award reservations. Starwood has done the same for me before too.

This past year I gifted a number of free nights to family or friends who were in need for one reason or another. In every case I called and asked to speak to the front desk manager to make sure they could check in on my reservation. In 5 of my gifted stays at 5 seperate hotels, I had to FIGHT to get the front desk to allow it. After calling the Platinum desk and having them call the hotel directly, I was able to get the rooms in every case.

Some properties, not all, simply don't understand the their own rules. In short they HAVE to let your family or friend stay, but please do what I've done and call the hotel after you book the room to ensure they will let your family/friend check-in without you there. If you don't and get a bad property, they will deny the check-in for the friend/family. I won my case in every instance, but only after a call to the Platinum desk and a call from them to the hotel.

That being said, many hotels gave me no problem at all. Consistency is definitely lacking at Choice (no surprise).

Using the comments field to name the additional guest staying in the room who will be checking in has always worked for me with Choice Hotels.

Using the comments field to name the additional guest staying in the room who will be checking in has always worked for me with Choice Hotels.

This is what I have always done but my father is the only person I have gotten a room for.

One time I forgot a hotel manager in NC put up a fight to let him stay. I even had a Choice Hotel customer service representative call and he initially told her he wasn't going to let him stay.:td:

Rod

I don't know of any program that actually has an award reservation in the name of someone other than the account holder.

Besides Hilton mentioned above, Marriott also allows that. And IHG (sort of, as a second guest).

So far Choice is the only one I know who does not have such a feature.