Starwood Preferred Guest - Room Billed to Company - No Points?

I checked into the Sheraton BLQ in Bologna this evening, on a stay booked by a company I do business with in Italy. The room was reserved in my name, but the billing is direct to the company.

At check in I asked the desk clerk to add my SPG number, to which he stated "I will, but you won't be getting any points, you're not paying for the room". I noted I may not have been paying for the room, but I was definitely occupying it. He quite curtly suggested I take it up with accounting, he wasn't going to discuss it.

Not being a frequent SPG guest, my question is simple. Is this the norm at Sheraton, or did I get the occasional grumpy clerk, albeit an Italian grumpy clerk? Most of my experience is at Hilton, where they gladly add your HH number to your reservation.

Danville 1K

Short answer = the clerk advised you correctly.

If it's direct bill, the guest won't be getting SPG points.

If you can find a way to pay for this on your own (and get reimbursed), you'll get your points.

Over the years, there's been plenty of bellyaching about this, but it is what it is. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news for you.

....The room was reserved in my name, but the billing is direct to the company.....

From FAQ section of www.spg.com:

In addition, certain types of room rates are not eligible for Starpoints credit. These include groups or conventions settled through a Master Bill, airline crew room charges, tours or pre-packaged deals through travel agents, wholesale rates, and rates from third-party bookings such as, but not limited to, priceline.com, expedia.com, etc.

Actually, it appears there may be some confusion regarding this...on both ends of the spectrum. ;)

Direct bills to your company are eligible. It is a Master Bill that isn't. The distinction here is that folks travelling using direct bill often have a choice of where they want to stay, while those using a master bill do not...the company decides for them.

So, SPG wants to honor the loyalty expressed by choice when using a direct bill.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

William -- thanks for the clarification. I don't think I've ever known that direct bills would qualify, so that's a very nice tidbit to be aware of. I had been under the impression that if any larger entity was being direct/master billed for the stay, then SPG points wouldn't be available to the guest.

This clarification is very good to know. I'll file this under the "you learn something new everyday" heading!^;)@:-):cool: