Reisen

Currently at 18 stays for the year and want to hit platinum. I will likely have some business travel in the next few months, and will probably hit another 7 stays, but I have an opportunity coming up to potentially knock it out.

My wife is due any day now, and both sets of grandparents will be coming into town. They'll be staying at hotels, and I'm tempted to put them up on my points. Saves them money, gets me stay credits. A few Q's:

- If I add their name to the reservation, I can have them check in without me being there, correct?

- Is there any issue with having two different reservations at two different properties for the same night?

- How about having two rooms at the same property for the same night?

RogerD408

Although this is against the T&C's, there is a good chance it would work. You are suppose to be staying and paying to get credit for the room. The benefits are for the member not and anyone they know.Yes, when/if SPG chooses to audit your account you could lose one or both. See answer aboveYes, you are allowed to get stay/night credit for up to three rooms. However, see answer #1.

These acts could be considered fraudulent use of the program and may even result in your account being closed.

Starwood Lurker

Just so you know, if the property posts this correctly, you won't get any stay credits; however, if the people staying in the rooms have an SPG account, they can, but they would have to ask for it and give the hotel their SPG account number.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

MSPeconomist

Why doesn't the OP plan a little pre-baby weekend getaway in one or more Starwoods now? Pick a city location or something not far from home in case the baby decides to interrupt your staycation. Extra points for you if the property has a spa and your wife enjoys a massage.

Reisen

So, I'll definitely be "paying" (either on my SPG AmEx on nights when rates are cheap, or with SPG points on nights when the rates go up). What is the definition of a "stay"? I looked it up on SPG, and this is what I found:

An SPG Member may not earn Starpoints from stays at SPG Participating Hotels in which the SPG Member was not the registered guest, did not stay at SPG Participating Hotel, or did not pay the folio upon check-out.

I don't see anything about needing to be there a certain amount of hours or anything. I will definitely be in the room / at the property picking them up / dropping them off, and we will likely have drinks at the hotel bar, eat in the restaurant, etc.

It seems like the safest thing to do would be for me to book both room at the same property, in my name, and with my parents / in-laws as the additional guests. I'll pay both bills, either with points or my credit card, and will be in and out of the hotel room repeatedly over a couple of days.

The property will have no way of knowing whether I slept there, and even if they did, I would argue I'm personally checking in, spending time in the room, then checking out, so I'm "staying there".

Am I kosher or in a grey area?

Reisen

Already done, W Scottsdale earlier this year. Mrs. Reisen got a prenatal massage at the Bliss spa there, and I got to play a couple rounds of golf.

I only need 7 more stay credits, so am probably being a little goofy about this. Chances are, even without taking advantage of the need for hotel rooms locally, I'll hit high 20's / low 30's just based off business travel. But I'm trying to pare that back for the first few months with the baby...

MSPeconomist

Do that again, or try the Canyon Suites this time.

RogerD408

I feel safe in saying you are in a grey area. Your plan may work, but I'm sure it is not the intent of the program. You have a lot of good points being able to check them in and out and being in town and visiting a lot.

Again, if they should choose to audit your account and find your actions outside the terms of the program, they can reverse the credit and/or close down your account. Only you can answer the question if it's worth the risk.

I am all for maximizing program benefits, but if members continuously play outside the box, the rules will get tighter and benefits can get cut.

geminidreams

If you book at one hotel 2 rooms and you are present at checkin of one of the rooms then you would get the stays, don't tell them you wont be there. Some people on mattress runs book in and never stay. Ive booked 2 rooms and stayed in one and received 2 stays.

lcpteck

This would be fully legitimate since you're staying in the hotel and paying for both rooms at check-out. I've done this myself. I would only do this if I'm short of stays/nights to re-qualify Platinum.

geminidreams

I did it as was one night short for a promo and the points credit more than offset the token amount for that night.

lcpteck

For my case was the 5k Aeroplan points promotions, good for Biz class redemptions in Asia.

Reisen

Yep, I hear you. I'm not too worried mainly because I think this will be a win / win for me and SPG.

Specifically, I get the stay credits, & get to put my parents and in-laws up (instead of making them find their own place). I'd spend a small fortune doing that all in cash at the expensive hotels nearby.

SPG (as the brand not just the program) gets the revenue (cash paid for rooms plus points redeemed) they wouldn't otherwise get. I'll be putting the grandparents up about 20 minutes away to get a good deal at an SPG property. If they were finding their own accommodations, they'd stay at competing properties 5-10 min away (Hyatt, non-chain hotels).

It seems to me the worst thing that will happen is I won't get the stay credits (per Lurker's post), but if I'm checking in and out, I don't know how they would know I didn't sleep in the room.

MSPeconomist

You're still planning to knowingly cheat. Plus, I suspect that you won't really be fooling the hotel. How many men of new father age who can afford expensive hotels would voluntarily share a hotel room with their parents or parents-in-law?

Reisen

I wouldn't go that far. I honestly haven't seen any definition of "stay", and certainly nothing that required sleeping in the room. It seems to me that if I pay for the room, check in, spend time in the room, spend time at the bar, then check out, I'm fairly "staying" at the hotel, whether or not I actually sleep there.

Put another way, there are probably plenty of reasons why someone would pay for a hotel room, spend time in the room, but not sleep overnight. That could include spending time with a friend or family member in the room, using the room with a mistress then leaving, etc.