Originally Posted by
calitequilasippergirl
Just a note - 3rd Party booking agents (Expedia) have a certain number of rooms. That's why the hotel/Marriott shows as booked full. Marriott assumes that the 3rd party rooms are going to be booked. There is typically a clause in this relationship that if the 3rd party booking agent hasn't sold the rooms by X number of hours/days before check-in, then they must be released back to the hotel/chain.
Will it incease the chances of getting walked? As mentioned in a previous post, anyone booked on the convention rate is pretty safe. MW Members with any level status (other than general) are pretty safe as well.
actually not true...3rd party bookings have access to live inventory with Marriott (and Hilton) and most of them have access to live inventory with Starwood (E****** doesn't)....I can think of how they had access when other channels didn't but it shouldn't have happened...needless to say if you received a confirmation number from Marriott you have a confirmed room