Originally Posted by
mike_la_jolla
Excluding hotels that I have been to before, I think all of them have asked for my passport at check-in. The advice to check with the properties ahead of time is good. Perhaps a scan of the page with your picture would be good enough for the hotel (?)
I don't know about Dubai, but I renew my China visa in Hong Kong, and then check in to a hotel- the visa issuing agency gives you a receipt (passport number, expiry date, etc etc) which is perfectly acceptable to Hong Kong hotels. I also once got a visa extended in KL, and thus didn't have my passport at checkin- the hotel phoned someone (I don't know who) and it was OK within 2 minutes.