Originally Posted by
lwildernorva
You do understand that a "customer-focused" business is generally focused on making the maximum profit for the business.
Absolutely with sdsearch on the correct approach. And if you're ever interested in a European redemption at 8K points per night (look at Dublin, Ireland from now through early January, for instance), you'll appreciate the 16K points you'll earn. If your folios get merged, your four days will turn in to one stay--earning nothing other than the normal points credited for each night, until you complete a second stay when you'll qualify for the 8K bonus.
If you don't want to be bothered to play the game, that's fine, but understand that if you want to be sure you earn all 16K points (again, truly equivalent to 2 nights in some hotels in Europe at certain times--so minimally $200), you'd better play by the rules most strictly interpreted in Choice's, not your favor.
It's not that I don't want to be bothered to play the game, it's that I don't want the game to become more hassle than it's worth. I don't want the focus of a 4 day trip to Boston to become "where do we stash our luggage? Oh, and pretend you don't know me."
The thing is, I don't have a car for this trip, and you can be sure I'm not going to lug my bags around with me all day while I'm playing tourist. So what would my option be? I guess I could ask them to store my bags, but what's my excuse for checking out and then coming back to pick them up and then staying again even though I supposedly don't have a room? You don't think they'll consider that to be strange?
It just seems like to me the most plausible and least hassle way to do it is to say, "listen, we booked rooms separately because we need to pay on separate cards 4 times or something of that nature (I do have plenty of gift cards I could unload in reality)". I don't see why there isn't a good chance they'll oblige, especially cause the place we are staying at is brand new, and I doubt they want to get a bad rap.
But I dunno. I've only done this once before, and the guy at the Radisson didn't even blink. As long as you are nice to people, people tend to want to avoid confrontation, especially when they are working at a front desk (and not the accountant).
Maybe I should look for other options (maybe switching to a Marriott for two nights to get their 2 for 1 promo).