Update: Two different MR customer service agents over the phone told me that members cant get elite benefits even if room booked in my name with a partner/friends points.
Got same message from thief twitter team. Seems inconsistent with many experiences here, nonetheless speaks to what may happen at individual properties.

Also, want to add that the one time per year points transfer (beyond the 50,000 cap) for immediate redemption worked perfectly and will allow us to use my MR benefits.