I used to be eligible for both friends and family and child of associate rates when my stepmother worked at a Residence Inn. This was back in the days where there was a pre-printed form the GM or other senior manager at the issuing property had to sign. In my case, my stepmother used to give me batches of forms to use. They were good for 3 months after they were signed. I always used them for trips for my immediate family or for when we were traveling to visit extended family. My stepmother was fully aware of what the forms were being used for and encouraged us to do so. It was a nice perk and she encouraged her entire immediate family to use them. The forms were traceable back to her and her GM. She was a HR manager and has since retired, so I am no longer eligible for the rate.

The point of the above story is the associate who gets you the form does need to be fully aware of what you are using them for. As others have already noted they are vouching for you and can even lose their job if one of the people they got the form for does serious damage or otherwise creates significant problems during a stay while using the rate. So do yourself and your friend a favor and keep them fully informed on where and when you will be using the forms to get the explorer rate. If anything comes up, they will be aware of the situation and hopefully can smooth over any issues or misunderstandings should they arise. Far better than for them to get blindsided especially if the complaint is unjustified.

--Jon