[\QUOTE]of course, i have yet to be asked for id when checking in at north american hotels, and front desk clerks don't even bother to look at the name on the credit card.[/QUOTE]
When I worked front desk, we ALWAYS matched a credit card with a person in the reservation. If you were going to use a 3rd party cc, we had an authorization form to fill out and send back (quite painless, just fill in a few blanks and sign) to protect both the hotel owner and cc holder. In this day and age of identity theft, I think my owner was ahead of his time. It also headed off spouses sticking it to their soon to be/or ex's, or children using the parents cc for a good time .

Hotels are wising up on cc use and identity in general. When you leave behind your ..... (fill in the blank essential), and the hotel has no idea how to contact you, it is a big problem. I couldn't believe the things left in rooms, from laptops to military documents & UNIFORMS to obviously important medications, and there sometimes would be no valid address or phone. If you don't want your home address used, give your business; same with a phone number. Also, keeping your profile current, with a VALID cc makes reservations safe and quick to make.

I do not mind having to show my drivers license at check in. Recent hotel stays that have done so:

1. Doubletree Guest Suites, Mt. Laurel, NJ (EVERY visit)
2. Doubletree Philadelphia
3. Somerset, NJ Marriott
4. Philadelphia Airport Renaissance

and of course as mentioned above, most int'l hotels. I love the UK, where they actually scrutinize and match signatures .

Happy Travels...