Originally Posted by
craigthemif
As with all travel hacks that clearly break the rules but are often tolerated, it's better IMO for people to know the possible consequences. Those consequences might not even occur today, but in a few years time when the account is audited for some entirely different reason - perhaps mistakenly - but the OP can no longer credibly claim to have acted impeccably according to the rules. YMMV...
I certainly do agree that historically most US hotels simply didn't care. But with hotels cost-cutting right and left, who knows how many hotels have elite benefits / points fraud on their radar...
I have very rarely been in this position. My wife almost never travels without me. One time I did book a FI award stay (w/points not a certificate) for my wife and daughter. I had my wife listed as the second guest and never bothered to change her over to the primary guest. No problems. IIRC they didn't get an upgrade but I did wind up getting welcome arrival gift points. I didn't ask for nor expect to receive any elite benefits for the stay. Frankly, if MR went back to allowing name changes on reservations for award stays on the website, I would have changed the reservation over to her name. I was too lazy to call MR to change it over.
Anyway, I agree with you. Not worth the risk, especially now with the current business climate during the pandemic. I'll go a step further and say not worth the risk in general even when business gets better. Much better to call a property and ask for elite status privileges to be granted as a courtesy. I.e. play within the rules and ask nicely for exceptions rather than trying to do it on the sly . Each to their own....
--Jon