Originally Posted by
flyerfirsts
I wonder how they would have dealt with a credit card authorization form.
It is a matter of the award reservation being designated as gifted, not just the method in which the name was trying to be added to the reservation
Originally Posted by
stant
thats why you call the property and add the person who will be checking into the room to the reservation. in my experience the process works best if you call the property directly yourself. I have always got the benefits of status for the room, even when I dont show up to check in first - but i do also hold a wee bit more status than gold
edit: and if you dont want to have to have whoever checks in put down their own card for incidentals, use the credit card authorization form. some properties now have a web link you can use instead of the old form that needed to be signed and emailed back.
While this can (and often does) work,
NotJustDreaming described how it is "supposed" to work. Hotels are not authorized to add names to Award reservations. Additionally, they are required to
only check-in the
member, unless the reservation is gifted, even if you're "showing up later". The gifted designation can be removed (it's just a request code, like "high floor" or "feather free") after the member arrives.
While experiences like
NotJustDreaming 's are on the rarer side, it can happen, and it is the
correct way, so there will be no helping OP if the hotel decides to be by-the-book.