Hotels are refusing local guests
 

I am a member of a local charity group which helps homeless & hungry people. I tried to use some orphan hotel points to get shelter for somebody for a few nights, but at least 2 hotels rejected them because they don't rent rooms to local-area residents during COVID-19. Or perhaps it's an excuse because of the problems some homeless people could cause in these or in normal times: damage to room, prostitution, drug use/dealing.
We have too few shelters here. I hate to take such risks, but I want to give back to God & humanity out of gratitude for all the free room nights I have enjoyed in expensive hotels over the years.

I've seen this policy. I've always thought it would be pretty easy to get around. Just show a form of ID, like a passport, that doesn't have your address.

You are taking a huge responsibility and risk putting up people you don't know using your points and credit card (assuming they don't have any). I would urge against it.

Hotels do this primarily for two very good reasons. The first is not to have locals rent rooms, host wild parties and disrupt other guests. The second is to prevent well-meaning do-gooders from dumping homeless people at their doorstep. If you wouldn't welcome them into your own home why bring them to someone else's and leave them there?

Aye, I don't think this is unique to COVID-19. The No Locals Policy for hotels is a well-known "thing".
Just duckduckgo it to see some examples (most results are pre-2019 so completely unrelated to COVID-19).
Here's one: https://www.quora.com/Why-would-a-ho...ocally?share=1

Oh, its definitely a 'thing'. Its used selectively though. A well heeled doctor from town would have no problem renting a room in that hotel.

Its nice of you to try though. Some of the lower end brands (especially the pay by the week brands) might be more accommodating if they are available in the part of town you are looking to rent. We have placed homeless students in Value Place, Woodspring Suites, Extended Stay America.

Unfortunately, the points won't really work there. Good luck.

Great idea! OP, just tell the homeless people to show their passport when they check in! :D

While I understand where the hotel is coming from, I just want to thank you for your kind heart. It's nice to see.

Well, OP is trying to do good so be reasonable and be nice.

:tu:

Well, I guess this policy is selectively enforced. Over the years, I have had to do local stays (for mattress runs, use free nights before they expire, when they shut off the water in my condo, when my AC was broken) and never had a problem.

After writing my OP, I Googled it and found what Narvik and Badenoch describe, that many hotels cheap-to-midrange have had problems with locals renting rooms to hold noisy &or messy parties. Worse yet, some use rooms for dope-dealing, prostitution, and other illegal activities.

The Hampton Inn where I got them a room got suspicious because the woman had a marked Service Dog, which I had declared in the reservation. Trouble is, her male companion had one, too! And neither was blind nor deaf. She told me that she had been a victim of domestic violence and her dog was for anxiety (Emotional Support?) and defense!

The GM phoned me two hours after check-in, asking me about my Honors account to make sure I had authorized the use of points. Then she said she would let them stay one night only, then refund the rest of my points. She warned me of the risk to my wallet (damages, etc.) because the guests have no credit card & I had to give mine, and to my good reputation with Hilton. Then she thanked me for my good-heartedness and Easter spirit..

Now I feel naive because the guests were not vetted by the leaders of the charity group! I hate to see turn a human being out into the street or a tent in the woods, but I don't want to be aiding & abetting something nasty &or illegal! I gave the guest the phone of a women's shelter, but she said they won't allow her dog there.

Maybe I should have posted my OP in the FlyerTalk Cares forum, given that many hotels had this policy in normal times.

Badenoch, hotels are in the business of renting rooms to strangers, where they have privacy during their stays.

:D to Bear96's reply to Davie355! Very few homeless people have passports! It could be a solution to people who need lodging because their homes are damaged or under repair, but it does seem strange to present a passport as ID in one's own home country!

You can always share the benefits of your points with people you know. I agree with others that hotel space is not suitable for charity like yours, since it does not belong entirely to you. Some hotels do open their doors to the homeless. In that case they won't share the credit and risk with others.

Interesting. I've stayed at quite a few hotels in here Santa Barbara where I live (my ex and I were splitting up at the time), always showed my drivers license and my SB address, never once a problem. Also have used points at some of the resorts by the beach and never a problem either.

There's also the issue now that a local who wants a hotel room might be self-isolating after exposure. Thus they are a high risk to the hotel employees.

Hotels in NC for Homeless
 

Because of the concern of spread in shelters, some hotels in NC, including Marriott hotels in the Raleigh/Durham area, are housing homeless
residents by the dozens. Up to 200 rooms in one property were offered.