ohange

Here is a hypothetical that I don't have an easy answer for.

I am HH Diamond. I book a stay and plan to bring my family. I list my wife's name on the reservation in the space provided to do so. My plans change unexpectedly and the wife and kids make the trip, but my "joining them in progress" fails to occur.

What would happen in this case?

1) Nothing, it's just like a normal booking...

2) They ask her that since I won't be joining, to rebook under her own name, and I don't get the stay credit, and the family doesn't get any of my Diamond benefits during the stay...

3) Something else....?

I've tried searching for this answer in the wiki. I know that it's usually who pays/stays gets the points, but this time, I'm booking it jointly in case my plans change last minute.

Doc Savage

She should be able to check in if her name is on the res. I wouldn't stress too much about it. You could let the hotel know that she will be "checking in first" if you like. And planes get delayed all the time, sometimes disrupting travel plans for days.

ohange

Too right, Doc. Plans do get disrupted all the time. Happened to me just last week in fact.

tkelvin69

Why don't you just be honest? If you have no intention of staying you should receive no stay credit. If you don't make it, you should receive no stay credit. What part of that is unclear?

gav0106

Happens all the time. Diamond benefit is spouse stays free as well. I have had this a lot, I get delayed and wife stays. never an issue As long as hotel gets paid

747FC

I assume that you and your wife are not grandfathered into a joint account?

BobH

The one thing I would do is make sure she has the credit card used to make the reservation and when she checks in just use the last name.

Bob H

MoreMilesPlease

#1 nothing happens she gets Diamond benefits you get stay credit and points.

#2 Front desks asks that you come to the desk when you arrive and then you get Diamond benefits.

#3 you don't show up when front desk requests and you don't get any benefits.

It has been reported that some hotels have asked for #2 and then #3 happens.

Benefits are for the member staying in the room. If you are not occupying the room then the hotel has no obligation to give any benefits.

JimJ321

That seems a little unwarranted as the likely share finances. This is personal travel, not biz. At the same time, I have booked a reward stay for my wife and reached out to the GM/Concierge several times to ask for a nice view, etc. not an upgrade per se, but just a little something. They have always treated her as a Diamond in my eyes.
Additionally, shouldn't a spouse be given some benefits (that don't take away from Diamond BIB folks staying) since their husband/wife travel the bulk of the year??

HansGruber

I book rooms under my HHonors account all the time with my CC info that my wife and kids stay in without me. It's never been an issue and your response is pretty unnecessary.

They used to have joint accounts but they no longer do it. My wife doesn't have her own HHonors account so we use mine. She doesn't travel for business so these are only personal trips.

tkelvin69

There's no current provision to receive stay or elite benefits if the MEMBER does not actually stay. Trying to provide accurate information rather than what some people may get.

jamesteroh

Depends on the property and the agent.

Under the T&C you are entitled to no points/stay credit and your spouse isn't entitled to benefits but that's not to say it doesn't happen.

I travel a lot with a non-status friend who sometimes arrives before me. I always make sure it's in the reservation he may be checking in first. Sometimes they just give him the key, card it for lounge access (if there is a lounge) or the breakfast vouchers, etc. Other times they swipe his credit card but I have to go to the front desk when I arrive and show an ID for the vouchers for breakfast or to have his key encoded for lounge access and to get the wifi code, so truly a YMMV situation

747FC

This is not a true statement. There are members who have joint accounts. Hilton does not issue any new joint accounts and has grandfathered existing accounts.

MoreMilesPlease

You can get a joint account if you buy a time share.

But more to the point, Honors is very specific that the benefits are for the member staying in the room. Not for the member's spouse, kids, girlfriend, co-worker or anyone else without the member actually staying.

Just because you have decided to try and circumvent the rules and get benefits for other people through your account doesn't mean it is allowed under the T&C's. You may want to alert your wife that one day she may be denied benefits until you show up to the hotel. Just let her know to prevent any undue embarrassment, since you are knowingly breaking the T&C's of Honors.

scubaccr

HH (and other brands Hotel, airline) loyalty plans do not allow joint spousal accounts and require each person to have separate own (non-shared) account for earning points/qual nights and receiving elite benefits and earning elite status. Shared accounts lead to more elite status accounts and the spouse can end up taking upgrade away from an 'earned HH elite'

Where does it end, booking for Parents, brother, sister where surname is same as on ones account, down to single friends who all pay for room, but receive your HH-G/HH-D bennies in return for you getting points/qual nights/maintaining status.

Like one earlier poster said be honest, mostly hotels will treat spouse as HH-elite of some sort, if lucky all bennies, some give bennies without room upgrade, or room upgrade without bennies, but many also not give you the associated points+qual nights due to knowing you did not stay.