If it's an electronic certificate, and if it's someone you trust, why don't you make the reservation in your name and call the hotel to add the person onto the reservation as a 2nd guest? I've never had a problem on paid or award nights of adding a 2nd name to my reservation and having that person check in before I arrived at the hotel. They won't really know whether you actually arrive later or don't show up at all.

Expiring Certificate
 

FWIW, I've also had them extend them or reapply them after I forget to use them. sometimes, they are pretty generous with reinstating them. Worth it to ask.

Thank you for your good ideas. I would like to have my adult son use it so I will make the reservation in my name and add his name to the reservation. Since it is an electronic certificate in my account, I will have to call Marriott to make the reservation I guess...so I can ask them at them time if they can put both names on there.

Marriott and Chase arrangements
 

I recently posted the following message in a discussion centering on the new Cosmopolitan Hotel in Las Vegas ( a Marriott associate), and helpful readers suggested it might be more appropriate here. The suggestion seemed sound, so I've reproduced it below.

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Here's an issue related, not to the Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas particularly, but to the relationships among hotels with some sort of Marriott affiliation. In my case, I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton in San Francisco (at a fairly steep price) only to learn after getting my bill from Marriott's (Chase) credit card that the Marriott multiple (5X) to get MR points was not applied to the dollars spent there. Since my reservation was made via Marriott and, I had been led to believe, Ritz-Carltons bear the same relationship to Marriott, as St. Regis's and Park Hyatts have to their parent brands (with the exception of club welcoming), the differerentiation was, to me, unexpected (disappointing). Requests for explanation from both Marriott and Chase employees brought no insights, except perhaps into the confused state among those representartives.


On the other hand, I did receive the usual amenties that go with Marriott Platinum level membership at the RC SF, including impressive upgrading. As an aside, my opinion (and I've stayed at Park Hyatts and Luxury Collection hotels around the world) is that this RC SF is a magnificent hotel - my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our stay, including superb dining. Can't imagine staying anywhere else on returning to SF (and I have stayed in SF at the St. Regis, the Sheraton Luxury Collection, and the long-gone Park Hyatt).

I would be delighted to learn about the experiences of others regarding the ratio crediting of Marriott points on the basis of Chase credit card dollar expenditures at Marriott affiliated properties beyond the traditional ones. Better still would be an explanation of why the Ritz-Carlton is not considered the equivalent of, say, a Residence Inn in allowing points.

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As mentioned by many here (and noted by yourself), Marriott's online reservation system will allow you to "attach" an e-cert when you create the reservation even if the e-cert will expire before the actual stay. Unfortunately, when the e-cert's expiration date passes, that cert will "disappear" from your reservation.

Therefore, if you don't order another cert or link another one to the reservation, come a week before the actual stay, the system will automatically try to order you the needed award. If you have the points, it will deduct the points for the award. If you don't have the points, you will get notified that you need to contact Marriott get the reservation "fixed".


As for Ritz Carlton charges not being treated as a Marriott charge, that has been discussed here before. If I remember correctly, Marriott Concierge stated that Marriott and Chase are working on trying to get RCs treated the same. I don't remember an explanation as to why there is a problem. I would guess it has something to do with the amount of points Chase purchases from Marriott. They may not want to pay for the extra points for RC stays.

Expiration Date on E-Certificate
 

I have an e-certficate for a 2011 Summer Promotion Free Night Certificate, Category 1-4 Hotel. It says that the expiration date is 12/31/11. I just went online and tried to make a reservation for the night of 12/31/11, and it says the expiration date is invalid. Am I doing something wrong? I'm trying to use it for the night that it expires.

Thanks so much in advance.

Just call them. Try reservations, and if that doesn't work, call the Rewards number. I was able to use two certificates from Spring that said they expired on September 30 for a stay in October, but it was a bit complicated. I had to call reservations to book as if I were using points, then call the Rewards desk to have them attach the certificates. And even after that, they deducted the points as if I had no certificates, so I had to call Rewards again and they returned the points to my account. (I also had to book it by September 30 when the certs expired, but that doesn't seem to affect you.)

Good luck.

Read the T&Cs on the cert. There may be wording that states stay must be completed by expiration date. In which case the night of 12/31 is not valid according to the terms. But still give MR a call and see if they can and are willing to override. Ask politely and anything can happen.

Good luck.

Sorry, that was my point, that they seem to be willing to override within limits. I've had them extend the free night from the Marriott credit card for 6 months with no question. The MegaBonus free night certificates were less flexible, but as I noted not completely inflexible either.

I am using that exact same cert for a 12/31 reservation with no issues. I called to make the reservation because I am using a different cert (my Visa CC free night cert) for the following night. It was too complicated to do it on line, in fact, it took 2 calls to get it done correctly over the phone.

Call!

+1 (booked online)

I am using my visa cert in a couple of days, check in on the expiration date. Different cert, but probably same principle.

Certificate expiration
 

Need some help and have not been able to find an answer by searching (user error?)

Is the date on the expiration the check-in or check-out...

Let's say I have one that expires 12/31/2011 - can I check in on 12/31 and use that cert?

good as long as you check-in prior to expiration...

Thanks