dwbf11

Question for those of you who do mattress runs more frequently than I do - do you tell the check in agent that you're not actually staying but just trying to re-up for status? I'm actually quite a bit away from earning (12 stays) but as my work travel schedule has recently changed, it's worth it for me to re-up on Platinum. I was thinking I'd just book at a local property, get 3 rooms each time on 4 separate times. Fortunately there are several reasonably-priced options in the area. I have no intention of staying and I'd hate for the rooms to sit empty if the hotel needs them, especially if at check in there's an upgrade to a limited-availability room.

RafKa

I'd save the altruism - it could backfire if someone along the chain decides you didn't actually "stay" at the property. You are paying for a room to sit empty, so no need to feel guilty as they are making adequate revenue on that room. Besides, if the rate is low enough that it enables you to MR, then it's probably not going to be at 100% occupancy anyway.

To answer the original question: I never tell them I am doing a MR unless I actually plan on have some physical presence in the room. Otherwise, I check in, mess up the bed and a towel, put up the DND sign and walk away.

CPRich

No, I don't. I think once or twice an agent has mentioned "you're here every other night" and I think I said "yep, need to renew status" and smiled and left it at that.

margarita girl

Well, there was the time I negotiated with the front desk to give me 500 Green Choice for not entering the room! Told them exactly what I was doing. Got stay credit, regular points and MAGC points.

Centurion

You are paranoid if you think telling the hotel you are doing a mattress run may hurt you. If you speak to the correct person you may even get a little benefit as did margarita girl

DCBob

That would be foolish as long-time poster CPRich suggests. Don't do it. It can't possibly help you (unless you are Margarita Girl I guess) and may likely hurt you. When I was a front desk clerk, management encouraged us to turn in any rule violators like you and we did so without even hinting that we were doing so to the guest. We also asked for credit cards of guests who had no limit left on their cards and cut the cards up at their own bank's request. So it's not being paranoid to think you will never have to worry about breaking the rules. Sometimes you do.

fivenue

so you pay to book those rooms right? then it is up to you to "use" them or not. few times in the past i actually called one of hotel associates, telling him to make few 1-day reservations to catch up with my plat, but not actually staying.
though i knew the guy, i would still do the same even i didn't know anyone on that hotel.

A4K

Is there something in SPG T&C that actually makes this breaking a "rule".

You are checking in and paying, why is it a violation to not actually sleep in the room?

craigthemif

There are no rules being broken by checking in, paying but not spending the night. The hotel has earned revenue and, if they needed the rooms, it wouldn't be cheap. Also forget being altruistic with a homeless person or people you don't know well, as you're on the hook for any damages, minibar consumption, etc.

What you want to avoid is somebody at the front desk doing anything proactively or out of the ordinary. i.e. checking you out immediately, combining folios, etc. Most such things can be corrected with SPG, but you want a simple, plain vanilla check-in and in the morning automatic check-out when housekeeping finds an empty room. So you need three rooms, mention that the rest of your party are arriving later, etc. etc.

Dr. HFH

IMO none of this matters. The rules are the rules; and, IIRC, you get credit if you are physically present at checkin or checkout.

scubaccr

if you check in at desk for a single night MR you are safe even if you use the room just for 1minute.
Turning up at 2pm and checking out say 3pm is not worth it on some chains as get registered as a "day stay" and is non-qual at eg IHG. But qual at HH

You could say no good deed goes unpunished! You paid for room so just quietly depart and hotel will check you out at noon following your last night.

Since there are sometimes reports that on a longer multi night MR , eg 6nights where you checkin and stay only one night (or even leave right away) where room maid notes you are not there days 2/3 and tels reception you left and reception checks you out early
SO to avoid that I tell checkin clerks I am in the area for 6days using hotel as my. base but may not get back every night . I have never had issue as a result with a 6night stay year end MR where I checkin and leave

Issue is a multiple night MR. Hotel can not resell/use your booked room for another guest without first checking you out early. As soon as you are checked out you will lose points and nights/stay credit for the subsequent nights

BRITINJAPAN3

AFAIK you only get credit for one room per night, correct me if I am wrong.

margarita girl

Interesting. I booked 3 rooms for one night at a Sheraton a few yrs ago (prepaid mistake rate of about $20 I think). I checked in for all 3 rooms and let a friend use one room. Hotel was sold out, so I offered to turn in the 2 empty rooms for hotel's use as long as FD agent could guarantee I would get stay/night credit. She did and I did. Funny enough, I didn't get stay credit for room occupied by my friend so had to write in for that!

We've been able to get credit for 3 rooms per night for at least 3, maybe 4 yrs. See above.

clarkef

Perhaps I'm missing something. If I reserve a room, check-in, watch Star Trek, then leave, which rule am I breaking? Many people have legitimate reasons for not spending the night at a hotel. I recently rented a cheap hotel room because I needed a shower and the airport did not have lounge facilities.

OriginalName

Which hotel? Will avoid like the plague since it seems terribly run.