FlyingFaux

Anyone here have any luck getting a Marriott and/or SPG reservation to list all of the guest names on the confirmation? I am travelling to China with spouse and son, and in order to obtain a China visa, we are required to show proof of the hotel reservation for each individual, i.e., all of the names need to be listed so we can each get the visa. I have sent emails to customer service, and spent over an hour on the phone with Platinum Elite reservations customer service, and they appear to be completely flummoxed by this (apparently entirely insane) request. They've connected us directly to our hotels and the response has gone from adding 2 more guests to the room in one location (i.e., now there are FIVE of us) to sending us screen shots of the hotel reservation system with various names populated - none of which meet the relatively stringent requirements for the visa.

We can't possibly be the only people needing this - and when we requested same from Hilton and our other hotels, it was done in literally minutes. It's been a week now.... Ready to just change hotels.

TIA for any help

DELee

Welcome to FlyerTalk, FlyingFaux!

Try reserving 5 individual rooms with one name per room, generate hotel reservation documentation, and then cancel all 5 but keep the current reservations as is?

David

MSPeconomist

FlyingFaux

Yes, our son is 12, so I think might be an issue reserving his hotel room by himself. We were trying to avoid a "dummy" reservation, but may have little choice as Marriott does not seem capable of handling what should be a pretty easy request.

Happy

I dont think you have other option. No hotel chain I believe has such capability even both Hilton and IHG can show Additional guest names on the reservation but may not be in the format the Chinese government required. You can try a dummy booking on Hilton site and use the additional guest function and see if it would print it out showing the additional guest name. I know for award redemption Honor definitely shows it, not sure whether revenue reservation would behave the same.

This is very common among people I know who need to apply Chinese visa - even the travel agency used recommend to do this because, as we all recognize, it is just bureaucratic red tapes by the idiotic Chinese government. You will NOT be required to provide any hotel reservation proof when you entry China with your valid Visa.

You can keep wasting your time and pull your hairs out trying to do it the "right way" but in reality this is very easy to get around and gazillions of people have done it before you.

myperks

i don’t understand why some visa processors need all these items to process a Chinese visa. Our corporate one does too and require a boat load of documentation but I just take it to my local Chinese travel agency. Only airline ticket (for visitor) for business invitation letter (for business) required. None of these hotel reservation and letters from both sides nonsense.

RogerD408

When does a booking ask for age? They may be too young for membership and they might balk if they try to check in, but I don't think there is anything to block the reservation.

Also, I think showing the rez as being for Traveler and Family would suffice. Although I have no direct experience doing such.

GoSh4rks

Business visa requirements are different.

Happy

There you are - you think, but that is not what the Chinese authority thinks. You do what they require, not what you think.

Just do the dummy bookings, get the visa process done, then cancel the bookings.

In fact, the mainland Chinese folks do the same, except to satisfy the authorities of the countries they need visa to visit. Many like Booking.com for the reason that Booking.com often have properties with no credit required, 100% cancelable without fee before the deadline, just perfect to meet the visa application requirement other countries imposed on the Mainland Chinese passport holders.

myperks

GoSh4rks

According to the Chinese Embassy in the United States, this is required for an L visa.:
An M visa (business visa) has different requirements.

How to Apply ? Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the United States of America

Happy

You keep telling us how easy it is for going thru your CORPORATE PROCESSORS.

Can your corporate processor handle the poster's family of 5 visa applications?

If so, then what you harp on may have some merit. If not, then what you harp on not only has no merit but is plain wrong, and is contrary to what is OFFICIALLY STATED in the Chinese government's own website(s).

Therefore it is the OBVIOUS but you are the one who is ignoring the obvious that is the reason why yours is so easy while the mere travelers are not so easy and have far more requirements.

Again, what are required for an M Visa are very different from what are required for an L Visa. See for yourself what are required for the ordinary travelers applying for an L visa.

FlyingFaux

Thanks everyone - at least we are not alone in needing to circumvent the process. We're done wasting time with the hotels and have what will hopefully we a workable solution. As an aside, we had no issue getting Hilton to list all of the guests, as well as a smaller hotel in one of the towns (not major city) that we'll be visiting. I think it is just how the reservation fields are set up in the chain (or non-chain) hotel you use. Marriott/SPG just isn't set up to provide the information in the required format.

myperks

deadinabsentia