I booked a suite for a friend's bachelor party in Milwaukee. Turns out, I need to work that weekend and need a room in Louisville.

Am I asking for trouble if I don't cancel the first reservation / remove it from my account somehow and also have a reservation in Louisville?

The reservation should be fine. However, the night and point credits may be audited so that you will receive points for both but only nights for 1 of the reservations.

You can keep the res in Milwaukee. When you don't check in you'll become a no show. The hotel will collect whatever is due but should not award any points or night credits. You're not the only one who just couln't make it to the reserved hotel. Hotels will usually know how to deal with such situations. If, however, the hotel awards any points or night credits in error, it will probably be found out some time later (maybe months later) and the points and night credits will vanish from your account. Since you didn't commit the error, MR will not be mad at you
As for your reservation in Loisville - you'll check in just as you always do, pay whatever is owed and will receive elite benefits (if applicable), points and a night credit.

Had a slight extension question to this. Had a 5 night stay booked for my mother and I. I ended up having to alter my plans and arrive a day later than expected. as a result, for day 1 of the stay, I was at a different hotel in a different city/country.

Should I expect to get 4 elite nights for this? (5 - 1 for the overlapping night)

I interpreted his post as the friend's bachelor party is still going to happen, just that he won't be able to attend as he'll be in Louisville for work. He needs to add his friend's name to the Milwaukee reservation & say the friend will be checking in early/different time from him; this is best done at the property level. No need for lengthy explanations to the property; just add the name/dif check-in time. Given it's a bachelor party, he needs to tell his friends to not trash the room, make a lot of noise, etc, as that will blow back on him. Technically he shouldn't get night/points credit for both Milwaukee & Louisville, but sometimes it happens. If it does, great. If not, can't complain.

You may get the full elite nights credit, but you may not. If you do, great. If not, can't complain.

Cheers.

Don't sweat having multiple concurrent reservations - Marriott and its properties will gladly take reservations for as many hotels as you and your friends can check in and pay for.

Just reinforcing SkiAdcock's reply, just make sure at least one of your friends is added to the room reservation for Milwaukee. If these are one night stays, you are likely to get credit for both stays. It's when you've got multiple rooms across multiple hotels in multiple cities has Marriott in the past gotten back to me to find out where I was for real and what was going on (I'm in one city with one of my kid's teams, booked.room for my wife in another and then, after having checked in the team, had to drive to another city and stay at another hotel for one night in order to support an early morning meeting, etc.)

David

^

As long as I dont get zero.

Fine by me, I just don't want to violate some Marriott Bonvoy provision and lose my account or something.

The bachelor party goes on without me, (un)fortunately.

The bachelor is in his 30's and his dad is a member of the party... Fortunately I won't be missing out on too much excitement.


We just got the only suite of this size at the hotel and I really don't want to mess with the reservation if I can help it.

Call the hotel & get the bachelor or his dad added to the reservation & tell them he'll be checking in at different time. Don't get into details w/ the front desk. that you won't be there - and don't mention the bachelor party. Just have them add the name & to let him check in.

And the bachelor tore his Achilles tendon, so nevermind...

Ouch - thanks for the update.