In recent (post-merger) memory, I don't remember a hotel where I had back-to-back stays ever combining both stays into one folio. I've had to check out, get folio for stay #1, check in, and then stay #2 goes on totally separate folio.

Correct. As posted above, that's been my experience as well. Two distinct stays. And night credit has always posted correctly with all nights being reflected.

I agree that T&Cs say it shouldn't be the case. Practical experience suggests it often is.

I have had the same experience, everytime I had any back-to-back stays. First stay posts correctly. But I've had to raise a missing stay request for the second one!

I am also about to do it now too...fingers crossed: hope it posts correctly!!

Ding ding ding!! And, for the first time, my back-to-back stays did post correctly, automatically! Upgraded suite for the entire week of stay, and, didn't have to change rooms!!

Gosh darn, should have purchased a lottery ticket...

Recent Experiences With This Scenario?
 

Looking at possibly booking two back-to-back nights at a hotel and am curious on recent experiences across Marriott as a whole or if it's property specific.

Work would cover one night (paid with $$$) and then I want to use points (or a "Free Night Award" certificate) for the second night at the same property. Assuming I can book the same room type for both nights, what are the odds I'd be forced to check-out and check back in again completely and switch rooms?

If it matters, I'm looking at properties by LAX for this scenario.

They will be more than happy to do that for you if you tell them at check in because: 1) they don't need to clean your room; and 2) they only need to offer you PAG once.

Been there done that recently at a FFI.

as long as it is the same room type this is not an issue.. if it is a different room type and availability of that room type is limited then they may ask you to switch rooms.

I do this all the time and have rarely if ever encountered an issue. Some properties can seem to link them together if you know you will be staying all the nights when you first check-in, others require you to come down, swipe your credit card and get your keys re-coded each day. While that's a minor inconvenience it is well worth it for the flexibility the back-to-back reservations provide me. I don't think I've ever had to change rooms, including when I've used a NUA on the first night but not the others...unless they really, really need that room it's easier for everyone concerned to not make you move, especially in this era of 'we don't clean your room every day'.

Anyone with experience of back to back stays where first stay is book through Bonvoy channels and second stay is booked through OTA?

Does this affect the ability for the hotel to "combine" my stay?

Any thoughts on whether this may cause issues with my first stay EQN and points posting?

shouldn't affect anything, you will still get 1 stay and however many nights you booked via marriott channels. you get no credit with the ota but points on incidentals if you add your number to the ota reservation

Is it still the experience that 2 1 nights stay (back to back)!will get 2 stays if i check out with a folio and check in again?

I do this all the time for various reasons...it will get you 2 nights, 1 stay.

Hard to say since MAR doesn't keep track of stays. All that matters are nights. I presume you are asking this because of the current extravagant promo that will deliver an amazing 2025 pts per STAY! But it's only valid for 3 stays or a whopping 6075 MAR pts (2025 SPG pts in the old days). Give it a try if you wish, but there's no guarantee. I've had it both ways when I book my award nights individually. Usually what happens is I only get credit for 1 night on 2 back to back reservations, but that's easily fixed by contacting CS through the missing stay link.

It is unlikely that this "trick" will work as the systems are getting smarter and smarter around this, plus its built into the T&Cs to not allow. So the chances are high that you are just building yourself hassle of checking in/out, or at least going to the front desk (though you can try). With this particular promo, if you are traveling with someone then having their name/Marriott number on the second reservation would achieve the same outcome though - as you'd get the bonus promo points split to each of you for a stay, which you can then transfer between each other for free (up to a limited number of points each year), plus the added benefit that could give you extra stays to try and get your points later. For 2025 Marriott points it may be a level of hassle beyond what you want though, amplified if you have different status levels.

Instead if this is important to you then you need to cross the street and try a different Marriott branded property in the same city/district - sometimes they are even in the same shared building.

Exactly. In Lexington, Massachusetts there's an Aloft and an Element which share a parking lot. I did a number of weekends there under SPG when stays counted for something. There was a brief period of time when AA was running a triple miles promotion and SPG had a triple stays promo. (You could earn status by stays back then.) I used to stay at Aloft/Element on Friday night, fly BOS-LAX-BOS on Saturday, then stay at the other of Aloft/Element on Saturday night, followed by another BOS-LAX-BOS turn on Sunday.

Kids these days will never appreciate the things we used to do for miles and points. I still remember the dread on the tellers’ faces when I brought in boxes of dollar coins I bought from the US Mint with my AA and SPG cards.