Seems Marriott has updated enforcement policy on name changes on bookings and account sharing, in the cause of fraud prevention. Though it seems it has repercussions for spouses trying to check in under their partners reservation as well.

https://www.reddit.com/r/marriott/co...ges/?rdt=40344

https://viewfromthewing.com/internal...ockout-or-ban/

The TLDR is don't share your account with your spouse or anyone else, if you want to gift an award call up and do it.

More idiocy from marriott.
We make reservations for kids sports with free night certs way in advance (as places sell out and become overpriced) fairly often and depending on work etc schedule it can be either parent going. Now if the cert comes from one parent the other cant go - that's a new way to bonvoy anyone trying to help a friend or family member with a stay.

Well, just a minute. I can see both sides of this coin, and understand Marriott's concern about the increasing fraud. Airlines face the same problem, -- and you can't change the name on a ticket. What do you do about airline tickets for your kids' sports events?

Let's not pretend this is for fraud prevention. There are plenty of ways to safeguard against fraud - just check for matching address for example. Marriott just wants more certs to expire unredeemed.
I can easily add second name during ihg cert reservation, transfer certs at hyatt so bonvoy policy is an outlier here.
As for your analogy with airlines awards - it is hard to draw parallels as we both parents can be on award ticket and one can simply cancel. Do it all the time. Limited number of expiring certs is a different story. Bonvoyed. Cheers.

Have you ever been the victim of fraud related to travel? I have, more than once. It sucks. I'm willing to give travel providers the benefit of the doubt on these matters if it makes it more difficult for fraudsters to steal from me. And I agree with you, it makes it much more difficult for me to use my points/miles/etc. for someone else. But I'm willing to live with it to reduce the chance of theft.

This is nothing about 'protection' for the guest... it is entirely about Marriott wanting to control things and make it more difficult and annoying to book an award stay for somebody else, or have a family member check in early under a reservation you booked.

They changed the 'policy' for vacationclub owners who are renting out their week to somebody else also and make it obnoxious with wanting to have forms filled out well in advance of who is staying... and in fact unrealistically in advance like at least a month ahead of the stay. That is also entirely about Marriott trying to restrict rentals of owner weeks since they aren't getting money from it.

This has always been the policy...everyone here knows it always was the policy. Are you really upset that Marriott has decided to enforce their well known policy?

Well, yes, there's that, too.


Why do you think that Marriott cares? They aren't deriving revenue from Bonvoy redemption stays? The hotel owners are, of course. And Marriott might well prefer not to have an even larger liability on its balance sheet for as yet unredeemed Bonvoy points than it already has to carry.

How do they plan to enforce this for the (sadly few?) properties that have mobile check-in and mobile key support?

This part would be unfortunate and impact me.

I'm not so much personally concerned with booking rooms when i'm not there, however many times my wife and I will arrive at different times to the property - i.e. my wife will arrive earlier in the day w/ our boys to get settled, etc, and I will arrive later in the evening. I typically add her as a guest and (usually) she can check in w/o issue.

In situations like this, it seems like the hotel could just inform the spouse that they would be charged for elite benefits (upgrades, breakfast, etc.) unless the elite guest checks in personally. I get that Marriott is trying to prevent giving out benefits when the elite guest is never on the property (and I know that happens), but situations like yours are quite common and it shouldn't be difficult for the properties to accommodate spouses and children.

by hotels not actually checking in those guests until you physically arrive.. that is actually what is supposed to happen but not always the case.. the hotels are ones checking in any mobile check in requests so they can decide not to check you in until you arrive

I understand, and "appreciate" this, but it is a frustrating nuance. In my personal case I'm talking 2-3 hours later arrival. Usually what happens is my wife/fam arrives from home for a long weekend, and I arrive from a work trip on a later flight from another destination. Its not like they're there for days in advance. That said, I see how others could skirt the rules so I understand why they are in place.

There is quite a bit if fraud with this and Marriott has been the most lenient/negligent chain out there. Totally understand they want to crack down on this. Anyone who uses this 'the way it is intended' which includes 'spouse checking in early' will not have any issues.

The way Hilton does mobile check-in is that you get a digital key and are in fact told to go straight to the room -- no need to stop by the front desk. When Marriott digital key works (and for me that is very rarely) that is also how I have used it. Having to stop by the front desk really defeats the purpose of mobile check-in. Nothing drives me more crazy than to do mobile check-in and then have to go to the front desk and present my credit card and all of that other stuff. Either accept mobile check-in and let me bypass the front desk (granted, no way to enforce the whole thing that's here in the thread), or turn off mobile check-in so I can't use it and am forced to go to the front desk. But letting me check in and then making me stop by the front desk is very annoying.