lexdevil

I am 3XLTP. And they did reinstate me. It just created a crisis for a bit. Because it is so important to me to not lose access to my account (I need access to my reservations to do my job), the extra points are just not worth the risk to me.

If I have two reservations in different places for the same night, I insist that coworkers change the MR# on one at check in. If they forget and I receive points for both, I call in and have the points removed (which usually confuses the MR folks). I know that I might get away with keeping the points, but I am managing too many reservations to risk losing access to my account.

If you can deal with losing access to your account for a few weeks, it may be worth the risk. My situation is pretty unusual.

Xeno

If it matters, I was not trying to 'game' the system rather making certain I understood how T&C were applied to my scenario.

I can easily stay at a different hotel chain rather than give Marriott money for another night if they are going to threaten to cancel my account.

RogerD408

There are dozens upon dozens of corner cases that may be legitimate. Unfortunately there are also dozens upon dozens (out of millions) of people that do try to game the system. The program auditors spend their day chasing these people to help maintain the integrity of the program. Yes, it can be a pain if an auditor believes your actions are an attempt to game the system and they are not in a rush to correct their view (the guilty until proven innocent syndrome). When you spend all day hammering nails, everything looks like a nail. If the fear of getting caught up in this is too much for you then no program will meet your needs. The odds of getting wrapped up in something like this is very rare. Unfortunately, being FT, we only hear about the failures. Our posts are a means of letting you know what might happen, not that it will absolutely happen (unless a blatant violation).

What you describe sounds reasonable to a degree. Getting credit for a room when you are not an actual guest is not within the TCs. I am sure there are many that will check in a family member or friend to get credit for their stay. Many of those will not be caught (until properties start doing bed checks, NO!!!). Something like getting credit for two different properties on the same night is something programming can catch. I once had a property post my stay for the night after. Unfortunately, I was in another property in the same chain that night and I was denied credit. When I called in about it, the first response was I can't get credit for both rooms and she wanted to end the discussion there. I had to get her to pull up the folios to see that the stays were actually on different nights and she reluctantly changed the postings so they would go through. The point is, when things don't happen the way you think they should, call in and discuss the situation and see how they can make it happen, if possible.

CJKatl

Just to make this clear, I have never had someone check in for me or with my number with one exception, see next paragraph. If I am paying for nights in two different cities it is because I could not get a half day rate in the first city. For all I know the auditors call both hotels and are told something like, "That guy asked for a half day rate and actually left here at six" and "Yeah, he checked in around midnight" at the other. All I know is it has never been an issue, although apparently it has been for others. I had no idea.

And once my sister got to a hotel before me and was not allowed to check into our rooms despite being the second guest. There was a coupon involved. Finally the desk allowed her to swipe a card and get into the room, but I had to go to the desk when I got there an hour later. It was the ATL Marquis and I have posted about the incident many times before.

For the record, what happens is I am speaking somewhere in the morning but agree to do an afternoon Webinar. I used to do them in a rental car parked somewhere but there was an incident when I did one in the Birmingham AL Marriott parking lot which caused some customers to complain. After that, we decided it was better to just pay for the hotel room than risk having an incident again. The incident had nothing to do with the Marriott who knew I was there. Once I did a three hour Webinar in a Krispy Kreme parking lot, again after asking if it was okay. It was winter and they brought me hot coffee a couple times. The issue on half days arises when I am on the East coast and am doing a Webinar for a West coast customer.

chutchins

I'm a PLAT booking another room with my points for my sister (also PLAT). Will she earn elite nights for the stay? She will put her CC down for all the incidentals.

I see on the T&C "Only nights personally stayed by and individually billed to an Elite Member at Participating Properties are credited toward the Elite Member’s Elite membership achievement and renewal thereof.", but I'm not sure if billing the incidentals counts.

Starwood Lurker

No one earns the elite nights for the stay, according to the terms and conditions of the program:

"3.1.c. Awards are valid only for use by the individual designated on the Award and are not transferable, although, if requested at the time of issuance, an Award may be issued to a third party. Third party transfers or transfers to non-Members are limited to twenty (20) Awards in a calendar year on a single Membership Account. In the event an Award is given to a third party in accordance with the prior sentence, neither the Member nor the third party will earn any Points/Miles, Elite Night Credit, Qualifying Nights, or Qualifying Stays in connection with such Award. At check-in, the guest using the Award may be required to show valid identification and provide a credit card to the Participating Property for incidental charges."

A strict interpretation of this might exclude earning for otherwise eligible incidentals as well, but she can certainly ask the hotel about this at check-in.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Marriott International

[email protected]

RogerD408

Yes, as William states, the T&Cs state no credit is due. However, in practice, properties have been known to mess up and post the stay and from what I've read back to the person booking the room. And sometimes the properties will extend on-site benefits as well. They are not required to do so, but I find a polite question at check in gets you much more than demanding.