Stupid question probably, but can I book and pay for a room (it's an advance purchase rate) that someone else will stay in (I won't be in the same city) ? I'm not looking for points/status benefit, just a gift for someone.

Thanks.

Yes. You will need to add them to the reservation by calling after you book.

Reach out to the hotel and let them know that you are doing this. Most have a form that you complete stating you intend to pay for the room for someone else. While it might not be necessary, better safe than sorry.

Do you still need that on a prepaid rate? Your card has already been charged. They can provide their own card for other charges.

Sometimes with the prepaid rate you are asked to show the card you charged. I'm thinking there might even be bigger concern if someone other than the cardholder checks in. As i noted, it might be overkill, but it's easy enough to do this so why not? Or why not at least reach out to the hotel to give them a heads up and ask if they want something signed? A few seconds can ward off later aggravation.

All good points, thanks you. I will contact the hotel and have a chat before making the final booking.

Can I book for somebody else while I stay at the same hotel? Will I get points for both stays?

You can get points for up to 3 rooms, but only get nights for 1.

I was told today that "security issues" require that I list all members that will be staying in a room.

I regularly book points rooms for others (friends and church groups), and will often call the hotel to get their charge form if I would rather pay for an inexpensive room.

Today I was told that I need to list my wife on the registration if she will check in before I do. Never had this happen before - but I have had points and nights credit refused if my name wasn't on the first line of the reservation, even if I stayed in the room that my wife checked in for us. It can be resolved by a call to CS but I do not like the hassle.

I started doing this after my son (who is a Jr.) was refused CL on a trip that I had cancel.

So - put other guests (that I implicitly trust) on a room reservation, or leave them off and let them impersonate me?

Curious...by whom? Marriott or the individual hotel? Was this while making a reservation or as a result of your wife trying to check in when her name wasn't on the reservation?

I am confused...why would your son have CL access if you were not with him? Are you asking how best to get him CL access despite his not actually being Gold or higher? That's easy - call the hotel, explain the situation and ask if they will allow him access. If they say yes, be thankful. If they say no, realize they are following the rules. IME, when others stay on my points, hotels give them CL access without my asking. One hotel even posted Welcome Points when friends were staying at a hotel on their honeymoon and the hotel had sent them champagne with a congratulatory card showing their names, so they obviously knew I wasn't there.

You do realize that allowing others to impersonate you to gain CL access they are not entitled to is grounds for having your account canceled and all points taken away, right? Will it likely happen? Probably not. Is it worth the risk for something that could be had for cheap? Probably not.

CJ, the security issue line came from a lady on the PP dedicated phone line. She knew the rules and made sure that we used our AAA discount instead of my corp rate.

Regarding my son, I was in a time crunch and did not call the hotel. Like you I have gotten points, and had guests treated like they were me - one friend was surprised at how nice everyone was to him, compared to the experience he usually gets.

And yes, I was being cheap ... it certainly isn't like we can't afford a couple bottles of water, just easier to grab them in the CL, then head on out.

I am so used to my routine that I forget that not everyone gets the points and CL experience that I am granted.

Sorry to have come down hard in my response. FT is a good place to learn the ins and outs of hotel and airline programs. It is upsetting when people post questions asking how they can scam, cheat or steal from the service providers. It makes us all look bad. Clearly, that's not what you were doing, according to your second post, so I apologize again if my response sounded harsh.

Thanks, too, for clarifying that this was a Marriott agent, not the individual hotel. That's good to know. IME, the phone operators often give the strict reading of the policy, but the hotels are little more lax. For example, if I make a reservation on the phone, I'm always told I'll need my work ID to get our company's rate. I've probably only been asked to actually show it at a handful of hotels.