Xiaotung

I have just completed a stay at Shanghai Marriott Parkview. I checked in around noon but had to check out early due to some family issue before midnight. The points did post but as check in and check out fell on the same day, I was told by customer service that this would not count as an eligible night. I am new to Marriott but am a little surprised by this as the rate I paid was not a day use rate. What happens if I have to check in after midnight? Would that not count as an eligible night either? I always get eligible nights for check in after midnight with other hotel chains and I would not even think of this as an issue.

Customer service did adjust check out date to the next day to allow an eligible stay but they did it as a one off goodwill gesture.

CPRich

I think it's standard that "day rates" don't qualify as a night credit. There have been many, many reports of single night stays, with check-in after midnight, not correctly posting as a night stay. So the system logic to calculate nights goes by the date. Those scenarios are usually easily corrected. Yours is a bit different as you actually didn't stay a night, but also didn't pay a day rate. It appears all was corrected in the end.

superpilot21

I don't know what to tell you about this stay. China does their own thing...

But the best thing to do is "settle the bill" and then just leave. That is a specific phrase that seems to work in China without fail.

hhoope01

I know that Starwood (before being purchased by Marriott) would not provide night credit if you didn't stay over night. The OP's situation would result in a "stay" credit, but not a "night" credit. Not sure if they have or will change their rules now that Marriott has purchased them.

But with that said, in the hypothetical "arriving after midnight" scenario, the person did stay overnight and thus should, and normally automatically will get, a night credit. In the OP's specific situation, they didn't stay overnight. So technically they shouldn't get a night credit.

But as shown, it looks like customer service was willing to modify the the check-out date to give the OP that night credit (even though they probably didn't have to do that). ^

MSPeconomist

In the USA, you could just leave without telling the front desk that you're checking out. You'd be automatically checked out the next day and get the bill by email. In many foreign countries this dcoesn't work, although you might be able to ask a willing front desk agent to check you out after midnight or to change the time on your bill.

IMO if you paid an overnight rate and arrived at the hotel, you should get the (first) night (and stay) credit. Otherwise it can put the customer into a position of arriving before midnight but losing out if there's a line to check in, for example. It would be different if someone would show up for a few minutes to check in, immediately leave (which some folks here seem to do on USA mattress runs), and then expect credit for the next three weeks at a cheap rate.

Xiaotung

I actually did think about returning the next morning to have the free Plat breakfast but didn't bother. I just never thought it would be an issue as I could just leave the keycard inside the room and call them the next morning.

In fact, I had to do a retro claim for this stay altogether as I had waited a couple of weeks. When it eventually posted, only points, no eligible night. Customer service did state the rules and said the adjusment was a one off.

Xiaotung

But how far can you stretch the night? What if I arrived at 7am on the check out date and stayed until 4pm, what that count as a night?

hhoope01

I do believe most hotels will "process" no shows sometime between 2am and 4am each day. Normally, if you check in before that time, you will automatically get credit for that night as you show up as having checked-in and being there for that night. My guess where someone said they checked in after midnight and didn't get credit for that night, they actually checked-in after that day's check-ins/outs were processed. Thus the "system" didn't register them as being there for that 1st night.

So if someone is going to arrive very late (i.e. 7am the next morning) to "increase" your chances of automatically getting night credit, I would try to call the hotel and pre-check in with them earlier that previous day. You could also call the hotel letting them know your estimated arrival time (of 7am the next morning.) They will probably pre-check you in themselves to allow their systems to reserve you a room. If you don't let them know, most likely you will have been marked as a no-show. They will charge you for that night and cancel the rest of your reservation which would make for an awkward check-in that next morning.

jm1991

if you formally checked out, the system probably registered it as an early check out. I assume the reports are ran around 12-3am so if you were checked out before then, your reservation may have shown as 0 nights. Next time just leave and call the hotel the next morning and to email you the receipt.