Maybe a dumb question but do hotels mainly 4 star and above, know if you stayed at their property before? I stay at the Ritz in DC once or twice every month and every time I check in its the same question " have you stayed with us before" seems like they should or would know I've stayed at a property 10-15x a year or more...

I think it depends on what you're really asking.

Hotels are buildings, and can't remember anything.

The business' information systems certainly know your stay history, and most are programmed to present this information to an agent upon check in. I'm sure the RC technology has this capability.

The actual agent at the desk may or may not remember you specifically, depending on whether he/she was on duty during previous stays, how often/many, and how good their memory is. But they should be "reminded" of your stays through the IT systems, and welcome you back.

Your situation sounds like a case of someone not on duty when you've checked-in before, or a lack of memory of those events, and a failure to follow the proper procedure when welcoming you.

Dunno. I've had Doubletrees ask me if I've stayed with "them" before. Was not certain what they had meant: the Doubletree brand or that specific brick and mortar property.

When you're an uncommon sight (e.g. a foreigner in the Jakarta boonies), it might help.

A few hotels in Jakarta and Shenzhen recognized me whenever I'd check-in, but it's been a while.

If you're in that hotel's frequent guest program, they should know. If you're not, their system's ability to identify you may depend on your using some combination of the same form of your name that you used before, the same credit card, the same address, and the same phone number. If these change, the system may have been programmed to conclude that you might be a different person.

Information systems should be deliberately conservative that way. Fathers and sons with the same name and address are not unheard of, as are random people with the same name and similar addresses. Mistakenly identifying someone as a previous customer when he or she is not can have embarrassing consequences. Suppose you're there with your spouse, as far as he or she knows you have never been to that hotel previously, and you're greeted with "Welcome back, Mr. Bippo!" Maybe your father was there, maybe you even know that your father was there, but it would still take a lot of explaining. Far safer not to assume that you're the same Mr. Bippo as stayed there a month earlier.

There was a DT in NYC that I used to visit every other week. Starting on my third or fourth visit the FD started saying "welcome back" when I checked in.

By midyear they recognized me by name walking in the door and just handed me a room key packet if I was walking by in a hurry.

I also had a Sheraton recently where I checked out and then returned two days later. I got a welcome back from the FD before she asked my name. To be fair, I had booked my return stay with that same FD agent during my check out two days prior.

For a month I stayed at the same Intercontinental every weekend. The first weekend, when I was checking in, I found out I had left my backpack (with my wallet in it) in my taxi, so I was all stressed out and totally told the girl at the counter.

The taxi driver went back to the hotel with my backpack a few hours later.

Next weekend, upon check in, she greeter me by: "Good Evening, Mr. Mavalenzu, good to see you have your backpack on you this time".

A year later she still made fun of me double checking if I had left anything in the room when checking out...

My father stayed in the Excelsior Hotel Ernst for one week every two years for several decades. Even though it was every two years, most of the staff - not just the front desk - recognized him and would say ,,Guten Abend, Herr Spira`` or a similar greeting. I checked in once perhaps a decade after he had last been there and the assistant manager looked at my name and said ,,Sind Sie der Sohn von Herrn Spira aus New York?``

Whenever I go to the Vier Jahreszeiten in M�nchen, the lobby manager always comes over to say hello and asks me if I want my favorite white tea (he�s also the tea sommelier).

What I�m sometimes uncomfortable about is the little note in the reservation, followed by a phone call, followed by a small procession of the GM and one or two others greeting me when I check in.

When I arrive at the Marriott Mayfair in BKK not only does the guy opening the taxi door welcome me back by name, but if my wife isn't with me he will ask about her, by name.

At the JWMarriott in BKK pretty much the same. It's always "Welcome back, Mr. Tchiowa".

So this is long before anyone gets into the computer. But, yes, I think the big chains have records in the computer that show whether you have stayed with them before. But those records are probably based on their rewards program so you need to be a member and have that number in your reservation.

I'm being greeted by name every time at Hampton Inn Linden NJ I've stayed once with them last year and 5 times this year. The front desk clerks remember me

Yes, they sometimes do remember me.
In more recent times, since everything is computerized, they can see past stays. Back in the late 60's, I stayed (but only for a few days) for two consecutive summers at the same (super cheap) hotel in Paris. For my second stay, the chamber maid remembered from my previous visit.

Same for me in JKT. Stay at the same 3* every time. Greeted by name upon arrival. Nice.

Some small town private hotels I've stayed at remember me so well that I've heard the staff gossiping about my past exploits. When I stay elsewhere I sometimes call in to say hello and they usually already know where I'm staying.

Others have notes on the computer that remind them of who you are and perhaps record incidents like lost wallets etc from previous stays.

The one I stay at most often in Melbourne - the manageress does seem to recognise me when I arrive, but then being a good professional, she probably looks through the notes for that day's expected arrivals and that jogs her memory as to who's who.

Hotel is Kuala Lumpur said "welcome back" when I checked in last year. I had visited there once about 3 years earlier. I was amazed.

If you're having an affair and visit a hotel you don't want them to say "welcome back" when you visit again but this time with your husband or wife!!