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Marriott Bonvoy changes???

T

travelgirl8

TUG Member
Joined
Jul 26, 2013
Messages
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Location
Smithtown, NY
Yesterday I booked a room online with Marriott Bonvoy points. I wanted to give this room to my son. I looked for a place to add his name online and couldn't find anywhere to accomplish that. So I called the Marriott number. The representative told me I could no longer book a room with points and add names to the reservation without calling in. When you call in he said they would ask if you would be there with the additional people or they would be coming without you. He went on to say that now they add a code to the reservation to indicate that it was a gift. On the new email they sent it had my name and also my sons. I saw no code. I called the hotel and they said that any one of the three of us could check in. Is this new or I have been doing it wrong all these years? Why is this done this way??
 
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It doesn't look any different to me. Just go into my trips after booking and change the name on the guest information tab to whoever is going to be checking in.

I do see this note there that I don't remember seeing before though.
Hotel rewards e-certificates can only be requested by a Marriott Rewards member for a reservation in that member's own name. E-certificates will not be honored if the names on the reservation and the e-certificate do not match. For information about redeeming points as a "gift" in another's name, please contact Marriott Rewards Customer Service.
 
Yes, I did see that note also. So you changed the name from yours to the other party going and have had no problem recently? I wouldn't want them to get there and not have a room.
 
travelgirl8 said:
Yes, I did see that note also. So you changed the name from yours to the other party going and have had no problem recently? I wouldn't want them to get there and not have a room.
Click to expand...

I realized I not reporting accurately in my previous post. I was not gifting a regular reservation but, rather, it was a certificate reservation for a guest. I was trying to add a guest name to a certificate reservation and that did not work. I called Marriott and they said I has to be there for check in. Then, per the guest’s request, I called the hotel and they included the guest name in the notes. I hope they can check in.
 
travelgirl8 said:
Yes, I did see that note also. So you changed the name from yours to the other party going and have had no problem recently? I wouldn't want them to get there and not have a room.
Click to expand...

I have never used Bonvoy points to book a reservation for someone else. I have done it recently for MVC weeks I own that I rented out and had no problems.
 
TravelTime said:
I realized I not reporting accurately in my previous post. I was not gifting a regular reservation but, rather, it was a certificate reservation for a guest. I was trying to add a guest name to a certificate reservation and that did not work. I called Marriott and they said I has to be there for check in. Then, per the guest’s request, I called the hotel and they included the guest name in the notes. I hope they can check in.
Click to expand...
I just did this last month for my daughter and her friend in London. I used Bonvoy points and suite night upgrades (and they got Presidential Suite :banana:). I called the hotel and let them know ahead of time that she would be checking in. Unfortunately whoever I talked to was an idiot and didn't update the notes so my daughter's friend had the front desk call me when she tried to check in and that worked just fine. She was able to put her credit card on the reservation and I wound up receiving the nights even though I was never there.
 
It's been part of the terms for at least the last year. You can use points for someone else but you can't use a free night award (FNA) cert for someone else. You may have luck with the hotel allowing a family member to check in on a FNA despite the terms, or you may not.
 
tschwa2 said:
It's been part of the terms for at least the last year. You can use points for someone else but you can't use a free night award (FNA) cert for someone else. You may have luck with the hotel allowing a family member to check in on a FNA despite the terms, or you may not.
Click to expand...
And it's been a while you had to call in to add the names for a points reservation. As above, I've had great luck calling the hotel directly.
 
I think the issue being raised by the OP is that now (in addition to bookings with free night award certificates) even bookings with only Bonvoy points will not permit you to add a guest name (at least online). I checked one of my Bonvoy points only booking for a future stay and it no longer allows me to add a guest name. My work around has been to call the front desk (not Bonvoy customer service), and have them add a guest name so that the person may be able to check in without you.
 
tschwa2 said:
It's been part of the terms for at least the last year. You can use points for someone else but you can't use a free night award (FNA) cert for someone else. You may have luck with the hotel allowing a family member to check in on a FNA despite the terms, or you may not.
Click to expand...


This is correct......



.
 
I agree with tshwa2. This has been in the Bonvoy terms and conditions for awhile now.

Here is a snippet- it’s selection 3 redeeming points.
3.2.c. Gifted Award Redemption Stays (Third Party Transfers). Award Redemption Stays are valid only for use by the Member from whose Account the Award Redemption Stay was processed and are not transferable, except as set forth below:

i. A Member may request an Award Redemption Stay to be issued to another person and where the Member will not be present for the stay (each such stay, a “Gifted Award Redemption Stay” and, collectively, “Gifted Award Redemption Stays”), only when booking the Award Redemption Stay reservation through Member Support. All Award Redemption Stay Types listed under Section 3.3 are eligible to be gifted to another person, except for Free Night Awards.

ii. A Member may book a maximum of five (5) Gifted Award Redemption Stays in a calendar year on a single Membership Account.

also- Free Night Awards are valid only for use by the Member designated on the Free Night Award and are not transferable.

I’ll add that 4-5 years ago I was going to meet my daughter in Boston and I couldn’t make it but she was still going and I just called the hotel and they put that points booking in her name.
 
I just tried to add my son's name to an upcoming rewards reservation (not using a free night certificate) online, and could not do it. I had to call the hotel, and they were able to add him for me.
 
Which kind of makes you wonder why Bonvoy/Marriott bothers with these rules when all the hotels don’t stick to them anyway. Why does it even matter.;)
 
The hotels don’t seem to mind adding a guest name to a certificate reservation but it’s not allowed. You can gift an award stay to someone but it cannot be done online. You have to call customer service to make that reservation . I do it all the time.
 
I've had this situation several times involving my adult kids. I've had very different experiences (all have been mentioned in above posts). It is, without question, different from place to place. The main issue from what I understand is whether the person who stays there retains the status of the person who has the certificate. In my case I'm Titanium and that carries a lot of perks at most Marriott, Renaissance, and JW hotels. The biggest headache I ever had was with Pulse in NYC, and I'm not even sure why. Other times it was easy. Always call the hotel directly and speak to the folks who will do the actual checking in.
 
I also wonder about the status. I left my name on the reservation and added my son and daughter in law. There names did show on the new reservation. The representative had to cancel the reservation and make a new one. I got a new confirmation number.
 
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