Adding name to existing [Interval Int'l] reservation [without paying for a required Guest Certificate]

[snackyx]

I own several Marriott weeks and exchanged one for another through Interval. My plans have me arriving at the resort very late in the day or maybe even the following day. My niece and nephew are meeting us for the weekend and will be arriving earlier in the first day of the reservation. I called the front desk of the resort to add their name to the reservation so they could check in and get access to the room and was told that I would have to purchase a guest certificate from Interval to put their name on the reservation. I've never run into this before. I'm Marriott Titanium and have stayed in many, many Marriott's and MVC's. Marriott is telling me to go to Interval, pay INTERVAL $69 for a guest certificate just so my nephew can check in before me? The person at the resort said yes, this was the policy and "recently they have really been cracking down on it".
Is this the policy? What does Marriott care if I pay Interval $69 to put another name on the reservation--they don't get the $69? Seems rather petty--any way around this?

 

[StevenTing]

It’s an Interval Rule since your stay is an exchange through Interval. If it was a normal booking, you wouldn’t have to do that.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

That's the way it works if you use Interval.

If you book directly with Marriott you can add any name you want, but you're not booking thru Marriott; you are booking thru Interval.

A "possible" go around? Place your niece (or nephew) on your Interval account with you "if" Interval will allow it. Then they own the reservation as much as you do. Not sure they will allow it but it may save you $69.



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[davidvel]

I own several Marriott weeks and exchanged one for another through Interval. My plans have me arriving at the resort very late in the day or maybe even the following day. My niece and nephew are meeting us for the weekend and will be arriving earlier in the first day of the reservation. I called the front desk of the resort to add their name to the reservation so they could check in and get access to the room and was told that I would have to purchase a guest certificate from Interval to put their name on the reservation. I've never run into this before. I'm Marriott Titanium and have stayed in many, many Marriott's and MVC's. Marriott is telling me to go to Interval, pay INTERVAL $69 for a guest certificate just so my nephew can check in before me? The person at the resort said yes, this was the policy and "recently they have really been cracking down on it".
Is this the policy? What does Marriott care if I pay Interval $69 to put another name on the reservation--they don't get the $69? Seems rather petty--any way around this?

Yes, it's the policy you agreed to, and being Titanium is irrelevant to the rule.

Some may consider it petty to spend time trying to avoid the fee, but it is just their rule.

Note that you may also get a crappy room/view even if the week you traded into is a top tier category, because yep, that's the rule.

 

[dioxide45]

Marriott Vacations Worldwide now owns Interval International. Enforcing this rule helps the overall bottom line. This rule had been pretty loosely applied years ago and we have seen an increasing trend where resorts are requiring a guest certificate.

 

[jwalk03]

You can upgrade to Interval Platinum for $69.50 for the year, and that includes 5 free guest certificates, along with all the other Platinum perks and certainly a better use of your money than just paying the $69 for one guest certificate.

 

[dioxide45]

You can upgrade to Interval Platinum for $69.50 for the year, and that includes 5 free guest certificates, along with all the other Platinum perks and certainly a better use of your money than just paying the $69 for one guest certificate.

Just to note, the $69.50 rate requires a 50% discount code.

 

[1st Class]

The cost of the platinum membership with discount is about the equivalent to the guest cert fee, well worth it for situations like this one.

 

[davidvel]

Also this thread's title should be "Adding name to existing Interval exchange reservation without paying for guest certificate"

 

[snackyx]

You can upgrade to Interval Platinum for $69.50 for the year, and that includes 5 free guest certificates, along with all the other Platinum perks and certainly a better use of your money than just paying the $69 for one guest certificate.

Thanks for that tip--I did upgrade to Platinum for one year and got the certificate for the same price. Now I'll see if there are any other Platinum benefits to take advantage of over the next year.

 

[jwalk03]

Just to note, the $69.50 rate requires a 50% discount code.

They have been offering 50% off one or two years of platinum just on the website for like the last 9 months. (At least on mine. I finally upgraded this week actually.)

 

[SmithOp]

They have been offering 50% off one or two years of platinum just on the website for like the last 9 months. (At least on mine. I finally upgraded this week actually.)

Not my account, all I can see is the $69 discount off 3 year renewal, no thanks. They have been calling me all week offering the same deal because my Platinum expires tomorrow. I’ll wait, I think I paid $79 last time I waited until it was already expired.

 

[tschwa2]

Not my account, all I can see is the $69 discount off 3 year renewal, no thanks. They have been calling me all week offering the same deal because my Platinum expires tomorrow. I’ll wait, I think I paid $79 last time I waited until it was already expired.

Even after platinum expires for a full 4 months they consider it a renewal and retro back to the last day you had platinum active, even though you haven't been using it. They also rarely give discounts more than 10% on renewals. Usually you have to be without platinum for 4-6 months before you start getting the 1/2 price offers to upgrade to platinum or gold. That has been my experience at least. When I get the offer I try to take advantage to the most it will allow usually 2 years but occasionally it will let me use the 2 year offer twice to get to 4 years for the price of 2.

 

[disneymom1]

In addition to free guest certificates (which are now limited), Platinum membership discounts room size upgrade fees and $50 off Getaways. Depending on your usage, it may be worth it.
We let our membership expire and after many months renewed with a 50% off offer. Our membership was backdated to the date it had expired, so we lost almost 1/2 a year of benefits.

 

[Pamplemousse]

Thanks for that tip--I did upgrade to Platinum for one year and got the certificate for the same price. Now I'll see if there are any other Platinum benefits to take advantage of over the next year.

Look under benefits in the blue bar to see what you get with your platinum membership.

 

[Dean]

That's the way it works if you use Interval.

If you book directly with Marriott you can add any name you want, but you're not booking thru Marriott; you are booking thru Interval.

A "possible" go around? Place your niece (or nephew) on your Interval account with you "if" Interval will allow it. Then they own the reservation as much as you do. Not sure they will allow it but it may save you $69.
.

I doubt that would work and I think you can only have 2 people on the II account that are actually listed on the exchange certificate.

Personally I've had a lot of luck adding family to check in when they are arriving earlier and we are arriving later. Another option would have been to just call back at a different time and day and ask again, odds are very high the OP would have been successful. I figure it's their rule, they can decide whether to give a little grace or not.

 

[LAX Mom]

I've had friends or family arrive ahead of us several times. The Marriotts in Hawaii have been good about adding their names to the reservation, allowing them to check in when they arrive. Haven't tried this in a few years, so they might have changed their policy.

Newport Coast Villas starting enforcing the II policy several years ago. They will make an exception for family members that have the same last name, which helped a couple of times.

The Hyatt in San Antonio would not let my son & his family check in ahead of us. We had planned to be there before him, but had a flight delay. It was almost midnight and there was no way to get a guest certificate. Luckily, we all arrived about the same time.