Guest of Owner Form

[travelhacker]

I booked 3 units for my family and for our friends for a Fall Break trip to Marriott Crystal Shores. We did this last year, and had a really nice time.

I wanted to add them to the reservation, but wasn't sure which was the best option to pick. The two options are:

- I intend to stay at the property for substantially the full length of the stay according to the confirmation details
- I do NOT intend to stay at the property for substantially the full length of the stay according to the confirmation details

Since we are planning on being there the whole time, I would assume the first option is the one that I would want to select. I could always check our friends into their rooms, and add their names in case they get there first.

However, it got me thinking. What are the implications of those options? If we had a family emergency come up, would my friends be able to check in?

Is it "safest" to select the second option -- even though that's not necessarily true, I DO intend to be there the whole time.

 

[daviator]

If you choose the second option, I'm pretty sure you will not get elite night credit or Bonvoy points (for incidentals) as they basically assume the reservation is being used by others.

MVC now seems to want you to provide a single name which will be the person checking into the room, and supposedly they will hold you to that. So (again, supposedly) if there was a family emergency and your friends arrived first and one of them was not the designated person, they would not be able to check in. Now I don't know how this works in practice. There is a big long thread on this issue with a lot more info. But essentially they want you to decide, weeks in advance, who will be checking in, and God help you if something comes up (delayed plane flight, etc.) and others arrive before you. I guess if something happens and the named "arriving person" is delayed, they'd need to immediately call Owner Services (or the resort, but supposedly the resort can't change the check-in person) and plead for help. The official answer is that they won't help with changes to the arriving guest by phone, and that submitting the online form is the only way to do it. So good luck if a last minute flight snafu or cancellation occurs and someone else needs to check in.

I feel like if they really hold a hard line on this, it will lead to a lawsuit.

 

[Dean]

I checked in to 16 rooms at MGO in July. I added the true adults directly with the resort but left my name or my wife's name on each room as the main person. Since you'll be there, I'd suggest this is the easier\st, simplest and safest option. Unless someone is arriving much earlier than you, I would not do the change form. The other advantage to you checking in for all is in case there is a problem getting them all close, you'll have a better chance of getting that changed yourself up front than after someone has checked in. I'd also reach out to the resort a couple of weeks prior and ask they all be close, same floor if possible. Since Crystal Shores has several different room types this might not be simple if any are a different view or floor designation.

 

[ljmiii]

I checked in to 16 rooms at MGO in July...

OK...I'm impressed

 

[LeslieDet]

If you choose the second option, I'm pretty sure you will not get elite night credit or Bonvoy points (for incidentals) as they basically assume the reservation is being used by others.

MVC now seems to want you to provide a single name which will be the person checking into the room, and supposedly they will hold you to that. So (again, supposedly) if there was a family emergency and your friends arrived first and one of them was not the designated person, they would not be able to check in. Now I don't know how this works in practice. There is a big long thread on this issue with a lot more info. But essentially they want you to decide, weeks in advance, who will be checking in, and God help you if something comes up (delayed plane flight, etc.) and others arrive before you. I guess if something happens and the named "arriving person" is delayed, they'd need to immediately call Owner Services (or the resort, but supposedly the resort can't change the check-in person) and plead for help. The official answer is that they won't help with changes to the arriving guest by phone, and that submitting the online form is the only way to do it. So good luck if a last minute flight snafu or cancellation occurs and someone else needs to check in.

I feel like if they really hold a hard line on this, it will lead to a lawsuit.

Remember, there is a difference based upon the underlying type of reservation. If it is a Club Point based reservation, multiple names can be added and any one of those can check in; if it is a deeded week reservation, there can be only one name on the reservation. I've asked corporate if they are going to be expanding the fields so that multiple names can be placed on a deeded week reservation, and the answer was no. So, if you are making a Club Point reservation, go ahead and add multiple names and cover your bases so that if someone is delayed in transit, another will be able to check in. If it is a deeded week reservation, then yes, it would require a last minute change which may be difficult if the person named on the reservation is delayed.

 

[LeslieDet]

However, it got me thinking. What are the implications of those options? If we had a family emergency come up, would my friends be able to check in?

It sounds like you have booked with Club Points. You can add multiple names to the reservation. If folks are traveling in different groups, pick a name from each group and add that person to all 3 reservations. Check the first box. You plan on being there. When you check that box, it doesn't mean no one else can check in without you; it just means that you have guests joining you who may be arriving prior to you and are allowed access to the reservations you made from your account.

 

[daviator]

Is this another passive-aggressive way that MVC is trying to turn the screws on weeks owners and make it more difficult for us to use our ownerships? I can’t think of any valid reason the guest policy should be different for points vs. weeks bookings.

I am not a litigious person at all, but I’d love to see MVC have to defend a practice like this in court. After all, weeks owners actually own the real estate they are trying to use. (Points owners don’t, not directly at least.)

I hope the real truth is that MVC has instituted this policy to curb certain abuses, but that they will be flexible in cases where last-minute circumstances necessitate a change. But I don’t think we know yet.

 

[LeslieDet]

Is this another passive-aggressive way that MVC is trying to turn the screws on weeks owners and make it more difficult for us to use our ownerships? I can’t think of any valid reason the guest policy should be different for points vs. weeks bookings.

I am not a litigious person at all, but I’d love to see MVC have to defend a practice like this in court. After all, weeks owners actually own the real estate they are trying to use. (Points owners don’t, not directly at least.)

I hope the real truth is that MVC has instituted this policy to curb certain abuses, but that they will be flexible in cases where last-minute circumstances necessitate a change. But I don’t think we know yet.

While I am obviously not privy to the decision, I have a feeling that it has more to do with archaic fields in the database system that deals with deeded week reservations.

 

[jwalk03]

While I am obviously not privy to the decision, I have a feeling that it has more to do with archaic fields in the database system that deals with deeded week reservations.

I agree. It’s not some conspiracy. It’s because they use very old outdated technology that really needs a massive upgrade. But instead of investing the money for an upgrade they come up with bandaides like the manual guest form.

 

[SkiBeach]

Does anyone know what document or documents that define the parameters that deeded week owner have for making reservations. My understanding is that a trust is the owner the weeks that are used for points. I thought the registered deeds are the same at the county of the property location whether an individual or trust owns the week. At the most basic level the "deeded: weeks are just fractional ownership of a property 1/52 fraction.