Swan, buying Marriott Bonvoy pts. from friend

[Nick6300]

My friend (Mary) booked the Swan for us 2 adults + baby using Marriott Bonvoy pts. We're reimbursing her in cash, she's not staying w/us. She called Swan to add us.

1. Baby is not showing up on MDE as option, just Mary + me and wife (3 adults). Does the baby need to be on the reservation and linked to MDE? I'd think yes, when I called, Swadolphin CM said baby's are never on reservation, general CM said baby should be on reservation and MDE, call hotel again as they can't see the reservation since it's a Marriott reservation.

2. Does Mary need to stay on the reservation even though not going to be there? My guess is that she can't be removed from the reservation since she booked it under her name, and only canceling the reservation would take her name off. Swdolphin CM had said just mention at check in that Mary will not there and the check in CM will likely remove her so we're not charged the extra adult $25/night fee but that Mary will not earn MB points for the stay (doesn't make sense since redeeming points for the stay).

How do I avoid the extra adult fee without risking something bad happening to the reservation where we have to pay the whole booking on the spot? If Mary needs to stay on the reservation, would I have to link her to MDE (she doesn't have tickets) and insist that she remain on the reservation at check in? Once linked on MDE, are we safe to pay Mary and cancel our original, Sports reservation? When expressing this concern, Swadolphin CM said that he'd simply remove Mary from reservation. I told him not to in case it messes up the reservation, but he said he already did. However, I think she's still on it as I called Marriott Bonvoy hotline and they only see Mary on the reservation - and none of us, not entirely reassuring unless Mary's second call direct to Swan to add us wouldn't show up on Marriott Bonvoy. Starting to regret this experiment, I'm hoping some of you are experienced in this situation. Thanks!

 

[chicagodisneyguy]

Here is the Marriott instructions on gifting rewards stays:

https://help.marriott.com/s/article/Article-22282

While I've used a million Marriot points...I've never given any away so no help on the inside and outs of gifted reservations. Just to confirm....Mary is an actual friend and not someone you bought points from? Most loyalty programs discourage or outright ban selling/buying points. If Marriott or the hotel find out ...it will not end well. I assume she is a friend, but always like to alert people of that fact

 

[gottalovepluto]

The friend needs to fix this by following the instructions given above and properly gifting the stay to you. You do not want to wind up homeless on check-in day.

 

[Marthasor]

I wouldn't mess around with this. Either follow the instructions on how to gift Marriott rewards or outright cancel the stay Mary booked on points and just pay cash for your stay (if you do this, join Marriott Bonvoy and start earning points for yourself).

 

[Dave006]

1. Baby is not showing up on MDE as option, just Mary + me and wife (3 adults). Does the baby need to be on the reservation and linked to MDE? I'd think yes, when I called, Swadolphin CM said baby's are never on reservation, general CM said baby should be on reservation and MDE, call hotel again as they can't see the reservation since it's a Marriott reservation.

Swan CM is correct if child is under 3 (No Disney ticket required) there is no need for a MDE entry or for the baby to be listed on reservation.

If the child is over 3 and requires a Disney ticket then you only need to have the number of adults correct and 1 child listed on your Marriott reservation. You add the Name of the child in MDE. Note: there is no need to have all individual "names" listed on your Marriott reservation.

Swdolphin CM had said just mention at check in that Mary will not there and the check in CM will likely remove her so we're not charged the extra adult $25/night fee but that Mary will not earn MB points for the stay (doesn't make sense since redeeming points for the stay).

No points are earned by Mary or you on a reward stay.

Dave

 

[baler31]

How do I Gift a Reservation to family or friends using my Marriott Bonvoy® Points?​

• This is called a Gifted Award Reservation and is not available on our website or on the Marriott Bonvoy® Mobile App at this time.
• A Gifted Reservation must be made by calling us by following this link for a number closest to your location.
• Your Account is very important to us, please be prepared to provide Account Ownership. When booking a Gifted Award Redemption Stay Reservation, a Member must provide to Member Support:
  • Membership Number and Name
  • Name of the person who will be Staying at the Participating Property (the Recipient)
• Both Names and the Member's Membership Number must be provided to Member Support at time of booking the Gifted Award Redemption Stay and cannot be modified once booked.
• At Check-In, the Recipient of the Gifted Award Redemption Stay must show valid identification and provide a credit card or cash deposit to the Participating Property for incidental charges.

---

Can I make a Point Redemption Reservation first, then contact Member Support or the Participating Hotel directly to Gift or transfer the Award Reservation to another person?​

• Technically yes, you can make an Award Reservation and contact Member Support (this will open a link to find a number closest to your location) to add information which will make your Award Reservation a 'Gifted' Reservation. There is a very specific process so both the Member, the Guest and the Hotel are prepared for the Gifted Reservation.

 

[baler31]

Per terms and conditions the member must be staying in the room(or one of the rooms if multiple are booked) that booked the points unless the process above is followed for "gifting" an award stay.

This is also to avoid people using entitlements that would only go to the elite member that booked the reservation. Such as free breakfast, upgrades, etc.

 

[Nick6300]

Here is the Marriott instructions on gifting rewards stays:

https://help.marriott.com/s/article/Article-22282

While I've used a million Marriot points...I've never given any away so no help on the inside and outs of gifted reservations. Just to confirm....Mary is an actual friend and not someone you bought points from? Most loyalty programs discourage or outright ban selling/buying points. If Marriott or the hotel find out ...it will not end well. I assume she is a friend, but always like to alert people of that fact

Thanks, I read your article but didn't find anything that specifically answered my questions.

Mary is a friend/co-worker, but she's older, not well versed in these types of things or great on prompt follow through. Thanks for the warning... I used common sense and refer to it as a gifted stay and not bought stay. Swan CM didn't care, said it's relatively common, although he couldn't answer my questions.

 

[Nick6300]

The friend needs to fix this by following the instructions given above and properly gifting the stay to you. You do not want to wind up homeless on check-in day.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 2nd option on the instructions article is what we have here: Mary booked it with pts as just her on reservation through Marriott, then called Swan to add us.

 

[Nick6300]

Per terms and conditions the member must be staying in the room(or one of the rooms if multiple are booked) that booked the points unless the process above is followed for "gifting" an award stay.

This is also to avoid people using entitlements that would only go to the elite member that booked the reservation. Such as free breakfast, upgrades, etc.

Sorry if I'm not following but if properly gifted, the member wouldn't have to stay, and that's what I'm trying to ascertain.

I think our booking is the 2nd option under "Can I make a Point Redemption Reservation first, then contact Member Support or the Participating Hotel to gift/transfer to another person." But I don't like that Disney CM's can't look up our confirmation number. While Swan direct can see our names minus baby, I don't know if I feel confident that we won't have issues. If I can't get guidance on if my booking is ok, I may want to have Mary cancel the booking and try to rebook with Marriott Bonvoy with all of us on the booking. The problem is that prices have increased, and testing Mary's patience.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the 2nd option on the instructions article is what we have here: Mary booked it with pts as just her on reservation through Marriott, then called Swan to add us.

Wrong. Details matter. The website is clear you need to contact Member Support (this is NOT the hotel, they have nothing to do with Bonvoy Membership) and turn it into a Gifted Stay. It goes to a special length to explain that this is a very specific process. If Mary is too confused about these things to do it herself you should get on the phone with her to Member Support.

 

[lanejudy]

I don't like that Disney CM's can't look up our confirmation number

Unless you book through WDW, no Disney CMs cannot look up your actual reservation number at a Marriott property. Different companies, different computer systems. You should be able to get a reservation number from Marriott that you can link to MDE which grants you the privileges such as Early Entry and Deluxe Extended Evening Hours. But even then it doesn't always work and you can show something from the Swan/Dolphin to prove your eligibility.

And I agree with others... this is a Bonvoy membership issue, not a reservation issue. You (as the non-member) calling the hotel directly isn't likely to help anything. Mary needs to deal with Member Support.

The problem is that prices have increased, and testing Mary's patience.

Maybe this gift isn't the best fit for you. I understand trying to get a "good deal" but when that begins to put extra stress on the giver -- it's time to back away, say thanks but we've changed our plans.

 

[Nick6300]

Unless you book through WDW, no Disney CMs cannot look up your actual reservation number at a Marriott property. Different companies, different computer systems. You should be able to get a reservation number from Marriott that you can link to MDE which grants you the privileges such as Early Entry and Deluxe Extended Evening Hours. But even then it doesn't always work and you can show something from the Swan/Dolphin to prove your eligibility.

And I agree with others... this is a Bonvoy membership issue, not a reservation issue. You (as the non-member) calling the hotel directly isn't likely to help anything. Mary needs to deal with Member Support.




Maybe this gift isn't the best fit for you. I understand trying to get a "good deal" but when that begins to put extra stress on the giver -- it's time to back away, say thanks but we've changed our plans.

Up to this point, I was not certain that something is definitely wrong with my booking. Thanks for confirming. You and Pluto. The Swan CM said mine/wife's names were on the reservation and we shouldn't have issues with Mary not being there. But the CM didn't seem overly familiar with the process and left me worrying that we could show up at check in without Mary and find out that we have to book something new on the spot.

I didn't think about the deluxe extended evening hours issue.

I was already thinking that this is the last time doing this type of reservation - Mary was the one who originally approached me with the idea, maybe her pts expire after 24 months of no use. Yes, maybe we should cancel altogether or call a new booking with Marriott with us gifted onto the reservation upfront.

 

[Nick6300]

Wrong. Details matter. The website is clear you need to contact Member Support (this is NOT the hotel, they have nothing to do with Bonvoy Membership) and turn it into a Gifted Stay. It goes to a special length to explain that this is a very specific process. If Mary is too confused about these things to do it herself you should get on the phone with her to Member Support.

"contact Member Support or the Participating Hotel directly to Gift or transfer the Award Reservation to another person?" ​

Thanks, the 'or hotel directly' was why I was hoping the reservation wasn't messed up. But yes, it sounds like we would have issues if left unchanged.

 

[Nick6300]

Thank you guys for your help. I'm glad I asked you, and I didn't just show up at the resort as is. I sent a message to Mary explaining, and if we can do a call next week.

I called Marriott and the agent, again confirmed that just Mary was on the reservation, but that he'd just need to verify her via member number and address and he would revise the reservation to a Gifted Award Reservation by attaching the code, then adding our names. From LaneJudy, maybe I should ask for a reservation number for MDE? Our names did show up on MDE though, including Mary and 2 adults, except the baby.

 

[baler31]

Thank you guys for your help. I'm glad I asked you, and I didn't just show up at the resort as is. I sent a message to Mary explaining, and if we can do a call next week.

I called Marriott and the agent, again confirmed that just Mary was on the reservation, but that he'd just need to verify her via member number and address and he would revise the reservation to a Gifted Award Reservation by attaching the code, then adding our names. From LaneJudy, maybe I should ask for a reservation number for MDE? Our names did show up on MDE though, including Mary and 2 adults, except the baby.

The reservation if properly gifted should not still have Mary's name on the reservation.

You need to make sure Mary's name is NOT on the reservation unless she is actually staying. Marriott will have Mary as the lead guest unless you specifically verified with the agent that you are lead and allowed to check in. Swan/Dolphin are particularly aggressive about this, my husband is ambassador level and we frequently stay on points. He is the lead guest as we are using his points and they will not let me check in without him. This has happened on multiple stays.

Disney has absolutely nothing to do with this and will not be able to help or confirm anything.

 

[Nick6300]

The reservation if properly gifted should not still have Mary's name on the reservation.

You need to make sure Mary's name is NOT on the reservation unless she is actually staying. Marriott will have Mary as the lead guest unless you specifically verified with the agent that you are lead and allowed to check in. Swan/Dolphin are particularly aggressive about this, my husband is ambassador level and we frequently stay on points. He is the lead guest as we are using his points and they will not let me check in without him. This has happened on multiple stays.

Disney has absolutely nothing to do with this and will not be able to help or confirm anything.

I did ask Marriott today if Mary needs to stay on the reservation and he insisted that she does and don’t let Swan at check in to remove her just because she’s not staying.

When we call, hopefully we get someone who’s well versed in this and allows us to remove her after gifting or at least put us as lead guest.

 

[baler31]

I did ask Marriott today if Mary needs to stay on the reservation and he insisted that she does and don’t let Swan at check in to remove her just because she’s not staying.

When we call, hopefully we get someone who’s well versed in this and allows us to remove her after gifting or at least put us as lead guest.

It does vary from location to location but just make sure you are listed as able to check in. Several years ago, husbands flight was delayed and I had to call the ambassador to get Swan to let me check in despite showing my ID with an address that matched the address on file. If I am staying with him on points, I now make sure I call to add me for check in.