About booking for someone else

Once you start accumulating hotel points and free night certificates, this becomes an annoying issue. Free night certificates are especially troublesome since they often expire each year and you may only get one. One relatively simple solution is to book a room for someone else, or “sell” your free night certificate or points to a broker. In fact, the major hotel groups all have ways to make third-party bookings, but the methods differ. So this article will go over how common hotel programs let you use points and free night certificates to book a stay for someone else.

General rules

The first thing to emphasize is that hotel groups prohibit the buying and selling of points or free night certificates. If you are caught, your points may be confiscated or your account may be shut down. For example, Hilton states clearly:

Rewards may not be sold, auctioned, bartered, brokered, purchased or otherwise transferred except with the express written consent of Hilton Honors. Any Reward obtained in that manner without the required consent will be considered to have been fraudulently obtained and deemed void. Altered Rewards are void. Voided Rewards will not be honored.

If you are discovered or the hotel becomes suspicious, remember:

  • Do not admit that you bought or sold points or free night certificates; just say you gifted the stay to a friend.
  • Do not admit that you bought or sold points or free night certificates; just say you gifted the stay to a friend.
  • Do not admit that you bought or sold points or free night certificates; just say you gifted the stay to a friend.

The second issue is elite benefits. In general, even if you successfully book for a third party, they are not theoretically entitled to your elite benefits. For example, if you are a Hilton Diamond member and you use points to book a stay for a third party who is just a basic member, that person should not receive Diamond benefits. That said, if you get lucky, some hotels do not pay much attention to whether the member is the one actually staying, and the guest may quietly receive the benefits anyway. In short, if you get them, enjoy them; if not, do not argue pointlessly.

Third, some hotels are not very comfortable with you making a booking for someone else while not showing up yourself. This is especially true in Asia, particularly Greater China, where the hotel will often require the free night certificate holder to be present. Even bringing an ID may not help. Be especially careful with bookings in Greater China. If you sell a certificate and the other person cannot check in, it becomes a hassle for both sides.

Hilton

Transfer points for the stay

Hilton allows points to be transferred from one person to another. Each account can transfer out up to 500k, and each account can receive up to 2000k. So if you want to book for someone else, you can simply transfer the points into that person’s account.

If you think the transfer limits are restrictive, you can also add the third party to your “family” pool and use points together.

Both methods above are very safe and officially permitted. At check-in, the third party uses a reservation made from their own Hilton account, with their own name and other details. So they should not run into trouble at check-in and can simply present their own ID.

Add a Second Guest

When booking with points, you can call Hilton customer service and say that this reservation is a Gift for someone else. The agent will usually list that person as the Second Guest, and they can check in directly. Likewise, after booking online, you can add the Second Guest yourself or ask customer service to do it; the result is the same.

If you are using a free night certificate, you can only book by phone. When making the reservation, do not say it is a Gift (in general, free night certificates are not transferable for someone else’s use); just ask the agent to add a Second Guest. As long as it is not a hotel in Asia, they generally will not give you too much trouble, and the second guest can usually check in and out on their own.

IHG

IHG officially allows points bookings for a third party. You can book directly on the website and then add a Second Guest. However, IHG has special rules for Greater China: within 7 days before check-in, you need to contact IHG customer service and provide personal information and other details. Otherwise, check-in may be denied.

If a third party beneficiary (instead of the Member who made the relevant booking) intends to check in at any Greater China properties (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan) with a Reward Night, the Member must call the IHG Rewards Club Customer Care Centre no less than 7 days before the Reward Night stay date. Member must provide specific personal details of such third party beneficiary as requested by SCH for its registration and validation purposes.

Likewise, free night certificates can generally be used without much worry outside Greater China. But at IHG properties in Greater China, especially InterContinental-branded hotels, checks can be very strict, and the certificate holder may need to be present in order to check in. If they do not check, the system itself usually has no problem with the stay.

Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott also allows you to book directly for a third party, but there are some restrictions:

  • You need to book by phone (Bonvoy customer support)
  • One account can Gift at most 5 reservations per year, and each reservation can be for multiple nights
  • You can use points to book, but free night certificates can only be used by the member

For free night certificates, the situation is basically the same: outside Greater China, you can often book under your own name first and then add the third party as the second guest, and check-in is usually fine. Do not try this in Greater China; in most cases the guest will not be able to check in normally.

You can also transfer points directly to someone else so they can make the booking. Point transfers have limits as well. One account can transfer out up to 100,000 points per year and receive up to 500,000 points. Note that direct transfers are limited, but if you call to book and combine points over the phone, there is no limit.

World of Hyatt

Hyatt is one of the most generous programs when it comes to sharing. It allows you to use both free night certificates and points to book for someone else; you just need to call to make the reservation. Again, for Greater China, it is best to check with the hotel front desk in advance so you do not end up making a booking that the guest cannot actually use.

In addition, if you are a Hyatt Globalist or higher, you can use the special Guest of Honor program. Not only can you use points to book directly in someone else’s name, but you can also share your elite benefits with that person. When booking, you need to call Hyatt customer service and specify that you want to make the reservation using Guest of Honor. Once the reservation is made, the guest can enjoy the full set of Globalist benefits during the stay, such as 4pm check out, free breakfast, and so on. Note that this only applies to award stays booked with points; it does not work for paid cash bookings. If elite night credit is earned, it is credited to the person who actually stays.

Hyatt also allows points to be transferred to a third party unconditionally; you only need to fill out the form below. The form can be submitted by email to the designated email address. You can either transfer or receive points only once every 30 days.

Best Western

Best Western introduced a new feature that allows Best Western Rewards members to Gift free night awards to immediate family members (spouse, partner, children, parents, parents-in-law, brothers, and sisters).

Best Western Rewards members must issue the award by selecting the appropriate number of points, and the reservation must be made by phone (according to information on the BW website). It appears to function like issuing a free night certificate directly for a family member.

Risk warnings

Using your points and free night certificates yourself is the most appropriate and safest option. Once a third party is involved, things can get complicated. We already mentioned the check-in difficulties in Greater China. In addition, if you add a Second Guest, the reservation is still made using your account and your credit card. If the second guest charges things to the room and does not present their own card at check-out to settle the bill, there is a chance the charges will end up on your card. Be sure to confirm this clearly with the actual guest or the person buying the points.

Also, if one account frequently issues reservations for third parties, the hotel may start paying attention and ask you to provide the third party’s identity and other detailed information. If you cannot provide it, they may conclude that you are buying and selling points, and account shutdown is a real possibility.