After the rule update, the account holder can first book a hotel online, then contact Marriott customer service to change the guest name and complete a Gift Award. Note that you need to contact Marriott’s central customer service, not the hotel you booked. This is actually a very positive change. Many of us have dealt with the hassle of calling customer service and reading off the hotel and dates; now it’s much easier to search online first and then change the name afterward.

In addition, the Gift Award limit is still five times per year, with no change there. My guess is that contacting the local hotel to add a second guest probably does not count toward those five uses. My suggestion is that outside Greater China, you can generally use the second guest method for check-in, since properties in those regions usually do not enforce this very strictly. But within Greater China, it is better to use Marriott’s official Gift Award process and book directly under the actual guest’s name so they can check in smoothly. In mainland China, hotels often require both guests to be present at check-in and to provide identification.

Here is the new language:

When booking a Gifted Award Redemption Stay reservation, a Member must provide to Member Support their Membership Number and name, as well as the 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. If a Member makes an Award Redemption Stay reservation first, they must contact Member Support to then add the recipient’s name.They cannot contact the Participating Property to add the recipient name.

Here is the previous language, which explicitly said you could not book first and then contact customer service:

When booking a Gifted Award Redemption Stay reservation, a Member must provide to Member Support their Membership Number and name, as well as the 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. A Member cannot make an Award Redemption Stay reservation first and then contact Member Support or the Participating Property directly to gift or otherwise transfer the Award Redemption Stay to another person. If a Member needs to make a change to an Award Redemption Stay reservation, the reservation will need to be cancelled and a new reservation booked (if available) through Member Support, and the Member is responsible for the changes to the Points or cash, as applicable, required to book a new reservation.