Hotel guest gets mad at front desk employee for not granting the loyalty perks he has to his parents, even though they aren't members of the program: 'Probably because perks are for you, not for any random person you made a reservation for'

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Oct 9, 2026 1:45 PM EDT

Sometimes people don't think before they act. 

If you paid money to be part of an elite group that gave you perks and benefits due to your member status, would you expect that to be transferable to any person who says your name? Don't you think that its 'elite status' has to do with being only for members? Which would make it obviously untransferable. If it was something you could just lend around, don't you think people would probably be selling the code online or something, for other people that aren't members, to enjoy these perks? Well, you probably realize that, but the hotel guest in this story certainly did not. 

In this story, we are able to enjoy yet another story of an entitled customer mistreating a front desk employee who is just doing their job. The particularity about this one is that it's not even a customer who is complaining; it's the son of the actual customers. The customers are the parents, who checked in to the hotel, and that's all. The one complaining is the son of the couple, who has elite member status at the hotel, and a lot of perks that come with it. This person wanted to transfer his benefits to his parents, who aren't members of the benefits club. He didn't ask if it was possible; he just assumed it was, so it must be true. So instead of acting like a normal person and asking or being aware that they were wrong, he complains to the hotel. Tell me this is not an entitled person's behavior. 

This 'elitism' seems to be a way of making customers more entitled than they añready are. It's making them think that they have even more rights to complain, and more reasons to expect things to go their way even when it makes no sense. So now what? This employee has to wait a long time explaining to this member that they are wrong and accept all the misconduct that will come from the customer in return? Yes, unfortunately, that is what will happen. These entitled people will never change; they are all the same, and they never seem to grasp the concept of being wrong. 

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  • So this Mr X is highest tier in our loyalty program (we are hotel chain in one European country) and he made s reservation on his name and paid it in advance. Due to his status he's entitled to free upgrade, bottle of wine, fruit late check in out bla bla. It was written on reservation that he's elite member bla bla. Upon check in his parents showed up as that reservation has actually been made for them.
    via u/chuaku
  • Cheezburger Image 10669274112
    via Vitaly Gariev

    A woman meditating on a hotel bed.

    Scene shown is a visual representation. 

  • Person that made reservation and have loyalty status won't even come. No problem, we checked them and put in room, but given they're not actual person with loyalty status (they're not even program members) we didn't give them anything what goes with loyalty perks. Mr X called his parents to check on them an realize they didn't get anything to which we received
    via u/chuaku
  • "angry" mail why didn't we provide them with perks. Hmm probably because perks are for you, not for any random person you made reservation for. He still don't understand why they're not entitled to perks that goes with his loyalty status.
    via u/chuaku
  • A fancy hotel suite.
    via Rakib Khan

    A fancy hotel suite. 

  • no-thanks-thot I would send him the part in the program guidelines where members can be removed for shenanigans
    via no-thanks-thot
  • Ana-Hata My first thought was "this seems petty". Then I thought some more, and decided it's not petty at all. If you allowed that, there would be an entire cottage industry of folks with status making reservations for third parties and selling their perks for a profit.
    via Ana-Hata
  • masterchef2309 A year or so ago, i booked a room for my in laws, paid for it, did a CC auth for incidentals, etc. Through my status, I'm eligible for upgrades, late check out, welcome gift, club access, all that stuff. I told them they wouldn't get any of that since I wasn't there. They didn't care at all. I called the hotel, spoke to the manager, who I'd met a few times when staying there. Explained the situation, and just said if there's anything at all you can do, I'd
    via masterchef2309
  • appreciate it, but don't go through any trouble. They treated my in laws like kings. Gave them a suite. A complimentary massage. All kinds of stuff. I was blown away. As soon as I found out, I ordered food for the hotel to be delivered, twice so day and night shift workers got some.
    via masterchef2309
  • ericzku You are 100% correct, OP, and I'm glad you did so well. I don't know which loyalty program is in question here, but if it rhymes with Scarriott Convoy, benefits being only for the member is absolutely written in the Terms & Conditions. Also, in a situation like this where the member is not present in the hotel, the account number is supposed to be removed from the reservation.
    via ericzku
  • I'm sorry that "Elite" member can't be bothered to learn the program, but he can go pound sand.
    via ericzku
  • Docrato Our loyalty program has the same rules and its even in the guests TOS for their loyalty program. Which they never read because thats always beneath hotel guests I guess. But yes the loyalty perks are for the main account holder, not the person name they decide to add to the reservation under their own loyalty account. Reason being is that people ab e that. One example we had a high
    via Docrato
  • tiered elite that would always book about 15 rooms for his employees and put them under his name with his membership so he could get the points for that. That's also against the rules of that but the company allows that. However, this guy was trying to use his high status perks for his employees too and would tell them to get the 10 dollar breakfast credit for that instead of extra points as the check in gift for high tiered members. The manager allowed it for about 2
    via Docrato
  • weeks until the owner saw that food cost skyrocketed due to all those rooms getting free breakfast because they would never go over the 10 dollar amount. Essentially he forbade it as it was against the TOS of membership anyway. That man and his 15 rooms decided to no longer stay with us because he felt he was entitled to ab e the system like that. He was of course quickly replaced with more guests so we didnt even take a hit from him deciding to not show up anymore.
    via Docrato
  • lifeisabitchxo G how I wish these membership status things didn't exist, it literally creates entitled people! Some random travelling salesman now thinks of himself as a VIP because he happens to stay at hotels a lot.. and the staff have no choice but to validate it.. makes me sick honestly. I will lie and say I have no rooms to upgrade to if I don't like the member.. or 'run out' of free mini bottles of wine. F 'em :)
    via lifeisabitchxo
  • basilfawltywasright One thing is that (depending on the chain) those points aren't free...issuing them can be part of the fees for the hotel on their monthly franchise bill.
    via basilfawltywasright
  • SpecialFeeling9533 One other small but important point. My shiny credit card builds points too. That is, if I book the stay at the chain, use my card to do it, AND eat somewhere connected to the bank the card is affiliated with, I get five times the points. I can use them for what amounts to a comp stay that is cost for the individual hotel rather than revenue. Why would I even think of expecting
    via SpecialFeeling9533
  • perks for someone else I booked for? T&C or not. I only expect them to be respectful and responsible to the hotel and staff. The "why should the chain care" folks on this can kick rocks.
    via SpecialFeeling9533

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hotel guest family members tales from the front desk perks service industry
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