Placing reservation in a renter's name

We are looking at renting a week from an owner for this summer at a Marriott resort. We have never done this before, but we really like the resort. The owner also claims this is his first time renting out his reservation.

The owner has emailed me a screenshot of his reservation confirmation from Marriott. Everything looks right for what we've been told and seen. However, he said that he was told that he could add my name to the reservation but that he wouldn't be able to remove his name from it. That sends up a red flag to me. If his name is still on the reservation, then he could just call and cancel the reservation after he received payment. Is this true? Or can his name be removed once he transfers it to me? Should I call Marriott to ask them? If so, what number would I call?

It's true that the owner won't/can't remove his name from the reservation. That is the way Marriott and most TS work. You are considered the guest of the owner and the person who has authorization to check in for the week. When renting from a third party there has to be trust going both ways. The person renting could pay by CC and then the day before check in dispute the charge with their credit card. The person renting could absolutely trash the place and have used a prepaid type CC down when checking in that only had a minimal amount on it and then the TS would go after the owner for the un recovered damages. A real owner would have no reason to collect a fee from you and then cancel the reservation. They might get away with it once or even twice but then they would be called out on it on public forums and such. A legitimate owner who rents relies on having a good reputation or at minimum no bad reputation when first starting out. So yes an owner can cancel the reservation at any time but would have no reason to do so.

If you don't feel comfortable with your interaction and contract/agreement with the owner or feel like things are "off" you should move on. I am not saying he isn't trying to scam you but the fact that the owners name will still remain part of the reservation is no indication that anything is wrong.

Good commentary. I would like to add that as a renter, you would want to see the name of the owner on the reservation to be assured that the owner does own the unit. Once your name is added to the reservation, you can call the resort to check on the reservation using your name and the reservation number. If you are worried, you might also ask the owner to provide a reference from a prior renter.

I hope you can become comfortable and enjoy your timeshare vacation.

I rented our units for the first time last year. After I agreed on a price with the renter, the renter paid me through Paypal. I called owner services and had them put the reservation in their name. They actually took my name off the reservation.i then forwarded the email that I received from Marriott to the renter. I did put something in writing for the renter to sign that I was not liable for any damage that was caused during their stay. The whole process was real easy and I had two great renters. There has to be some trust between the owner and the renter.

Just to confirm, Marriott does require owners name to stay on reservation. However, shortly before your arrival, as a "guest", the owner will receive an email from the timeshare that will show both names, and this can be forwarded to you. I agree it feels odd, we felt that way too when we first started renting it. Feel free to call resort to confirm your name has been added. We have rented our Hilton Head unit about 6 times, and like to speak in person with person we are renting to. Would always be glad to provide reference to our renter from previous renters. Never had any problems, lucky to say. Marriott requires our guest to run a charge card through upon arrival- for charges they may make at spa or for food, but also could be used for damages so as owner we are not responsible. We request half of money up front, before their name is added, and then remainder 6-8 weeks before check in. We are willing to rerent if our guests needs to bail, but since we have the deposit we would use part of it if we were not able to get full or reasonable price for last minute rental. Not to use it to make extra money, but just so we don't lose money and hopefully our initial renters would not lose more than $100 for their change of plans. Hope that helps! We have been very happy using Redweek, and so many of our renters have family who already own in resort so they know more about how time share rentals work- like no additional taxes or parking fees, usually daily maid service not included, units vary but are within specific category such as oceanside vs. oceanfront, etc. Good luck! We find it difficult to go back to hotel rooms after traveling and using higher end timeshares!

How do I place a renters name on my confirmation?

You contact Marriott location, ( it's easiest by email) and tell them to change the name on the reservation to your renter's name. Then tell them to send a confirmation that they did this and forward that to Redweek.

tracey75 wrote:

It's true that the owner won't/can't remove his name from the reservation. That is the way Marriott and most TS work. You are considered the guest of the owner and the person who has authorization to check in for the week. When renting from a third party there has to be trust going both ways. The person renting could pay by CC and then the day before check in dispute the charge with their credit card. The person renting could absolutely trash the place and have used a prepaid type CC down when checking in that only had a minimal amount on it and then the TS would go after the owner for the un recovered damages. A real owner would have no reason to collect a fee from you and then cancel the reservation. They might get away with it once or even twice but then they would be called out on it on public forums and such. A legitimate owner who rents relies on having a good reputation or at minimum no bad reputation when first starting out. So yes an owner can cancel the reservation at any time but would have no reason to do so.

If you don't feel comfortable with your interaction and contract/agreement with the owner or feel like things are "off" you should move on. I am not saying he isn't trying to scam you but the fact that the owners name will still remain part of the reservation is no indication that anything is wrong.

I own a TS and have rented out successfully on Ebay many times . I have also rented from other owners at different properties over the years.It does take trust on both parts especially when you first do it. There are precautions and things you can do to help prevent scams and make for a safer transaction on both sides. Thankfully I have had great experiences. But as as far as a how an owner might scam a renter, I always wondered if an unscrupulous owner can rent to multiple renters on different online platforms but only put it one persons name, (perhaps, the highest buyer) but collect and ghost the others. Or like someone else said, the owners name and address is different than that on the reservation they are listing, hoping that an unsuspecting buyer doesn't catch it or buys their story of why. Then doesn't actually have the accessibility to add a name. Maybe it isn't theirs to rent? idk. it's probably unlikely but perhaps. Majority of owners are legit and relaible .

However, I would never rent from an owner who asks for unreasonable things, has excuses or a story as to any discrepancies in transaction or only wants payment through a cash app. I would want to see that the addresses and names are verifiable with the resort. That is just a phone call. They will tell you if there is indeed a reservation in that name and only that name. I have done this.I once rented from an owner on either tug or redweek, cant remember. It made me nervous as she was in tahiti. but I called the resort and they said the reservation was legit. I would as a buyer use a good reliable credit card that will advocate on your side for any issues.

They are correct. You need a rental contract to protect both parties. After they add your name, they can send you the updated reservation. I like Redweek Full Service option since they generate the contract and validate the reservation by contacting the resort.