You book a room for a parent, colleague or partner, and the confirmation arrives in your name. The payment may be complete, but the reception desk still needs to know who is expected to check in.
Read the guest-name field separately from the booker’s contact details and payment information. These can belong to different people. A forwarded email does not necessarily amend the hotel’s reservation record.
Ask which name should appear, what identification the arriving guest needs and whether the payer must be present. Payment authorisation, deposits and third-party bookings are handled differently by different hotels. Get the property’s answer through its verified contact channel.
If the reservation was made through an intermediary, ask whether the change must be requested there. Avoid assuming that editing a profile name automatically changes an existing booking.
Prepare the arriving guest
- Send the final confirmation and reservation number.
- Explain which charges are already paid and which may be collected locally.
- Confirm the expected arrival time and any late-arrival procedure.
- Give them a reliable way to reach the person who made the booking.
Do not send a photograph of a bank card or identity document by an informal messaging route just because someone asks. Verify the request and use the hotel’s approved secure process where documentation is required.
A name correction and a transfer of the booking to a different guest may be treated differently. Non-transferable rates can have specific restrictions, so resolve the issue before travel rather than expecting reception to override the terms.
Once the hotel confirms the change, keep that response with the booking. The goal is that the person at the desk can match the arriving guest to the room without reconstructing a family or workplace conversation after a long journey.