"Alibaba's Marriott code A7A is for the Chinese e-commerce and technology giant. Alibaba employees primarily carry Chinese company-issued credentials which Western hotel front desk staff are less familiar with verifying. FlyerTalk's corporate code thread notes that Chinese tech company codes at US and European properties face a different verification challenge: staff may request proof but be unable to assess the validity of Chinese corporate ID cards. Marriott's rate desk has documented Alibaba as a monitored account given the company's rapid growth and high travel volume. High risk due to systematic verification challenges."

"I have seen many of my corporate rates with 6:00 same day cancellation. If someone were ineligible for that rate and asked for ID at checkin, I guess they could say I have some business cards in the car and then go and cancel the reservation before the agent changes the details."

"I have been asked by the front desk on a few occasions but more often than not they don’t ask. I luckily used my corporate rate in the instances they asked: however, they can charge the rack rate which can be much higher than what you are prepared to pay so I would just go in with open eyes."