"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 had one want to photocopy my badge ! When I said absolutely not, they looked at me like I had two heads. So strange"

"I work for a large defense contractor. We are specifically told not to bring our badges on international trips due to various concerns about showing our affiliation around foreign national and had a nasty surprise at a JW Marriott insisting that without my badge they were going to raise my rate from $200gbp to $800gbp per night. That was a pretty stressful situation. You’d think they could have validated that the hotel was booked through my corporate partner."