A:
We answered a similar question several years ago and have availed ourselves of other people's comps a number of times since, so the original answer is still valid (with a couple of minor updates). Here it is.
The way we see it, free offers are the "compees" to dispose of as they see fit, which include but aren’t limited to staying there themselves, giving the room to someone else, or even booking it and leaving it empty. It's never a bad idea for the compee, in this case your brother, to read the fine print of the offer, so everyone knows if you’re running afoul of any of the particular casino’s rules, regulations, or policies. But in general, a comp’s a comp and it’s the compee's decision how to use it.
From our experience in this department (we’ve been the recipient of other people’s free room offers many times), it works out in a few different ways. So there a few things you’ll need to keep in mind.
Unless the offer specifies that the person whose name is on the comp is the only one who can take advantage of the offer, when your brother makes the reservation, he should chat up the agent and inquire as to the best way to reserve -- in other words, how he can best reserve the room to expedite the process at the front desk for you.
For us, one time, only the person whose name was on the offer could stay in the room. This meant only that the compee had to personally check in, give a credit card for incidentals, and receive the room keys. The compee then handed over the keys to us and no one was the wiser. This means, of course, that your brother has to be there in person to check in. We get the idea that he doesn't live in Vegas, so either you all have to make the trip at the same time or this isn't a viable option. If it is, it's a good idea to agree beforehand either not to run up any incidental charges (phone calls, on-demand movies, snacks from the wet bar) or to guarantee that you’ll reimburse the compee if you do.
Two other times, the names of both the compee and the party actually staying in the room could appear on the reservation.
The first of those times, however, the compee had to be there to check in; this was no different from the first example above, but with our name on the room as well, it gave us a cushion of security in case anything happened while we occupied the room (for example, we had to show ID in conjunction with staying in the room).
The second time, it wasn’t necessary for the host to be there to check us in; with our name on the room, we just walked up to the front desk, gave our name and the confirmation code, and in we went.
Another time we did this, our compee went through her casino host, who booked a room in our name alone for a few nights using our compee’s player account. This wasn’t a free-room offer; this was a comp extended to us as a favor by the casino host for a valued player. In this case, ours was the only name on the room reservation and we did the checking in, at the VIP check-in desk. If your brother has a host, this is definitely the way to go: He can reserve remotely and you avoid the front desk and clerks strictly following rules of which you might inadvertently run afoul.
So, your experience should be the same as, or at least similar to, one of these four examples, which should help you to navigate whatever system you find yourself in. And if anyone in QoDland has any other experiences in the same vein to share, please post 'em in the comment boxes.
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