Woman Bought Fake Marriott Employee Rate on Craigslist — Then Got Arrested in Singapore
A woman allegedly thought she had found an easy way to score deeply discounted Marriott hotel stays. Instead, the deal ended with a police arrest and a guilty plea in Singapore.
American traveler Kao Jane Zhao, 41, pleaded guilty to a cheating charge after posing as the sister of a Marriott associate to obtain discounted hotel rates at the Sheraton Towers Singapore.
Authorities say she ultimately received nearly S$3,400 in hotel discounts, including more than S$1,500 connected with the charge to which she pleaded guilty.
The story is an important reminder for travelers: buying employee, friends-and-family, or other restricted hotel rates from strangers online can carry consequences far beyond simply having a reservation canceled.
She Bought a Marriott Explore Membership on Craigslist
According to court proceedings, Zhao was in the United States in 2024 when she found someone on Craigslist offering access to Marriott’s Explore program.
She reportedly paid the unknown seller US $300.
Marriott’s Explore program provides special discounted hotel rates to eligible Marriott associates and qualifying family members.
The problem: Zhao was not actually related to the Marriott associate listed on her authorization form.
She reportedly knew that the form falsely identified her as the sister of a Marriott employee named Michael Melendez.
She Used the Discount at Sheraton Towers Singapore
On September 8, 2024, Zhao checked into the Sheraton Towers Singapore and presented the authorization form at the front desk.
By doing so, she represented herself as an eligible family member and received the discounted Marriott rate.
Her initial stay was for five nights.
She then repeatedly extended the stay at the discounted rate and later returned to the hotel for another stay.
Altogether, reports say she stayed 14 nights across multiple bookings at Sheraton Towers while using the improperly obtained discount.
The discounts connected with her stays at the property totaled more than S$1,500.
The Hotel Eventually Verified the Marriott Form
The scheme came apart during her final stay.
A hotel manager contacted Marriott counterparts in the United States to verify the authorization form.
The hotel discovered that Zhao was not actually the Marriott associate’s sister.
Police were contacted, and Zhao was arrested.
She later pleaded guilty to one cheating charge. Eight additional charges are expected to be taken into consideration when she is sentenced.
Zhao has reportedly made full restitution.
Nearly $3,400 in Discounts — For a US $300 “Membership”
The numbers make the story particularly striking.
Zhao allegedly paid only US $300 to purchase the unauthorized Marriott Explore access but ultimately received nearly $3,400 worth of discounted hotel stays.
Instead of simply losing the discount when Marriott discovered the issue, the matter became a criminal case in Singapore.
Her attorney has reportedly requested a fine of no more than $5,000, arguing that the incident resulted from poor judgment.
Singapore law allows a cheating offense to result in a fine, imprisonment of up to three years, or both.
Be Very Careful With Marriott Employee Rates Sold Online
There have long been online advertisements and forum posts offering access to hotel employee rates, airline employee travel benefits, corporate codes, friends-and-family discounts and similar programs.
This case highlights a major distinction travelers should understand:
Finding a publicly available promotional rate is very different from falsely representing yourself as eligible for a restricted employee or family benefit.
If a hotel rate requires proof that you work for a company or are related to an employee, the property may verify that eligibility.
And as this case demonstrates, the consequences aren’t necessarily limited to being repriced to the standard room rate or having your reservation canceled.
Bottom Line
A US traveler paid $300 to an unknown Craigslist seller for access to Marriott’s Explore discount program and used an authorization form claiming she was the sister of a Marriott associate.
She managed to receive nearly S$3,400 in discounted hotel stays before a manager at Sheraton Towers Singapore verified the form and discovered the relationship wasn’t legitimate.
She was arrested and has now pleaded guilty to a cheating charge, with sentencing expected in October.
For points and miles enthusiasts who regularly hunt for discounted hotel rates, there’s a simple takeaway: if a rate requires employee or family eligibility, don’t buy access to it from strangers online.
Saving money on a hotel stay isn’t worth turning a discounted Marriott reservation into a criminal case.
