{
  "id": 5904776,
  "title": "US woman, 41, poses as sister of Marriott staff to get discounted rates for 14 nights at Sheraton Towers S'pore",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/us-woman-41-poses-as-sister-of-marriott-staff-to-get-discounted-rates",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T14:33:57.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Mothership",
    "slug": "mothership",
    "url": "https://mothership.sg/2026/09/woman-poses-marriott-associate-discount/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A 41-year-old American woman named Kao Jane Zhao was arrested after posing as the sister of a Marriott employee to receive discounted room rates during her stays at Sheraton Towers Singapore in September 2024. She made six separate reservations, totaling 14 nights, and received a total of S$1,563.94 in discounts. According to court documents, Kao purchased an Explore membership from a Craigslist seller for US$300 (S$381) and falsely listed herself as the sister of Michael Melendez, a Marriott associate, on the membership form. She was aware that only Marriott associates and their family members were eligible for these discounts. After her stay at Sheraton Towers ended on September 27, the front desk manager discovered that Kao was not related to Melendez and reported her to the police. Kao pleaded guilty to one charge of cheating and has since made full restitution to the hotel. However, she still has eight other outstanding charges related to the remaining amount and will be sentenced in October. Under Singapore law, offenders can face up to three years in jail, a fine, or both for cheating.",
  "summary": "She received more than S$1,500 in discounts.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}