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Why does Marriott have passport numbers to begin with?

This really comes down to companies simply collecting way too much information. Consumers need to push back against this type of data collection. Only give information which is clearly required for their business and nothing more. Also the companies should only retain that information for long enough to conduct their business.

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A lot of countries require hotels to collect information that proves that the guest is there legally.

In my country hotels are even required to make a photocopy of the passport/id when a Traveller checks in. Having your id being public is not more of a security issue than your name being public.

This is really the nub of the issue.

I love that when I’m traveling for business everything is arranged for me, but I hate that I get put in situations where I’m booked into big hotels with policies like this.

Increasingly it seems like there should be some kind of regulation that (with exceptions) if a good or service costs money, you should be able to buy it in exchange for money, and refuse to provide personal information even if requested.

It's often required by the government where the hotel is located.

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