Hey Y'All..

You have lots of family and friends coming from out of town for your wedding and they need a place to stay...or you are having a destination wedding and everyone is staying at the same hotel.  How the heck do you set up a hotel room block for your guests?

Here are some quick tips to make this process a whole lot easier:

1.  If possible have hotels in two price points...a bit higher and a bit more affordable.

2.  Contact the hotel where you wish to set up the block and speak with the group sales manager.

3.  Don't overestimate the number of rooms you will need...unless every single guest is coming from out of town...a number such as 10 rooms is a good place to start.  (Your college friends may be sharing up to 4 in a room, etc).

4.  Get the information in writing for the:

Room Rate

What dates that rate is available

(many hotels will give your guests the group rate a fews prior and a few days after your event)

What is the deadline for reserving a room in your group rate block?

(after your deadline the hotel will release un-reserved rooms back in the pool for the general public to reserve)

Is there a code or website link to use when your guests reserve their rooms?

5.  This is a biggie:  DO YOU HAVE TO GUARANTEE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF ROOMS IN YOUR BLOCK WILL BE RESERVED

Many room block contracts require a guarantee of up to 80% of the rooms to be booked.  This means if you reserve 10 rooms, 8 of them have to be reserved.  If only 5 are reserved you will have to pay the cost of 3 rooms to = 8 rooms.  

The guarantee is the hardest thing for people to understand and can cost you a lot of money if you don't understand it correctly.The guarantee numbers can be negotiated depending on several factors:  

How busy is the hotel during your room block dates

Is is the prime season for your hotel

Are you spending a large amount of money on food and beverage at your hotel?

6.  If you have hotel points make sure to ask if you get meeting planner points added to your account.

Just like anything else when planning your wedding, read the contract thoroughly and ask questions.  Don't sign or agree to anything until you fully understand the entire document.

Having all of your guests stay in one location is a blast.  So many impromptu get togethers happen, people reconnect by the pool or over breakfast.  It is such a great way to make your guests feel welcome and have fun!

We suggest looking at boutique hotels and hotels that are unique to your location.  That way your guests get to enjoy the local atmosphere.

Have fun and happy planning!

Jen, Mandi, Karlee and Jan

jennifer@fabuluxeevents.com