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Website Archive for the 'hotel rooms' Category
Hotel Room Blocks for Your Wedding Guests
My apologies for abandoning the blog for a little while. Wedding season is in full swing! It is such a gorgeous time of year to marry here in Orlando, but we can feel the heat coming!
Recently I have had a number of couples asking me about reserving hotel rooms for their guests. I think it is a great idea, especially if you have a number of out-of-town guests. Before I send you out to start negotiating those room contracts, there are a few things you should know.
- A negotiated group room rate might not always be the cheapest room rate at the hotel. As your wedding date gets closer, if the hotel is not sold out, they may drop their rates for the big Internet travel sites. This fact shouldn’t discourage you from getting the room block, because it does guarantee that all of your guests will have rooms. Just be aware that some of them may grumble later if they see a cheaper rate.
- Some hotels will give you a special room rate if you are hosting your wedding at their property without requiring a contract. Make sure that if you need fewer than ten rooms, you ask your catering manager if she can help get a special rate for your guests.
- If you need more than ten rooms, you will likely need a contract. Read it carefully. Most room contracts have an attrition clause, which means if you reserve twenty rooms and you only use eleven, you will still need to pay for the unused rooms. Ask if you can release the unreserved rooms thirty days in advance of the wedding rather than having financial penalties.
- If you only need a few rooms, you may find the cheapest option is to go on the Internet and reserve those rooms with your credit card. Just make sure the Internet site you use doesn’t charge a booking fee or cancellation fee.
Negotiating your room block is really a simple task. As with everything else, make sure you read and understand your contract and take time to learn all of your options.
If you have any comments or questions, please post them here or email me at susan.southerland@pwg.com.
Your Partner in Perfect Planning,
Susan
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