How do I go about arranging hotel accomodations for out of town guests?

C&VT · September 2010

My first big organizing event & I'm afraid to say I know nothing about arranging blocks of rooms or discount rates on hotels for our guests.

Can you share your experiences & tips please. TIA!

fchan1 · September 2010

are you having your wedding/reception at a hotel? if so, you can ask the hotel to set aside a block of rooms at a special discounted rate for you. most places nowadays will not hold you to a minimum that has to be filled. it'll be an open block in which they'll set aside x number of rooms at a certain rate for a certain amount of time. if the rooms aren't all filled, then they'll be released to the general public at the normal hotel rate again. but, each place is different, so make sure to ask if you'll have to pick up the cost for any rooms that aren't filled.

if you're not getting married at a hotel, ask your venue if they have any preferred hotels in the area close by. the process is essentially the same as above. you can just make a few phone calls and ask if they will hold a block of rooms for you for the wedding weekend at a discounted rate.

Hulz2000 · September 2010

Yes, make sure you request a "Courtesy block" with the hotel, as you won't be held financially responsible for this. If you see anything about "attrition" or "room night shortfall" in the agreement/contract, don't sign, as that means you'll be responsible for the rooms you don't use.

deltagirl77 · September 2010

One more point about the courtesy block. That typically applies up to a certain amount of rooms. For the hotel I used, their courtesy number was 20. If only 12 were booked then we would not be responsible for paying for the 8 unused rooms.

Definitely look into the courtesy block as suggested by the other poster. I had the hotel send me a weekly room block list. This allowed me to keep an eye on how many additional discount rooms were left inn my contract and gave me plenty of time to increase my number before the end of the block date.

Also, even with courtesy blocks the hotel will often give you either a free upgraded room or a free room based upon how many rooms that are booked by your guests.

C&VT · September 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_dc_arranging-hotel-accomodations-out-of-town-guests?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:57Discussion:3bb4db1b-b2b8-4ff2-95f6-bcb38b637b37Post:c4d7fcd8-942a-4248-a176-4c736041018a">Re: How do I go about arranging hotel accomodations for out of town guests?</a>:
[QUOTE]One more point about the courtesy block. That typically applies up to a certain amount of rooms. For the hotel I used, their courtesy number was 20. If only 12 were booked then we would not be responsible for paying for the 8 unused rooms. Definitely look into the courtesy block as suggested by the other poster. I had the hotel send me a weekly room block list. This allowed me to keep an eye on how many additional discount rooms were left inn my contract and gave me plenty of time to increase my number before the end of the block date. Also, even with courtesy blocks the hotel will often give you either a free upgraded room or a free room based upon how many rooms that are booked by your guests.
Posted by deltagirl77[/QUOTE]

THank u all for the tips! Our wedding is @ a country club so we are looking for the best deals possible for our guests @ every price points.

omalleym04 · September 2010

C&VT - I was wondering the same thing, so I am glad that you asked this question. Ours is also at a country club and I had no idea.

Thanks for all the tips!

[Deleted User] · September 2010

Thanks for the tips ladies. I am working on the rooms this weekend. Ugh finally a check off the list..

M

Allie&COCO11 · September 2010

Thanks for the suggestions! This is going to be a great help to us!

lederhot · November 2013

Does anyone know of hotels in DC that don't have an attrition rate? Most I've looked into either to require 80% occupancy, or if they provide courtesy rooms, it is only for 10 rooms or less.

kgd7357 · November 2013

Residence Inn Pentagon City will give you 20 courtesy rooms.

How do I go about arranging hotel accomodations for out of town guests?

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