Hotel Block Vs. Group Discount Contract

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da

The hotels closest to our wedding venue are fully booked for a local event that weekend in July; so I started calling other hotels in the area.  Best Western offers a "group discount contract" instead of a hotel block.  The group discount is only in effect for as long as rooms are available, so they have to reserve ASAP. Has anyone had experience with group discounts?  Did the guests end up really spread out in the hotel?
Thanks!

lovesclimbing

I have no experience with these. 

That said, does it really matter if they're spread out in the hotel? I'm trying to think of a wedding-related thing where it would, and I can't. 

STARMOON44

lovesclimbing said:

I have no experience with these. 

That said, does it really matter if they're spread out in the hotel? I'm trying to think of a wedding-related thing where it would, and I can't. 

And even with a room block it’s not usually literally a physical block of rooms. 

charlotte989875

Well, what is the discount with the room block v. the group contract? What happens if the rooms go unfilled, are you responsible for them? How long to people have to reserve rooms? Depending on these answers I'd go with whatever one gives your guests the best deal and has the rooms available the longest time. 

CMGragain

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da said:

The hotels closest to our wedding venue are fully booked for a local event that weekend in July; so I started calling other hotels in the area.  Best Western offers a "group discount contract" instead of a hotel block.  The group discount is only in effect for as long as rooms are available, so they have to reserve ASAP. Has anyone had experience with group discounts?  Did the guests end up really spread out in the hotel?
Thanks!

Um, sometimes the guests WANT to be spread out in the hotel.  My family is going to a big wedding in May in California.  DD and son-in-law do NOT want to be in the room next to us!  They are looking forward to a romantic getaway.

lovesclimbing

STARMOON44 said:

show previous quotes

lovesclimbing said:

I have no experience with these. 

That said, does it really matter if they're spread out in the hotel? I'm trying to think of a wedding-related thing where it would, and I can't. 

And even with a room block it’s not usually literally a physical block of rooms. 

Very true, I had not thought of that. 

Now that I am, OP, I actually worked at the front desk of a hotel for a summer, and the blocks were just a number of rooms at a certain rate. Where each person got put depended on what rooms were already booked and if they requested anything special (some people like to be at the end of the hall or close to an elevator. Some people request an extra cot for a kid, and, at least in our hotel, we had some rooms that were technically the same style and same rate but were more cot friendly due the layout or being slightly larger because of the overall hotel architecture).

southernbelle0915

A room block isn’t like a wing of the first floor. It’s just a number of rooms throughout the hotel. It sounds like Best Western is basically just offering a discounted rate without the guarantee of a certain number of rooms.

If other hotels are literally full, I would call several other hotels and try to get a block at one of them. If it’s not possible, collect guests’ email addresses and notify people of the situation. Otherwise you might end up with low attendance because people don’t have a place to stay.

ahoywedding

Definitely let people know of the other event in town and that hotels will fill up quickly. When you call the hotels, also ask about a minimum night stay; sometimes hotels will implement this during events. I would let any OOT guests know ASAP so they can book. You could also look at the AirBnB or VRBO market in that area to give guests an idea of that option as well. I would try to get a block somewhere because they hold those room until a certain date (ours held them until a month to two weeks before, depending on each hotel).

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da

Thank you everyone! Yes Best Western is giving us a group discount but there is no minimum requirement of rooms booked or any fees associated with unbooked rooms. That said, it is only in effect until they run out of rooms or up to 30 days before the wedding. I don't have a large list of people coming from out of town but I did update the wedding website with the group discount and informed my bridal party from out of town. I did mention air b &b as a possibility. The are a couple of b&bs in the area as well!

MyNameIsNot

knottie6f05dc9f7907d7da said:

Thank you everyone! Yes Best Western is giving us a group discount but there is no minimum requirement of rooms booked or any fees associated with unbooked rooms. That said, it is only in effect until they run out of rooms or up to 30 days before the wedding. I don't have a large list of people coming from out of town but I did update the wedding website with the group discount and informed my bridal party from out of town. I did mention air b &b as a possibility. The are a couple of b&bs in the area as well!

Most blocks are the same way. The difference is that with a room block, they hold X number of rooms until a certain date, usually like 3-4 weeks before the event. 

You should be fine. If you have much family or anyone from groups, I would try to also spread it word of mouth, as many people won't check the website too far in advance.