Room Block Question

icantstandstill

FI and I have had a room block set up for the last few months, and today my mom called me because she noticed that the price of the room on the hotel's website is the same as the room block rate. I know the point of a room block is to guarantee at least a certain amount of rooms at the hotel, but I was under the impression that the rooms will come at a slight discount on top of that. Isn't that usually the case? One of my relatives also called me over the weekend because she booked the room cheaper with a AAA discount. Do you think it is unheard of or out of line to call the hotel after a room block contract is signed to try and negotiate a better deal for our guests?

GatorD

I would definitely call.  The worst thing that can happen is that you are stuck with the same rate you already have.  

This happened to me at a conference a few months ago down in Orlando.  The convention rate was $170 but the online rate was $89.  HUGE difference.

janedoe1113a

 I would call.

bridesmomflorida

Today the cheapest online price is $119 through the hotel. AAA today is $107-129. Our price is $109. Online prices and AAA prices will change daily depending on the amount of rooms vacant in a hotel for your dates. If you call the hotel it is $169 today. A room block guaratees that the price will not be higher for the guest than the block amount and that there are rooms available for the guest. Not necessarily that you can't find the rooms cheaper online. You can try and get a better block rate, but I highly doubt it. That is there standard room block rate. People should always try the web and AAA for the best rate on any given day. It will change daily.

duncanpowers

Yeah, honestly, that's why I didn't set aside a block of rooms. Our guests conspired with each other to find the best deals, and half the family liked one hotel while the other liked a different hotel. So, I just let them work it out.