Hotel Blocks

divinemsbee

I'm wondering if I'm not saying the "magic words" to get a block of hotel rooms reserved for our wedding. I've called four hotels that are close to our church and the reception, every time saying "I'm getting married November 3, and I was wondering what your policies were on reserving a room block. I'm looking to reserve about 10 rooms, but it might be more. What would the price per night look like if we blocked for both Friday and Saturday nights?"

Every hotel I talked to just quoted me their regular weekend rate, and said they could block off rooms and told me when they would release them, but there was no sort of deal on the price to be worked out. To me, it's silly to block off hotel rooms at specific hotels if there's not going to be some sort of discount for my guests. There are quite a few hotels in the metro area, so I'm not too worried about people not finding one. 

Most hotels that are farther out from where our ceremony is (either in the 'burbs, about 10 minutes on the interstate, or the ones closer to the airport) are going to be cheaper anyway. So are the slightly less nice ones that are located closer to the church, but I wouldn't recommend that neighborhood. 

My FI and I are putting together the accommodations page of our website, and I'm wondering if I can just put three or four hotels on there that are reasonably close to the wedding stuff and might be fun for out-of-towners to stay at? Should I put any that are farther out? I'm figuring some people have hotel chain loyalty, and some might find a good deal on one of the travel package sites. 

Snippylynn

I didn't make hotel blocks because I know people are more savvy about finding their own deals. I listed three hotels, website, and distance from activities. I also checked on tripadvisor to make sure the hotels had no terrible reviews.

pokepoke27

You're right, if they don't get a special rate for the rooms there is no reason to block them off. None of the hotels I contacted would give a discounted rate for under 10 rooms. I had maybe four. I just gave recommendations on places that were nearby and had good reviews. 

bonge

I work in a hotel & mosty of the time we don't give discounts. Why? Because on a weekend we can sell out of our rooms in both winter & summer. We get a lot of sports teams so we don't need to do discounts.

On that date you will be fine but i have heard of brides not doing room blcks then something major goes on that weekend & guests can't get a room. I am sure your guests can look after it them selfves.

lauraanne9

I am not doing room blocks as most of the OOT guests are my actual family.  But I did put up 3 hotels on the website that my fiance said were nice.  He is from the area so that helps with that.  And I tried to put one that was budget, one that was a little nicer, and one that was more upscale, so my guests who did decide they want hotels (even some family that may want to stay closer for the weekend, although they are all within about an hour) will have an idea on pricing.  I also included the distance to the events on the site, directions, and the website of the hotel.

jessicabessica

Some hotels raise their prices the later you book, so they may actually be offering you a discount over the price guests would otherwise pay if they booked in mid-October, for example.

I think your idea of putting 3-4 hotels on your website is good.  If you have a block at some of them, that's fine--as long as it's free to you, it's just a way to guarantee the availability--or you can try to push for a lower price.  A friend of mine listed 3-4 hotels on her wedding website--some about 20 minutes away from the reception, but in the city, and one very close to the venue, where she blocked (she gave neighborhood recommendations, and some info about the hotels--breakfast included, etc.).  We stayed at the place where she blocked, but I got a cheaper rate myself--I always check.

TheSlowskys

My hotel wasn't giving us much of a deal either. Our rate was cheaper than the rack rate but still more than expedia or orbitz. There's a lot of visitors to the city our weekend so it was still worth it to block it off.

aragx6

I think I might block one anyway -- you never know how much pries will go up before November.

maggieandrey

Another reason to block hotels is so your guests are able to reserve rooms if the hotel otherwise sells out. So if you don't think that's going to be a problem, you may not need a block. I don't remember ever, as a guest, getting a discounted rate for being part of a block, but there have been other incentives - welcome package, breakfast the next morning, being able to reserve the room in an otherwise sold out hotel.

zantster

So so glad that I came on this thread.  I was going to try to choose a few hotels that were more affordable than the one where we are having the reception and then block rooms.  I didn't want my guests to feel locked into an expensive hotel just because we are holding the event there.  But it makes much more sense to do what you ladies are doing and just list reputable ones while letting my guests know that they can choose one of those or there will also be a block of rooms for them at a discounted rate where the reception will actually be held.

popmopcop

I used hotelplanner.com to get discounted quotes, and then narrowed it down from there.  Once I picked, it put me in direct contact with the hotel.  Haven't had any problems yet.

lyndausvi

The main purpose of getting a hotel block is to ensure your guests are able to get rooms.  Certain hotels can book up early do to popularity or a special event.  A room block gives your guests an opportunity to get a room when others can't.  It varies from hotel to hotel, but generally up until 2-4 weeks from the event they will save rooms for your guests.

In addition to that some hotels give discounts for room blocks.  This again varies from hotel to hotel.  It also varies within a hotel based on special events or peak seasons.   For example last week was Essence Fest here in NOLA.   No one gives breaks on rooms because they can sell them all at peak rates.  But they will give you a block so your guests can at least get a room.  Without the block, guests would try to get a room a few months out,  only to find out the whole city has been sold out 6 months ago.

If your wedding is during some special event or it's 'peak-season' it might still be a good idea to get a room block.   If it's just a normal weekend you might not need one.

It's always a good idea to do a online search to see if there is anything going on that you might not know about.  Check the colleges, sporting venues and convention center websites.   Once we tried to get a room in Philly, only to find out there was a city wide pharmaceutical convention and there were no rooms to be had

acaponi87

Ditto the blocking for availability.

Many times there are multiiple weddings in an area (or other events: sports, parades, whatever) and rooms will sell out quicker than you anticipate.

I think it's a great idea to give your guests some options.

lacey3eb

Aside from possible discounts in rates, it guarantees available roomsup till a certain date, is convenient for welcome bags should you choose to do them, convenient to have most guests at one hotel if you choose to provide transportation.  Actually, some hotels provide free shuttle service within a certain amount of miles, so that might be good if there was a hotel close to your venue. 

divinemsbee

Sorry I didn't get back here sooner, but thanks everyone for the advice!

I will look into blocking some at one hotel just for availability. I also didn't think about it locking in a rate from now and using that in November. My wedding is during the second popular wedding time in my state (it picks up in May/June, then it's way too hot July through August, and things get busy again in October/early November), so that's something to look for. 

ILoveToRobot

I did a room block and I flat out asked if there was a discount they offered for it. I wouldn't imagine a hotel giving you a discount unless you asked. My cousin blocked off rooms for their wedding and we all got a discounted rate. I'll be they asked for it.

zantster

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_hotel-blocks-7?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6ba5b867-8d29-4063-a3ae-d5ec8882df3bPost:f681eb78-0d10-40b0-9cce-86c99a4e9329">Re: Hotel Blocks</a>:
[QUOTE]The main purpose of getting a hotel block is to ensure your guests are able to get rooms.  Certain hotels can book up early do to popularity or a special event.  A room block gives your guests an opportunity to get a room when others can't.  It varies from hotel to hotel, but generally up until 2-4 weeks from the event they will save rooms for your guests. In addition to that some hotels give discounts for room blocks.  This again varies from hotel to hotel.  It also varies within a hotel based on special events or peak seasons.   For example last week was Essence Fest here in NOLA.   No one gives breaks on rooms because they can sell them all at peak rates.  But they will give you a block so your guests can at least get a room.  Without the block, guests would try to get a room a few months out,  only to find out the whole city has been sold out 6 months ago. If your wedding is during some special event or it's 'peak-season' it might still be a good idea to get a room block.   If it's just a normal weekend you might not need one. It's always a good idea to do a online search to see if there is anything going on that you might not know about.  Check the colleges, sporting venues and convention center websites.   Once we tried to get a room in Philly, only to find out there was a city wide pharmaceutical convention and there were no rooms to be had
Posted by lyndausvi[/QUOTE]

This is true.  But then I think it also might be helpful just to urge your guests to book their room by a certain deadline due to the potential for rooms to not be available on a certain weekend where other events are taking place.  I'll have at least one block of rooms for them.  But mostly I'll make sure that my website covers all the bases so they can make the best decision possible since they are adults.