Contract issue--can a venue "reassign" your location?

NashBride01

Hi all,
I chose my reception venue largely based on the one room in the hotel in which I would like to get married.

I am surprised by a clause in my reception venue's contract (a nice hotel in Cincinnati) that says that "we may reassign you" or "substitute" your room at any time, for any reason the hotel chooses.

(This is not just an "act of God" flooding or electrical issues type of clause, it's much broader).

Is this normal? Has anyone ever been "bumped" when a bigger customer comes in or for any other reason a venue chooses?

Thanks for your help!

MeaghanandMichael

Well, this really suck. But, unfortunately, it is you responsibility as the one who signed this contract to either plan for this contingency or ask them to remove the clause.

But no, I have never heard of this. It sounds like a very bad business practice in terms of customer relations, but probably a good on in terms of making money when the big fish want to come play.

sucrets4

I've read about it on here, but haven't experienced it.

tobeDrReed

Haveyou signed the contract and paid a deposit? If being switched to another room  would upset you, I'd probably find a new venue.  My venue says there may be other events in the building, but neither will interfere with the other, and no mention of switching rooms.  Honestly, I probably wouldn't mind being bumped, as long as there was a price reduction for not getting the room I had originally chosen.  I'm a huge cheap-skate.

NashBride01

No I haven't signed anything yet. Good point though on making sure I save some money if we get bumped. Thanks!

Night_Sprite

If you haven't signed that contract, I wouldn't sign it without that clause being removed.

michaela48

Our contract with our venue (a hotel) said that as well. Our coordinator there explained that it was really a clause for smaller events. There is only one room in the hotel that can accomodate a party of our size so there is no possibility of our room being changed.

MyNameIsNot

If you haven't signed the contract, insist that you won't with that clause.  Contracts are negotiable.  We went back and forth on our venue contract several times before we finally got everything hammered out. 

pandasquishy

This was in our contract where we had our reception, too.  Basically, if another party had more people had we had significant declines and they needed the bigger room and we fit into a smaller room, they would shuffle us around so we would all fit.  It makes the hotel more money to be able to do this.  If you request the bigger room and have that put in the contract and another, larger group comes in that will only fit in the big room, they'll have to say they can't accommodate that group, and they'll be out the money.  I suspect you'll pay more to have that room for sure.

MeaghanandMichael

I probably wouldn't get involved with a venue that puts something like this in their contract. At the very least I would grill them about a number of policies they have beggining with payment schedules, what you will end up paying for, what vendors they allow/need you to use etc etc.

MyNameIsNot

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_contract-issue-can-venue-reassign-location?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:817d9d8c-e52f-48d0-9292-6c7d4fa7db4cPost:ad8ba118-18b2-4424-a671-28dbb8d25939">Re: Contract issue--can a venue "reassign" your location?</a>:
[QUOTE]Our contract with our venue (a hotel) said that as well. Our coordinator there explained that it was really a clause for smaller events. There is only one room in the hotel that can accomodate a party of our size so there is no possibility of our room being changed.
Posted by michaela48[/QUOTE]

You shouldn't rely on what someone says if the contract says something different.  They could move you, and the coordinators promise is worthless.

tenofcups4me

Ask them to remove the clause from the contract and see how it goes. If they won't remove it, I would have second thoughts about signing it because sometimes things do get re-assigned.

After my shower hosts had chosen the location and sent out invitations, the venue came back and said it would have to be in a different room than the one they wanted and one that was actually quite awkwardly set up for a party. The venue wouldn't back down and the hosts walked -- they chose another site for the shower and sent out a follow-up mailing with the change of venue info. Since it was my shower, I wasn't intimately involved in the details and I don't know if there was a contract or not, or what was in the contract. But I know the hosts were really pissed.

tb583

I also am getting married at a nice hotel in Cincinnati and we didn't have anything in our contract like that (I am assuming it is not the same hotel).

wadingmoose

Yep, I got bumped - to a larger more expensive room for the same price.   I'm sure that's not normal, but that clause in a contract is standard.  Pretty much every venue I looked at had that clause.  Typically they'll do that if your numbers change significantly and don't warrant the room you currently have booked. 

lyndausvi

Our contract did not have that clause (there is only one room to choose from).  

Where I work has that in their contracts.  I've never known them to actually exercise that option.  But it does allow them the option to move an event to a smaller room if their numbers drop.