Blocking Hotels

cfreesquared

I wasnt really sure which board to post this on

But anyways, I was wondreing how you go about blocking hotel rooms, how many you block, how far ahead are you supposed to do it, etc.

Any and all info is appreciated!! Thanks ladies!

LDubHawksFan

Start by calling them.  All the hotels had a number that they recommended.  Just make sure you aren't on the hook for unfilled rooms by the deadline.  I didn't worry about it until I sent out STDs about 6 months out.

jessicabessica

We blocked rooms about 6-7 months in advance, because that's when we started planning.  If you are getting married during a busy time for the area, you might want to block a little earlier.  As PP said, make sure you won't have to pay for unfilled rooms or otherwise guarantee anything to the hotel.  Make sure you understand when the hotel will release the rooms.  You can just call the hotel and ask to speak to someone who handles room blocks.  

AmJam04

It depends on what the likely availability will be for your wedding date -- for example, if it's on a holiday weekend or if the area is a popular tourist hub.

If it's one of the above scenarios, then start looking at blocking rooms ASAP. If it's NOT one of those scenarios, then I think start looking at blocking the rooms around the time when you're thinking of sending out your STDs (if you are).

Look in the area where you're getting married and try to find a pleasant hotel for a reasonable price. Then, contact that hotel and inquire if they allow you to block rooms and possibly receive a group discount for it.
Avoid hotels that require some kind of deposit, upfront fee, or force you into obligation of paying for any unfulfilled rooms.

Good luck!

Loopyseven

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_blocking-hotels?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:8d0fb6ce-3bf1-48cf-8fdb-2ec5ea9d9da8Post:b72536b0-f30f-470a-80fc-9b9247780ac9">Re: Blocking Hotels</a>:
[QUOTE]It depends on what the likely availability will be for your wedding date -- for example, if it's on a holiday weekend or if the area is a popular tourist hub. If it's one of the above scenarios, then start looking at blocking rooms ASAP. If it's NOT one of those scenarios, then I think start looking at blocking the rooms around the time when you're thinking of sending out your STDs (if you are). Look in the area where you're getting married and try to find a pleasant hotel for a reasonable price. Then, contact that hotel and inquire if they allow you to block rooms and possibly receive a group discount for it. Avoid hotels that require some kind of deposit, upfront fee, or force you into obligation of paying for any unfulfilled rooms. Good luck!
Posted by AmJam04[/QUOTE]

<div>All of this.  </div><div>
</div><div>As for quantity, we went through our guest list and counted up out of towners that were likely to come to the wedding and how many rooms that would be, then tacked on a couple of extras in case anyone local wanted to take advantage and not worry about having to drive home after the reception.  We had more than we needed in the block, so the extras were released back to the general pool of rooms.</div>

DMoore421

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_blocking-hotels?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:8d0fb6ce-3bf1-48cf-8fdb-2ec5ea9d9da8Post:d634daf2-43e2-4d60-aba7-ccd49220f8d0">Blocking Hotels</a>:
[QUOTE]I wasnt really sure which board to post this on :/ But anyways, I was wondreing how you go about blocking hotel rooms, how many you block, how far ahead are you supposed to do it, etc. Any and all info is appreciated!! Thanks ladies!
Posted by cfreesquared[/QUOTE]
  my hotel won't actually set up the bloclk until 1 year out - wedding is 9-28-13     becuase of how they are blockin the rooms they will give me a website on Oct 1 , 2012 that people can use to book their rooms -

they will only block 20 rooms at a time for me  - so if those 20 get booked we can add more to the block which is why i am glad I can start a year out --- we are starting with 10 rooms for thursday night, 20 rooms for friday night , 20 for saturday night ( wedding is on saturday) and then 10 on sunday night and 10 on monday night

vbjoanna

Some hotels allow you to block a certain number of room-days with no obligation, so be sure to ask where that cut-off is. We blocked 15 rooms for Friday and 25 rooms for Saturday at our local Marriott -- because our block averaged out to 20 rooms per day, we weren't obligated to pay (we got that in writing; others might not allow you to average). We went with different numbers for Friday and Saturday because we had a number of semi-local guests (driving in from under 2 hours away) who we thought might be interested in staying overnight after the reception (which was nearby, but not in the hotel). If we'd needed more rooms than 20/day, we would have blocked rooms at another hotel in order to ensure we stayed below the level at which we would have been obligated to pay for rooms no one was in. 

Another important point -- the hotel will probably release the block some time before the wedding. Our Marriott opens the block a month before -- So our block was released on Aug 1 for our Sept 1 wedding. We stated this very clearly on our website and in emails to out-of-town guests, and still had some friends contact us the week before wondering where to stay since the designated hotel had booked up. Sigh.  But start by calling a hotel you're interested in and asking about blocking rooms -- they get these calls every day.