OOT Guests and Hotel Blocks

AKG_JGJ

FI and I are getting married June 26 at a bed and breakfast outdoors. We may have a couple of the rooms available for OOT guests, but are offering them to our WP and immediate family as well. There are 2 hotels close by that we can block rooms off. As is common they want us to block 10 rooms, but I honestly don't think we'll fill 10 rooms; we have a pretty small amount of OOT guests. If we don't fill the block, the price will go up, but our guests won't find  out until they check in. I feel like if I was in that situation, I'd be kind of mad to think I was getting a room for $75 but it jumped up to $90 or something. Anyways, what do you think? Am I just making it a bigger deal than it is? Should we block rooms off and tell guests that it may be more if the block isn't filled? 

emarston1

I would be upset if I booked a room for $X and then found out it was going to be $Y.  Are there any other hotels in the area that have different policies?

Our room block is guaranteed until a month before the wedding and then the rooms are opened up to the general public.  But the rate is guarnateed so even if we only fill one room, the price won't jump.

If no other hotels in the area have a policy you like, you might want to forgo the idea and just give a list of local hotels to your guests and let them choose their hotel themselves.

AKG_JGJ

I agreed, I'd be upset as well.

There's only 2 hotels in the area, we're getting married just north of Lansing in Dewitt. The rest of the hotels would be much farther into town. I'd hate to make out of towners go driving thought out Lansing, possibly getting lost. 

I was thinking I might just give a list of possible hotels since there is the possibility of a rate increase. What a dumb policy. 

Thanks for the help!

MGLI2006

Are you sure you didn't misunderstand? I can't imagine that it's even legal to do that. Our hotel room blocks recommended we start with reserving 10 rooms at a special price and we can up it if they fill up. I don't think we had to reserve 10 though and the rate does not change whether 1 room or 50 rooms are reserved. I would just ask for clarification if I were you.

AKG_JGJ

Yeah one hotel specifically said if the block wasn't filled by the night of our wedding, the discount would go from 16% off to 10% off...

I need to call the other hotel just be sure there, but I know at a particular one near our venue, they definitely increase the price. Ridiculous.