Anyone Blocked Rooms Before?

S0095042

hey ladies, I've been told that I should do this about 1 year out...but I know a few of you have done it earlier then that...how big was your guest list vs. how many rooms you blocked?

I know they are typically used for out-of-towers, but we are having an evening wedding, so I think some of our close family may stay down town too...should I include them in my "block" estimate?

(Thanks in advance!)

greeneke2

I have never done this either and I'd love to hear the answer to this question!

leahstinson

We are doing this but I'm not sure how many rooms yet. Were thinking 50-60 guests and all but 10-15 are local. I'm thinking 15 rooms at 2 different hotels. I also figure some will o elsewhere bc of brand loyalty, travel points etc

Soon2BSand

I have (and already have for my wedding next year).

I took the max amount allowed (20 in my case) because our wedding is an "out of town" type of event. Most of our guests will be coming from out of town. 

Hotels typically wont let you block more than a year out because their systems wont allow it. 

SO far we're at 200 or so guests and about 30 rooms.

Mona8

I haven't blocked rooms yet, but I'm inviting ~200 guests and thinking of blocking 30-40 rooms

XxKrazy4u

i also have blocked my rooms and its all about what you "think" you may need. Typically, the hotel will let you block 10-20 rooms. they will give you a cut off date. For me my wedding is 5/27/12. They gave me until 4/27 to get everyone booked. after that they will not honor my special pricing. SO...on your invite, make sure to let your guests know that there is a reservation date they must comply with or they will not receive special pricing...at that point 4/27 ...any rooms that arent booked become open for availability and so your guests may not get a room if they wait. im getting married in a very busy long island town...and getting married on a holiday weekend where a LOT of people are out doing wine tastings etc. and the rooms book quick....so i reserved the max amount and i will probably up the reserve by date to March 2012 to make sure no one is straggling. you always have those guests who want to wait last minute. ive already been drilling this into the minds of my family and friends i KNOW are out of town so they definately get a room.
Also... you can add rooms if you start to reach capacity. i am in decent contact with the head of the hyatt and he is going to call me when i am within 5 rooms of capacity so i can add more. always good to stay in contact periodically to see how many rooms are left.  also....tell your hotel you want your room comped ...little hint....guarantee 10 rooms if they give you yours for free. i did that and now im staying in a nice suite and saving money.

sarnoon

I have actually just blocked rooms at a couple of different hotels.  And have had the same experience as stated above---the hotels I've worked with have done blocks of 10 (that's pretty standard) and a release date of 1 month prior, so yes, def. let your guests know they have a time limit!  It's really easy to do though and the people I've worked with at the hotels have been very nice.

S0095042

great advice ladies! Thanks...I was totally lost when it came to this!

justanotherbride

I'm blocking 10-15 rooms at three different hotels. I want my guests to have options in different price points and with different anemities at the hotels. They are all within 6 blocks of one another and walkable to both the church and our reception hotel. 

S0095042

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-club-boards_may-2012-weddings_anyone-blocked-rooms-before?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding Club BoardsForum:f0ca0bc1-9255-4120-8042-b40e7f3e99c5Discussion:56cea876-cd10-41d0-9a7b-fc20075ce75fPost:23a1606c-3e9d-442b-a902-30b0d1e92851">Re: Anyone Blocked Rooms Before?</a>:
[QUOTE]I'm blocking 10-15 rooms at three different hotels. <strong>I want my guests to have options in different price points and with different anemities at the hotels</strong>. They are all within 6 blocks of one another and walkable to both the church and our reception hotel. 
Posted by justanotherbride[/QUOTE]

Ooo, I like this...

bpphoto785

we did a room block of 25 at the hotel where we're holding the ceremony and reception. we didn't book elsewhere because this is obviously the most convenient and they gave us the best rate of anyone else near by. we can also add rooms to the block as necessary and I think our block expires a little more than a month before the wedding. although they said if there's availability in the hotel after the block expires they'll still honor the rate, but that's a big if! 

all of the hotels we spoke to followed the same basic guidelines as mentioned in PP and we chose our block based on the best rate we were given. if we were in a more urban area with a bigger selection we probably would have gone with more than one hotel, but where we're getting married one is good. 

jaimechristena

I have mine booked, I have a lot of out of town guest so they are taking up the bulk of my rooms.  Then we talked to the wedding party and found out how many of them would want rooms.  I know a few guest have mentioned that they might want a room that night.  I booked a few extra rooms to be safe.  

Just ask around, most people will be able to tell you if they are thinking of getting a room.  The earlier you let them know the easier it will be for them to plan for it.  

Most hotel will work with you and help you out, so just contact the ones in the area.