I arranged a room block for my April wedding four months ago only to find out this morning that there is a difference between a "contract block" and a "courtesy block." Yesterday I had guests (and my own father!) calling me to say they had tried to book rooms, and the hotel was telling them they were full.
The manager explained that after she set up MY block, another event booked a "contract block" with her that fills up basically the whole hotel. She never offered me the contract option when I booked with her, and she never bothered to contact me to let me know there might not be rooms for my guests. Now she's offered to "open up" ten rooms for us -- but we booked five of them within five minutes, and there are at least 15 more that are a definite need (maybe up to 20 more beyond that, if some quasi-locals don't want an hour-plus drive home after the reception).
So that leaves me... I guess it leaves me looking for a new hotel. Do any of you ladies have experience working with any of the hotels in the Frederick/Hagerstown area? (My wedding is in Myersville, just about right in between the two.) Roughly half my guest list is from out of town, and I would prefer they have a drive to the venue that's 15 miles or less. Actually, I would prefer that the hotel provide a shuttle (even if I have to pay for it), but that seems tough to find so far. And I am ready to pull my hair out after spending 20 minutes on the phone with the first hotel this morning!
Any advice you have would be much appreciated. Thanks!
So far, being a Gray is pretty awesome.
