How do you know how many rooms to block at a hotel for my wedding?

Question

I am starting to look for blocking rooms for my wedding night for guests. First of all how do you know how many rooms to block and second if you ask the hotel to block too many (since I hear you have to sign a contract) and they do not all get booked are you responsible for paying for them? Any other information on blocking rooms that anyone can help me with I would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

You'll need to check with each individual hotel, but where I booked blocks of rooms, if you book a block of 10 and only 8 were reserved by the date allowed, those other two rooms go back to the public for people to reserve and you do NOT get charged. This happened with several hotels I've blocked rooms off for.

I have a contract signed for the date(s) I want and at the prices we've agreed on. It states that each individual will be booking the room and any unused rooms get put back into the public for booking.

Answer 2

Ask your hotel manager if you block the minimum, usually ten rooms, but more rooms than that get requested under your block, will they offer the reduced rate to those guests also? This will save you from blocking an arbitrary number (let's say 17) and only fullfilling 12. You WILL be charged a percentage if you do not meet your requirement. The contract will state that the hotel will require a certain monetary amount. Usually 80% of what you have promised. Anything under that which is not booked, will be your responsiblity. And they take a credit card when you block, so it's not like you can get out of it.

good luck!

Answer 3

It really depends. Depends on the number of rooms and number of nights, depends on the hotels policies regarding groups. Ask! Some hotels will honor the rate regardless how many guests actually book. If this is the case, set up your group for a large amount of rooms. More rooms = Lower Rate.

Here's some tips to put you in the driver seat:

1. Do your research. Meaning: what kind of discount off the regular rate are you being offered? If a hotel's rate online for any Joe Smoe is $100 and they offer your $95 for 10 room nights, tell them to pound sand.
2. Aim for a limited service hotel( i.e. no restaurant on site), full service hotels like to "bend" you over with their so called amenities.
3. HotelPlanner.com is a good site. You can make your inquiries, and go fish. See what kind of responses you get with your requests.
4. It's not always about the rate, make sure you're setting up the future in-laws in a decent establishment. On their websites, hotels like to toot their own horns if they've awards.
5. Have to pay a deposit? Move on.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

I would suggest you block rooms as early as possible, when we went to block more about three or four months in advance, they couldn't block any more to us. Most of the hotels wouldn't block more than six months in advance, but i'd call and check seeing as i don't know where you live.
The hotels are going to tell you that you don't need as many as you want to block. So, it would be a good idea to maybe ask around, (your mom, his mom, some of your close friends and relatives) and try to get a number of FOR SURE people that are going to need rooms. That way, if you have 15 rooms that you need already, you can tell the hotel people that. I think that helped me out. They were only going to give me a 15 room block, and i knew that i had over 15 rooms already, not counting the people that i hadn't talked to. So, i think they ended up giving me 22, (i don't recall why it was such an odd number.) And we ran out of rooms at that hotel. It was the nicest one, we got a good deal because my hubby's cousin worked for the chain in another city.
She also told me when we were looking for other hotels to make sure you talk them down. They are not going to give you the cheapest quote right off the bat. You have to bargain for it, which is where the number of rooms could come in handy again. If you let them know that you have 20 rooms that you absolutely need, they may not want to let you go.
Hope I could help!

Answer 5

You shouldn't have to sign a contract, unless it just says that the hotel will make rooms available to your guests at a rate of X dollars per night with a cut-off date of 00/00/0000 for the group price. You shouldn't be responsible for paying for the rooms not booked, because that's why there's a cut-off date. You can also indicate that if the rooms you block off are all booked before the cut-off date, the hotel will add X number of rooms for additional guests. You shouldn't have to pay for any rooms that aren't reserved by the final date, as these rooms will then be released for booking at the regular hotel rate.

Answer 6

Get a sliding arrangement with the hotel, 10 rooms = one rate, 20 rooms = a better rate and so on. Have your people make reservations to get the rate. I work at a hotel and this is always a sticky situation. Half the time there are rooms being held for the wedding party but everybody wants to check in under their name so the poor desk clerk, probably not psychic has no idea that a room is already being held for this goof. Then they don't get the discount and the newlyweds get a whopping bill for all the reserved rooms that went unoccupied because the guest was ill informed as to what to say at check-in. Be real clear to both, don't take names or offer names, get them the Billy Bob wedding rate, and call it a day. You have enough to address. You don't need to be babysitting a herd of clueless relatives. Enjoy your day.

Answer 7

It depends on the hotel....you will get the best results by negotiating with a MANAGER and not a salesperson. Only managers can make special exceptions with you. here is how ours is working:

We booked one room for each invitation sent to someone traveling from more than four hours away who RSVP'd definate.

The guests must have a firm reservation in place by Feb 2008 or the rooms become available to the public again. That does not mean they definately won't get a room but they will have to compete for it just like a normal reservation. If they book by the deadline they also get a 15% discount as part of the group rate.

We paid a percentage of the total cost of all the rooms we blocked out as a down payment since the hotel *may* not be able to book those rooms after the deadline passes and they are turning down business to hold them. It was like 10% and came to something like $300.

If a certain number of guests reserve their rooms by the date we get our $300 back. If all our guests reserve we get a weekend stay for free or we can apply that credit to our guests to lower their cost.

Answer 8

Ask the hotel. If they are a reputable hotel, they should give you an honest answer. Also...you are not responsible for where people stay. Block a certain number of rooms as a courtesy...but if people do not book them in time...don't worry. You have other things to worry about on your big day!

Answer 9

First, determine how many out of town residents are going to attend the wedding. When you send your save the date cards to out of state residents, ask them whether they will be staying at your hotel. Make sure that your contract allows you to reduce your room block one month prior to the wedding.

If you do not fill your entire room block, you will be responsible for paying for it, unless the hotel sells out.

Answer 10

I don't know, but at your divorce you don't need to block any.