We do a lot of destination events here in Miami. From corporate incentive trips to destination weddings, we are constantly reaching out to local hotels to block rooms for guests. We have learned the difference between a courtesy or guaranteed block, know how to convince hesitant hotels to give you one in the first place, and know what perks and discounts to ask the sales managers for. So without further ado, here is the key info you need to know when setting up your room block.
First of all, let’s define a room block. A room block is when the hotel will reserve a certain amount of rooms for you at an agreed price for a limited amount of time. There are two types of blocks. There is a guaranteed block. That means that you are financially responsible for any rooms on your block that are not booked by guests. This type of block requires for you to sign a contract. The other type is a courtesy room block. This type of block does not require a contract. In both types of rooms, the hotel should give you the rooms at a discounted price. They also give you a code, or customized phone number for your guests to use when booking their rooms. Now, usually the hotels will place an earlier expiration date on the courtesy blocks since they are not guaranteed that the room will sell. The hotel wants more time to be able to sell any unbooked rooms.
Which brings us to hesitant hotels. We have encountered many hotels that don’t offer room blocks. Maybe because they have a limited amount of rooms, or the hotel is very in demand, or they only do guaranteed blocks. One of the quickest ways we have been able to convince hotels to give us a courtesy block is to set a very early expiration date to the block. For example, let’s say you are getting married in a year. Ask the hotel to give you the block for the first 6 months. That will still give the hotel 6 months to book rooms that were not reserved by your guests. Just make sure to add the block info to your Save The Dates, and send those out ASAP, so that the guests have the chance to book early with the discount.
And finally, you want to get the maximum wedding discount for your guests. One way to do this is to hold your event at the hotel. Whether it’s a corporate meeting, rehearsal dinner, or wedding, by promising the hotel a minimum Food & Beverage spend, you can negotiate a lower rate for your guests’ rooms. And bonus tip, ask the sales manager for a complimentary room for yourself. Ask for a complimentary room if the block gets 100% reserved. Most sales managers will agree since they have a chance to book many rooms months in advance.
As always, if you all have any questions; comment below, message me on Instagram, or even email me. I love to help and teach you DIYers 🙂
