Working with couples all across the country, we realized how little information there is about wedding hotel room blocks, why you need them and what you need to know about them. We've created this guide to explain everything you need to consider when potentially contracting a hotel room block for your wedding guests!
What is a wedding room block?
A room block is a reservation for 10+ rooms at a specific hotel which is considered your host hotel for the wedding. Typically this hotel is nearby the ceremony or reception location for easy guests accessibility. The reservation is an agreement with the hotel to lock in a discounted rate for your guests for a specific amount of rooms pre-determined by your needs and the hotels inventory. A room block is a contractual agreement with the hotel. Be sure to read the contract carefully to fully understand what you are committing yourself and/or your guests to! A traditional room block comes with an attrition clause which is a commitment to pay for a specific number of rooms (typically in the form of a percentage of 80-90%).
Example: If contracting a 20 room block with an 80% attrition clause; you are financially responsible for 16 of those rooms to be booked by your guests. If less than 16 rooms are booked, you are personally responsible to pay the difference.
What is a courtesy room agreement?
A courtesy agreement is a reservation of 10-15 rooms or less that the hotel agrees to lock in a discounted rate for but is not a contractually binding agreement. Meaning, if all, some or none of the rooms are booked, you are not obligated to pay any fees to the hotel.
We highly suggest requesting a courtesy agreement unless you are confident that your guests are able to fill the requirements of a room block agreement!
When do I need to make a wedding room block reservation?
We suggest booking your room block about 7-10 months in advance of your wedding date. Hotel rates fluctuate based on inventory which can be highly effected by the city's convention calendar and major events in the area (i.e. large city-wide conventions like NeoCon, concerts like Lalapalooza, city based events such as the Chicago Marathon and more), so we suggest locking in your rates as early as possible, especially in larger cities like Chicago.
Can I negotiate my wedding room block rate?
The rate itself can usually be negotiated the higher the amount of rooms that are needed. However there is likely more flexibility in the other contract concessions in the negotiation process. Items to consider negotiating are:
Parking / Valet Rates
Welcome Bag Drop Fees
# of upgraded rooms based on contract fulfillment
Attrition percentage (you'll want this percentage to be as low as possible!)
# of rooms allotted for a courtesy agreement
Cut-off date for rooms to be booked (you'll want this to be as close to your wedding date as possible!)
Free Wi-Fi
Shuttle Transportation
Breakfast Vouchers
Loyalty Points
Getting Ready Room (ask if the hotel can allot you & your crew a conference room or hospitality suite to get ready in so that your newlywed suite stays nice and clean for wedding night!)
Pro-Tips:
We suggest 2-3 hotel room blocks unless your wedding reception is being hosted in the host hotel. Give your guests options at different price points!
Request a courtesy agreement in which you are not contractually financially responsible for un-booked rooms. Be sure to ask for the maximum amount of rooms offered for a courtesy agreement!
Consider giving your wedding party and immediate family the hotel booking link & rates first to ensure they have first dibs on making room reservations.
Always negotiate your contract concessions!
Blog Post Written by:
Wedding & Event Planner: Tionna Van Gundy
Photo Credits:
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