The Ins and Outs of Hotel Room Blocks

By Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting, Richmond, Va.Accommodations. Practically every couple needs them for their wedding, whether they are throwing a huge local fete with inbound guests or an intimate destination affair. While a place to sleep, regroup, and prepare is vital, putting together room block reservations can be overwhelming. Between the time needed to contact multiple properties, compare offers, consider guest needs, negotiate rates and amenities, and ultimately seal the deal with a signed contract, this task can linger at the bottom of any couple’s to-do list. This is where the savvy planner gets involved.Room blocks—the basicsA room block is a contractual arrangement with a hotel, motel, inn, or resort property, generally initiated by the couple as a convenience to their guests. Room blocks secure space, sometimes during high-demand weekends, for wedding guests, bridal party, and other VIPs. Reservations are often confirmed at a group rate or preferred price. “People often gravitate to third-party sites, such as Expedia and Bing, to find deals on rooms, but room blocks offer ways for guests to feel more taken care of and couples can make sure friends and family are ideally gathered in one place, rather than spread across numerous hotels,” says Amy Green, founder of Where Will They Stay?, based in Los Angeles, the first hotel room block procurement service for wedding planners. “Rates will still be negotiated and couples will enjoy the ability to offer this convenience to their guests.”Most room blocks involve legally binding agreements so it is critical, as a wedding planner, to understand the ins and outs of the hotel room block system to best serve your clientele.Why should you add room block services?Successful wedding planning businesses diversify. Securing accommodations for guests is a perfect add-on service to meet client needs. It enhances your offerings. That room blocks are complex and somewhat hard to understand by non-hospitality industry insiders is no excuse—you can overcome the challenges by consulting expert advisors. Once you learn how to best help clients, you’ll reap the benefits of this new expertise, and move your business forward as well.What you need from clientsBefore you can compare room rates, availability, and terms, you have to know what your clients and their guests need. Gather the following information:• Number of guests requiring accommodations.• Estimated check-in and check-out dates.• A range of room rates that the couple believes would best fit their guests.• Any special requirements such as wheelchair-accessible rooms, suites large enough for wedding-day styling services, catering availability for pre- and post-wedding gatherings, or proximity to local transportation or landmarks.In addition, “the engaged couple should be prepared with the basics—a list of key contacts, including all parents, a list of off-site wedding event venues, etc.,” says Mark Paterson, director of sales and marketing at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, Va. “It is also helpful to assign one person to be the hotel’s primary contact, whether it be the wedding planner, the bride, or a parent of the bride or groom.”Compare the venuesWhen considering offers from different properties, keep these features in mind, and be prepared to compare:• Room rates.• Parking availability and cost.• Proximity to the wedding day events.• General room amenities like coffee makers, free wireless access, and even room service.• Access to restaurants and catering on-site.• Property category or style—is it a chain or a boutique? Chains appeal to guests with loyalty card arrangements and who want to earn points, while boutiques offer more character and focus on the guest experience.There are other considerations that you may need to address. In certain regions, a remote wedding site may require guests to travel a considerable distance at a significant expense. Also, many couples plan to give away welcome bags as guests arrive. Some hotels gladly hold the bags at the front desk and distribute at arrival. Other hotels charge handling fees per bag. Before your clients finalize their welcome bag plans, be certain you know the policies, procedures, and associated fees for such items.Communicate, communicate, communicateOnce a room block is secured, clear, early, and frequent communication of the details to guests is best practice. Add booking procedures, rates, and important notes to the couple’s wedding website. Educate your VIP guests with all of the details so they can carry the message to others. The most important detail to communicate is the deadline to reserve a room in the block. Surprisingly, it is often overlooked. “Do feel free to ask your hotel contact for a list of those guests that have booked at any time during the planning process,” encourages Paterson. “Make friendly reminder calls or emails to friends and family as you go.”Association of Bridal Consultants member and consultant Diane Darcy-Schmidt, PWP™, Platinum Events, LLC, Freehold, N.J., agrees that communication with the hotel is key but warns not to go overboard with too many frequent check ins. “Don’t call or email your sales manager every day or several times a week to get an update on your room block,” she advises. “ Likely, there hasn’t been a large change, and in all reality, unless you have a massive group expected to come in, the room block is really all set.”When in doubt, outsourceFor those overwhelmed with the prospect of room block negotiations, or for planners who simply do not have the time to add this service, there is the opportunity to outsource to the experts. That’s where Green, along with her partner Melanie Marconi, and their business Where Will They Stay? come into play. “We’ve spent years negotiating room blocks and would often field questions from our wedding planning friends and colleagues,” shares Marconi. “One day, it just became clear that the industry could really benefit from this service.”Taking your business to a new levelReaching new heights in the wedding planning business means staying on one’s game, constantly assessing client needs, and meeting those needs in the most effective and effortless manner possible. Room blocks are critical to the success of a wedding, complicated to understand and secure, and require an investment in both time and money to do right. Save your clients the headache of securing accommodations by offering room block services, and take your wedding planning business to a whole new level. ••