Help! No hotel rooms!!! :(

That's rough! The only thing I can think of is choosing one of the available hotels even though they are 30 min away and providing a shuttle for your guests to and from the venue.

Will any of your local hotels even let you do a courtesy block for 50 rooms? Have you tried to block fewer?

My FSIL is getting married the same summer I am and no local hotels will let her book a room block. She provided several names/locations on her website but that's all she can do. This may be a similar route you have to take, which is completely fine.

I agree with trying to block fewer rooms at different hotels. Also, this may sound completely stupid, but are you positive they’re full and not just not taking reservations that far in advance? The only reason I ask is because we tried to block off our rooms 15 months out online and every single hotel said no vacancy but when we called they said it was totally possible to book rooms once we were 10 or 12 months out as they were not at capacity, just not taking reservations that early. That may not be the case, but it’s worth mentioning.

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This could also be true! When I worked in a hotel, they didn't set rates for the next year until December.

Daytona?

As someone who blocks rooms annually for the Daytona 500 I can tell you the best we get is usually 75 miles away.

I’d almost consider a different date or location. Spring break in FL will have you paying premiums for hotel rooms. I also host an annual conference in Melbourne and rooms are always slim pickings and premium price.
I know that’s not what you want to hear, but unless you’re planning an small intimate wedding where cost is not an issue, I’d reconsider That area during that week.
Sorry

I know this is probably not what you want to hear, but this exact same thing happened to me and we had to change to a different date. There were a bunch of major conventions that weekend and every hotel within a 30 minute radius was either booked or 3 times the normal price. With half of our guests traveling from out of town, it just wouldn't have worked. Luckily, our venue was available on a different date a couple of weeks later! Depending on what stage you're at in the planning (if you don't have other vendors booked yet), I would suggest contacting your venue ASAP and seeing if they have other dates available.

Can you change your date? If not, I would get a room block at one of the hotels further away and provide a shuttle.

I've just started my room blocks for January 2021 and found usually the most rooms hotels will give on a courtesy block (no financial obligation to bring them more/less people) was 10. You might need multiple properties. If you know some guests are better off financially, maybe you could do a few rooms at a place that is closer but more expensive to offer convenience for those who can manage it.

If you're trying to get a block of 50 rooms, you will have an 80 to 90% attrition rate, which basically means you will be responsible for paying for any unfilled rooms if your block isn't 80-90% full.


If you can't change the wedding date, I recommend reaching out to the local convention and visitors bureau (CVB or often called Visit [city name]). They can be a great help in finding blocks on your behalf and even splitting your needs across several hotels.