Hotel Blocks, WOW!

Did you talk to any B&Bs?

That is a crappy deal. It totally defeats the purpose of a room block. How far is the next closest one?

That is super crazy to me!!

Have you ever tried looking at www.hotelplanner.com ? You tell them how much you want your guests to spend... and hotels bid for your business. No one ever contacts you unless you tell them to.

Although, it sounds like it might not be too helpful if the Best Western is the closest place to your venue.

40 or 45 minutes, and a very inconvenient drive. There is no direct route, its either some highway and back roads or through several towns. That is what they mean in New England when they say "you can't get there from here."

Hotel planner does sound like a good idea but maybe not for they country area.

That really sucks. I would see what you can negotiate with some of the B&Bs. Our hotel had a guarantee/pay clause in the contract but they took it out when I asked them to.

Seems like all hotels are different. At the time we set up our blocks, the JW Marriott had published rates of $379 for a standard room (!!) and they gave our guests a rate of $200/night. Still spendy, but it's a super nice hotel, we got Marriott points for everyone who stayed there, and they upgraded us to a bridal suite for all 3 nights we stayed at the standard/discount rate for the regular room, PLUS we got to use points so it was basically free.

The Club Quarters next door gave our guests $99/night with discounted garage parking but they wouldn't hold rooms, they only guaranteed the rate with our club code.

The W across the street was running $409/night and wouldn't give us more than a $30 discount b/c they said there was a kitchen expo in town. Eh? No thanks!

Thats a great idea, thanks. I will ask if they can make some changes, if not I will have to go with no block. I only worry because Its a winter wedding and this is across the street from a ski resort and the Best Western is cheaper than the resort. They are actual "sister" hotels though.

WHAT?!!?!? I'm going to call Marriott NOW and tell them what I think about them!!! All our guests stayed there and we didn't get any points!!! We got a severely discounted bridal suite for one night, but that was it :-((((

Anyway, I would try to talk to B&B's. Also, if that doesn't work, tell your guests to start booking ASAP.

I used hotel planner too and was THRILLED! I got a great discount

Hmmmm, if you're near a resort I might be tempted to try and make something work. Maybe you could negotiate that they'll simply hold the rooms until 3 or 4 weeks out with a smaller discount but you won't have to pay? The JW released our rooms at 3 weeks out. We figured that was fine, it was our RSVP date anyway, so if people were coming they had probably made their reservations by then.

It's kinda crazy the Best Western is giving you such a hassle - my family is a Best Western family, they usually give great military and AAA discounts! Maybe it's a franchise or just b/c they're the only gig in town.

Good luck! Honestly - hotel blocks were a bane of my existence for weeks. It doesn't seem like it should be that complicated but for us it totally was. You'll figure something out!

We blocked 15 rooms through Country Inn & Suits. They didnt charge us anything, & wont charge people who are booking ( just need there debt card info) They are also giving us a free suit room. Even in all 15 rooms arent booked. Which is how it should be!!

Mrs S which Marriott was it? And did you guys already have points with Marriott? It was a checkbox on our contract - it asked for our Rewards # and whether or not we wanted points from our guests to be applied to our account. H travels a lot for work so he had lots of Marriott points already - maybe that's it? Did you guys use the JW?

I would totally call the hotel and ask what's up, but I'd look at your contract again first to see if it was even an option.

Jennifer....Bad deal. I would def negotiate. However, it is ski season isn't it? I would guess that is the reason for the charges.

Kris...You soo got a good deal on that one.

We are booking through Hyatt...they do not require a down payment (thankfully) after 10 rooms are booked we do get a discount, from $175 to $95 per night. Hyatt gives you until 3 weeks before the wedding to book rooms, that way you do not get stuck paying a fee for a room that wasn't booked and Hyatt still has time to rebook the room with someone else. Maybe ask them if that is something they can accommodate for you?

God bless Northern Virginia. I'm pouting now.

I looked at the contract and it seems like their standard one, no mention of if it was due to ski season. Thanks everyone for your help. I will try to negotiate and if I have no luck I will just pass.

Yea that is awful, I hope the B&Bs will be better, its worth a try! Good luck!

If the B&Bs are mom and pop, sometimes they will be able to give better discounts, since they don't have to answer to a corporate office. I would definitely check with them. Also, they are a heck of a lot cuter and more homey.

We haven't gotten to the hotel block yet (it's still early), but is this normal? I was kind of thinking (just because I don't know any better) that you just told them how many rooms you wanted, and they reserved them for a certain period of time (without a deposit or anything). Wow! That seems crazy.

I don't care if I get anything from guests staying there, the Marriot doesn't charge to book rooms so I call that good!

That is crazy, I booked my hotel block at a best western, they didn't even ask for my credit card, the rooms were discounted by about $40.