Hotel blocks

Each hotel have different policies when it comes to hotel blocks. They even offer different amenities for the bride and groom. My best advice to you would be to find a hotel that does not include an attrition clause in their contracts. Attrition means that you will be held liable for a percentage of rooms that are not booked.

I would also look at hotels as if you were the guest. Is it near the airport? The venue? How much would it be a night?

Does the hotel offer you as the couple a space to use the day of the wedding? A complimentary room as thank you?

And don't be afraid to tour the hotel and its rooms if you've never been there before.

Most hotels, if not all, have an attrition clause when blocking off rooms (I used to work in a hotel). The standard I’ve seen has been an 80% attrition clause, but that could obviously vary based on location/hotel/etc. If you don’t meet that clause by your cut off date (typically a month prior), you are responsible for rooms so definitely be care/mindful of this. Block off a safe number - we made a list of OOT guests and locals we knew would be staying for sure and went from there. If the hotel has availability, you can always add more to your block. And as Courtney said, check to see what else they offer. Most do offer an amenity for the bride and groom, a free room depending how many rooms are used, etc.

Contacting hotels is helpful- ask about courtesy blocks or codes for a percentage off. That way you’re not stuck paying for unused rooms.

I am a hotel manager and deal with this very often. When inquiring about a block, use the terminology of a “courtesy block”. These do not have attrition and no fees would be charged to you. I would suggest starting with roughly 10 rooms, as that’s an average room block number. Typically hotels will allow you to increase your block if need be, but by a cut off date usually anywhere from 30-90 days out depending on dates and such.

View Quoted Comment Not all do. I put blocks with three hotels and none of them have it. But it is good advice for the poster to watch out for!

You want to consider how many guests will need a place to stay. Like several people have said, ask for a courtesy block which usually involves no liability on your part in case the rooms do not fill up. You also want to ask if you have to put down a deposit, if transportation is available to the venue, if they charge for welcome bags (if you are planning on doing this), if they charge for parking (self and valet), what are the check in and out times in case they need early check in depending on the time of your ceremony if the same day, what the cutoff date is to book a room at a discounted rate, if guests leave a deposit upon booking, if they provide breakfast, what other amenities they have, etc.

All of the ones I checked out started at 10 rooms and they would add 10 more as they booked up. We are responsible for 50% of the room nights (so only 5 which we hit just for us and parents) and are not responsible for any % after the first 5 (so if they add 10 more and only 2 of them booked we are not responsible for the other 8).

Ask about shuttles. Some have a set number of runs they will make, a certain area they will cover, etc. One place offered us a shuttle run for every 10 rooms booked...however those 10 rooms account for 20 people and the shuttle only held 14... obviously that math doesn't add up!

If you want to do welcome bags, check to see if there is a fee for the hotel to hand them out at check in.

If you are having any pre-ceremony pictures done at the hotel, make sure you like the areas that you are allowed to take pictures. One place we talked to would only allow for photos in front of the main entrance.. it was a big beautiful golf course that would be vacant (No one plays golf in Chicago in November!) but pictures anywhere else inside and outside the building were strictly prohibited.

I would suggest finding a place that has a bar or restaurant either attached or next door for convenience as well.

If you can, I would also suggest making an appointment to actually go see the rooms. Some of the places we visited looked beautiful online but IRL they were dingy, small, and just wholey unpleasant.

Thanks so much for the suggestions guys! This helped a lot!

Hey Kenzie! Have you decided to do a hotel block for your wedding? The hotels that you are considering will also be helpful if you are looking for more information.

I do want to do a hotel block, but I haven't figured out how to do it. The app on your site is confusing. I submitted several quote requests from hotels but never heard back from the hotels. Any advice on what I'm doing wrong?