Hotel Blocks?

I would contact them directly. You're more likely to get a response. Some hotels will do a courtesy block, while others will require you to guarantee the number of rooms you contract so make sure you clarify. I would try to get some concessions whether it was a comp night for you and your fiance the night of the wedding, discounted parking, suite upgrade, etc. Good luck!

I reached out to hotels directly— I just looked at the best hotels nearest my venue and gave them a call.

I contacted all of the hotels we were considering directly. We ended up choosing ours for a combination of factors. We have a courtesy block (started at 10 rooms), that the hotel added more rooms to as the initial 10 were filled. Not all of our OOT guests are staying there (their choice), but we wanted to make sure that FH's family and our wedding party was all staying together if possible.

1. tied for closest hotel to the reception venue (1 mile)

2. top-rated hotel in the area (our reception is in a suburban area that caters to business travelers during the week, so the hotels are really good) and fairly new hotel (open just 2 years)

3. free shuttle between hotel & reception (this was a big one for us!)

4. easy airport access for anyone flying in (10-15 minute drive)

We chose several hotels that were close to the venue. I either called or emailed the hotels directly. I tried using the hotel planner on WW but speaking directly to the reps was so helpful. Some were offering courtesy blocks while others required a certain amount of rooms to be blocked. We were able to get a great deal! They gave us a direct link to reserve rooms for our wedding so we can just send that to guests and they can book directly online without having to call.

Don’t use the wedding wire tool. It’s awful. Contact the hotels you want directly. You will get better deals and better customer service!

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Haha I thought it was awful too, glad to know I can just reach out directly! Thanks everyone for the advice!

I went to the hotels directly. Honestly I was able to negotiate a lower rate than with Wedding Wire. About $29 cheaper per night.

I agree that you should call the hotels directly. You may also want to ask your venue if they have any recommendations, as they may be contracted with someone to get you better rates.

I picked an area where we wanted guests to stay, and then visited the hotels that were in that area. Once we visited them, I got a better idea of which one I preferred and contacted them directly to set up the block of rooms. I liked visiting in person, because I was able to scope out the parking, restaurants/stores nearby, the staff and the initial first impression of the lobby/welcome area. It really made a difference in which one I chose.

I contacted mine directly. my venue had a helpful list of the accommodations close by. i called them all and kind of priced it out - see what worked best for me. most of my guests tho chose to do an Air BnB instead. which is fine also!

I contacted them directly, the WW way confused me and wasn't efficient.