Hotel Room Blocks Rates ***UPDATE***

It is normally a discounted rate.

For my cousin's wedding, I was able to save $15 a night by booking Hotwire.com so I explained to her I wasn't using the block but would be using the shuttle back etc.

She told me to book the best rate and no worries about the block.

I think her price was slightly discounted from the regular published rate on their website, but shopping around definitely gave a better one.

We hace a block of rooms for the wedding night at a discounted rate With at least a $30 discount

The block I just signed for is $69 a night, normal rate is $85. So it helps a bit

I know hotel rates fluctuate a lot. For instance, the current rate is about $100 more than the rate for my weekend. But when I signed the contract I didn't look at the rate for my weekend at the time, so I am not sure if it has gone up or down. Oh well, what's done is done. But, it kind of sucks because as of now, my bridal suite (which I am paying for) is not discounted at all.

I was able to negotiate $30 off of our rate. However, online (Trivago, Expedia, etc) and the rates were cheaper there. If you negotiated a deal, it's off the hotel's rate not rates online which are always cheaper.

Most places will give a discounted rate, but keep in mind that the rates could go up as it gets closer to 'high season'. For example we're getting married at a golf resort in Sept, if people booked their rooms back in March it was for a lower rate than what was in my contract. But now that it's high season there the rate is actually higher than what ours is at. They fluctuate in order to fill rooms which is why sites like 'hotels.com' and 'booking.com' can offer lower rates because they're usually for clearing out and filling up the crappier rooms.

I spoke with my day of coordinator and she actually is going to add anyone that has booked through alternate sites to be counted as a part of our hotel block, if you have a good relationship it's always worth an ask to be sure your guests are getting the best rate

Hey, date twin! As previous posters said, depending on the popularity of your hotel/area, the rate could fluctuate significantly. I did my block last December (yes, I'm a planner) and they gave me the lowest rate they had at the time (I went online and checked right afterwards). Hopefully your hotel did the same. The rate the hotel is going at now for the same weekend is about 60% higher than what I locked in. We also have the option of adding more rooms if we need to. One thing I would check on, though, is making sure that your rate doesn't go up if you don't use all of the rooms in your block. There was a bride here a few weeks ago who ran into that issue and it was not pretty.

Thanks Rachel. That makes since.

Thanks Rachel. That makes since.

We are also using a downtown hotel and got a $100 discount

A discount from their rate is typical, but you'll want to compare to rates on the hotel website rather than through discount sites. I'm offering three hotels in downtown Denver, and all three are significantly less than the current online rate.

Our block of rooms are for $149.99 including breakfast. The normal rate was $179.99, so saving a wee bit.

@becomingmcclain I went to actual hotel website. So my best guest is that they probably gave me their lowest price.

@Lauren From reading my contract, there is nothing that says such. However, the contract states that each month starting 3 month before the wedding the hotel reserves the right to reduce the room block if a certain percentage of the rooms have not been picked up. I am guessing that currently my wedding weekend is pretty slow because May 21st was 3 months before, and I still have all my room blocks.

Also, now that I am thinking back, when I was offered available dates, the hotel did tell me which weekends would be at higher rates based on the events of the weekend (for instance 4th of July).

I don't honestly understand why you all want to make this your problem. Adults know how to shop for hotels. Give them a few names in the area and let them figure it out; most of the time, they'll be able to do better on their own.

@Celia I partly agree. But my hotel blocks are at the same hotel as the actual ceremony and reception, so it would be nice if my guest got some sort of discount. Also, we are paying for my bridal suite and room for my FH to get ready in, so I feel like I should definitely get a discount since I am having an event at the hotel.

In that case, you should.

I skipped doing a block all together. It allowed guests to stay at a hotel chain they prefer or had rewards points to. All of the hotels chosen ended up being in close proximity to one another. They were able to book at a price point they felt comfortable at.

Hi Joy, Hotel rates do go up and down depending upon projected occupancy as you get closer to the actual day of the reservation. It may be that your guests will find less expensive rates through AAA, AARP, GroupOn, Entertainment, corporate rates and a host of other discounts commonly offered by hotels. It may be that your rate is less. Sometimes if you book enough rooms you get some of the rooms free. Sometimes you are responsible for booking a certain number of rooms, sometimes not. It all depends upon the contract terms and conditions.

Ours is a $30 discount, hotel on the riverwalk downtown.