How do you do a hotel block? And is it necessary?

You don't have to, but it's a nice gesture. You just have to call the hotel up and talk to them about it. The reason most people do it is because most hotels will give you a discount for whatever rooms your guests reserve. And you can do it at multiple hotels, no problem.

You should do it. All you have to do is call the hotel your intrested in having your guest stay at and then rooms are reserved for them usually at a discounted rate.. you do not pay...they do...usually the hotel will ask you to have guest make reservations a few weeks before the wedding...after that date they will then release the rooms for others to book... doesnt cost you a thing, just helps your guests!

Wow! So much easier than I was imagining! I was just afraid that if I booked "x" amount of rooms, I'd have to end up paying for the ones that people didn't use! And how many rooms would you suggest that I hold at various places? I'll probably only need about 6-10 rooms total, but I'd hate to hold 5 at one hotel, 5 at the other, and then find out that 6 people wanted to stay at the first hotel. Should I maybe just hold like 6-7 at each?

No- it's not a neccessity- but like Bright eyes mentioned, it's a nice gesture for all of your out-of-town guest. They will usually discount the rooms if mutiple people/families plan on staying. Not too mention, the bride and groom get some nice perks as well. For example, my FH and I will be getting a complimentary suite the night of our wedding, the hotel also offers complimentary shuttle service to/from the reception so we do not have to worry about our guests drinking and driving, and also, they also offer a complimentary hot/cold breakfast buffet - which works out perfectly because my FH and I can have a nice morning-after breakfast with our guests before leaving for our honeymoon. It's very easy to block rooms- I would inquire with several local hotels and shop around for the best rates and the most incentives. When you find one that you like, tell them how many rooms you want blocked and they will usually type up hotel info./inserts that you could include in your invites...

I like the two hotel ideas..maybe two different locations and rates..you mentioned some wanting cheap...others might want a higher end place.. good luck!

Thanks for your help!

Ask for a courtesy block of hotel rooms---no financial obligation from you.

also include some other searching websites like expedia, priceline and hotwire if guests are determined to find the best rate or are picky about their hotels.

you could usually book in blocks of 10 rooms at a time until it gets booked up and then you can ask for more probably.

I think it's a great idea. Especially if you have alot of out of town guests. The hotel where I booked my block of rooms at gave me a great deal. And it's across the street from my venue. Sometimes they will give you a cheaper rate. From understanding from the hotel I am using. Is that the block is only until like a week before your wedding. And if all the rooms aren't used then they won't charge you for it. Also, if all your rooms don't get booked they then take the block off.

I blocked 10 rooms.

Also because of my venue I got the rooms at $69.00 a night instead of $120.00 a night. So ask your venue if they have a hotel they normally reccomend.

I don't think they have anything that they recommend... our venue is an Elks Lodge.

I only did a small room block because I think I only have 1 2 guests coming from out of town, and they will probably stay with family. I blocked rooms (5) for my bridal party. I want them to stay at the hotel but its not mandatory. I did the same at the hotel FH is staying at across the street. Makes it easier for the photographer and videographer to capture all of us as we are getting prepared and such.

As a travel agent, I advise booking a block with fewer rooms than you need. This is because you will have to sign a contract (usually for 10 or more rooms). If you cannot book all the rooms, you will most likely be responsible for paying for the unused rooms. They way people cancel at the last minute "due to emergencies" it is unreasonable to think that the hotel would be as understanding as we'd hope, especially if you are still booking rooms in that block.

But yes, if you have enough people needing rooms (four star or other wise) get the two blocks. You can get a lower rate inmost cases by doing a block. You can't go wrong with the Marriotts, Sheratons, and most of the major brands.

Ty

My sister suggested doing this--she said generally you just have to be willing to "release" rooms at a certain time before the event if they're not booked yet, and the hotel won't charge for them. Her recommendation then was to initially book larger blocks at each site than you would probably need, in case you're wrong about how many people will want the nicer hotel versus the cheaper one, that kind of thing. Just doublecheck with the hotel about when you need to release rooms by. You should also probably try to do it soon; when we tried to get blocks for our wedding last month, they said it was too late for it--admittedly, May is pretty busy in Vegas, so other places might require less lead time, but if you're too close to the date, they're not going to want to put a block on hold that might not get used.

I think different places have varying policies on how this works, so you should really start calling around. Like Cabell's sister, I had to be willing to release the rooms 30 days before the event in order to not get charged for them. They would also only allow me 10 rooms at a time. 10 should be enough for us. Also, I knew we wanted to stay at the hotel because it is within blocks of our venue and we would want my parents, brothers, close friends at the same hotel and the block allows them to do this. But people who cannot afford the place we picked can pick another cheaper place on their own. We considered putting info for a place a couple blocks further that was cheaper on our website, to give a variety, but then figured, these people are adults who should be able to search for and book a room on their own if they are not interested in the block, but it's an option.

"but then figured, these people are adults who should be able to search for and book a room on their own if they are not interested in the block"

I suggest offering at least one cheap option on your site, just for GP. (why not) Besides you would know the closest hotels to your venue more than anyone else.

Ty

I totally recommend that you block some rooms. I used hotelplanner.com. I put in all the info and let hotels send me rates. It gives you their cancelling policies also. Then when you find a hotel you like, they give you the contact info. Now I have it set up that my guests can add themselves to the hotel list. It then gives them the info they need to reserve thier rooms. The hotel we chose will be giving us our wedding suite for free because we're booking our block with them. Plus we have access to the lounge or thier meeting room for free for an after party. I went and took a tour of their facilities and the staff was absolutely wonderful.

You should definitely not be responsible for paying for unused rooms. Your hotel should give you a date by which your guests have to reserve their rooms. After that date, they'll release the rooms for general booking and your guests may not get the group rate if they book after that date. But some hotels won't give you a group rate for fewer than 10 rooms. Call and ask around.

We are having our wedding at a hotel so they automatically blocked rooms for us with a cheaper rate then their normal rate. If you block the room they will more than likely discount the rooms for your guest with no obligation for you to pay for unused rooms

First I'd see if there are any other events happening that weekend, that will make a determination of how important your blocking is. We blocked a set of 10 rooms, but then found it to be cheaper and get a better hotel going through Hotwire and just having them reserve their rooms that way.

I used hotelplanner.com, and the hotels in the areas around my wedding bid on my hotel block. They gave me information on things such as if I'd be responsible for unbooked rooms and if there were special features they could offer. I have a bunch of well-priced hotel rooms at a variety of price points, but of course I won't mind if guests find their own places if they can get better deals.