Hotel block - group rate discount?

[mrscushion]

For those of you who had hotel blocks for your OOT guests -- how much (approximately) was your group rate discounted from the regular rate? I''m looking for some guidance on what''s reasonable.

 

[ams0124]

I blocked rooms at a pretty "bread and butter" hotel sort to speak...the original price was $99/night, and I got them down to $79

I think it depends on what type of hotel your wanting to block. A 4 or 5 star hotel might not lower their prices as much as a 3 star...Also the season will play a role in it as well. FI and I are getting married in the winter which is "off" season for the area...The hotel was more than willing to fill rooms that they may not have been able to fill in normal circumstances.

Hope that helps

 

[mrscushion]

Yup, that''s helpful, thanks, ams. I realize it depends on a lot of factors & am just looking for a few examples to guide my expectations.

 

[Inanna]

Our group got a pretty good discount. Standard mid-season prices for the resort we booked with were $189/night courtyard view; $255 ocean view. My group got a rate of $139/night courtyard, $199/night ocean view rooms. So, about a $50 discount for both room categories.

However, there were a few hotels/resorts I contacted who offered no real discount at all. Some even inflated the cost. One hotel quoted me a "discounted" block rate, but I could go to their website booking system and get a lower rate for the same dates.

 

[livinginsg]

Hi! Our wedding was held in Singapore. Initially, the Deluxe Room rate of S$320.00+++ inclusive of 2 buffet breakfasts. We managed to reduce it to $291+++ and secured 10 rooms. Hope this is helpful. I am pretty confident that even if we reserved more, the rate would not have gone down by much.

 

[cindygenit]

Sorry, mscushion, may I threadjack? How does this hotel block booking thing work? Do you put a downpayment on all the rooms? So, if i got a rate of 100 dollars per room for 10 rooms, i would have to pay 1000 dollars???

 

[mrscushion]

Date: 8/5/2009 3:42:57 AM
Author: cindygenit
Sorry, mscushion, may I threadjack? How does this hotel block booking thing work? Do you put a downpayment on all the rooms? So, if i got a rate of 100 dollars per room for 10 rooms, i would have to pay 1000 dollars???

No worries, cindygenit.

As far as I can tell, it can work both ways. Normally, you get a reduced rate until a certain deadline, before which your guests should book. After that, rates go back up (often significantly) for any late bookers. The hotel gives you a reduction in return for the business you bring to it by choosing it as one of your group hotels, advertising it on the wedding website, etc. In this case, usually you are not responsible for the room inventory. This is how most group booking works, including corporate events.

However, I''ve also heard of brides getting a much lower than average rate, but in return having to guarantee a certain number of rooms and if not enough guests book, you are responsible for the balance. I think this is less common.

 

[Diva0413]

When I setup a hotel block for my OOT guests, the rate went down from $189 to $159.

 

[charbie]

they came down about $50/room at nice hotels in the middle of our downtown urban area- so $109/night at a hyatt and a renaissance hotel. we blocked off two, and didn''t have to pay anything up front.

 

[cocolaw]

hotels in our wedding location would not reserve a block of rooms, or give couples staying with our wedding a discount. they said that they like to keep rooms available for their customers who decide to drive up from LA for a weekend getaway. we have a VERY rustic 180 a night option or a very nice 500 a night and up option

.

 

[katamari]

If you are just looking for a guideline, I think you can expect them to be around the price they sell for on a site like hotels.com instead of the price they list on the website. The higher the likelihood they are to fill, though, the less discount you are going to get (if any).

 

[sunnyd]

Our wedding is technically the offseason (November) and we got a killer deal on rooms! Originally $149 we got for $89! I''m getting ready in and we''re sleeping that night in the presidential suite, which is the whole top floor of the hotel with 2 bathrooms and a 1000 sq ft deck for $209!

 

[PilsnPinkysMom]

We booked at a slightly above average Hyatt. The regular rate was $127ish a night, and we got it down to $111. Better than nothing, right?

 

[mayachel]

I think ours started out offering 10% than when we pointed out that AAA was 15% they changed it to that.