We are constantly getting asked by our clients about Wedding Room Blocks. Chances are, it is another part of the planning process that you haven’t ever had to conquer in pre-engaged life. It can also be tricky to navigate, while still making the best decision for your guests. We wanted to share what we know that could help guide you through this portion of the process.
Amount of Rooms
Wedding Room Blocks are something you’ll need to tackle early on in the planning, shortly after you make your guest list. You’ll want to evaluate how many guests are local vs out of town, and make your best guess of how many rooms to start your block with. Tricky to predict what your guests will do, right? Most hotels require a minimum of rooms, so keep that in mind with your numbers as well. You will also have the option to select how many of each type of room (single, double, suite), and don’t forget to include your Getting Ready and overnight accommodations for the soon-to-be-newlyweds!
Location
We often have couples make more than one block for their guests. You’ll have to consider the city and attractions where the wedding will take place, along with where the actual venue is located. You don’t want to have your hotel an hour away from your venue, but also don’t want the hotel be the only thing in the area if your guests are planning to stay for a long weekend. (Again, tricky right?!) Guests should have all of this information when your Save the Dates go out, so they can make the decision themselves. They might forego your Wedding Room Blocks altogether and choose to stay with a friend or get a rental property.
Financial Responsibility
This is a big part of the process-who is going to pay? Typically, your guests pay for their own rooms, including fees, taxes and parking. One thing you’ll want to look out for when signing your contract for this block is if there will be any financial penalties if the rooms are not booked. You do not want to book a large amount of rooms that no one books and have to pay for them anyways. Some hotels will offer a ‘courtesy’ block, where they will release all un-booked rooms, which would be most ideal! However, most hotels that our clients deal with, especially more boutique-style properties, require some sort of guaranteed revenue for them.
Bonus: Transportation
A bonus tip on Wedding Room Blocks is the entire transportation aspect. If you are having out of town guests, it is almost expected that they are also transported to/from the wedding. It’s not 100% necessary, but a nice touch that your guests would appreciate and information you can definitely include on your wedding website! You’re most likely booking transportation for you and your wedding party members, so consider your close family and guests staying at your hotel as well. If you do not choose to transport all of your guests, make sure they are aware to expect to find their own transportation.
We hope that you found this information on Wedding Room Blocks helpful. As you can see, it can be a tricky situation to navigate, and you are not required to do any of this, but you want to make sure your guests are taken care of if they are traveling to celebrate with you! We are happy to help with any additional questions as you work through this part of the planning.
