While people understand why it is important to block hotel rooms for wedding guests, many couples wonder where they should be looking.
The confusion is that the hotels near your wedding venue may not be in a part of town that has restaurants, shops, theatre, or anything else to do. Guests will be cooped up inside the hotel the entire weekend, and that is not the kind of experience you want people to have.
The alternative is to block rooms at a more desirable location that is far from the wedding venue. But that presents it’s own challenges in terms of convenience, costs, and transportation.
So what’s the best thing to do?
Let’s ask one of our experts.
“It’s a best practice to block hotel rooms for wedding guests within five miles of the reception hall. Doing so makes things convenient for your guests and increases the likelihood that people will make it to your wedding on time” says Jennifer Yee, a wedding planner.
She added “Guests have enough things to worry about. The last thing you want to do is select a location that will require them to print maps or use a GPS system”.
Listed below are four reasons she thinks you should be blocking a hotel with a few miles of the wedding venue.
Reason #1-Some hotels offer free shuttle service
Many hotels near wedding venues will provide complimentary shuttle service as an amenity if you block hotel rooms for guests. The nearer the hotel is to the wedding venue, the higher the likelihood that they will offer this service for free or a very nominal fee.
Reason #2- A Hotel Close To The Wedding Venue Is Convenient
Having guests stay at a hotel near the wedding venue will decrease the likelihood that anyone will get lost. It will also reduce the amount of travel time it takes to get to the wedding thereby ensuring that you can walk down the aisle on time.
Reason #3- Everyone gets there on time
The last thing you need is for the sun to set and your grandmother is in still stuck in traffic on the other side of town. Plus, if you forget anything at the hotel, it can be easily retrieved.
Reason#4-You’ll get lower rates
Many hotels near wedding venues offer special rates to wedding groups. They get a lot of business from the wedding venue and offer a special discount.
Group discounts can range from 15-60% depending on how busy the hotel is. Make sure to get bids from several hotels around your wedding location. Fill out this group rates form and hotels in your desired city will email you their group rates.
The four reasons above should convince you that choosing a hotel near your wedding venue is the best way to go.
But what if some guests don’t want to stay at the hotel you blocked rooms in?
It happens all the time. Some people don’t want to stay at the hotel where the room block is. It could be that it’s too expensive, not near any activities, not in downtown, etc. There are a multitude of reasons why people will not want to stay at the location you selected.
In this case, simply list other hotels along with the hotel you have a room block at. This way people can make their own choice.
So how do you find hotels that offer room blocks for weddings?
Rather than call each hotel, simply fill out this one form and hotels in your desired area and price range will email you group rates for wedding guests. Simply select which hotel you like and contact them directly.
Just don’t make the mistake of getting a regular room block.
The problem with a regular room block is that hotels often charge a deposit to hold the rooms, and then also hold you responsible for rooms that were not reserved under your room block. When getting a room block, make sure you get a courtesy room block.
This is the kind of room block where you don’t pay a deposit and you are not held responsible for rooms not reserved under the room block. Read here about why it’s important to have a courtesy room block and how to get one quickly.