You’re engaged, hopefully hired a planner, found the perfect venue, and now what?!? There are plenty of vendors to start booking, but one piece that tends to get overlooked and yet so important, the Hotel Room Block!
For those that have a lot of out of town guests, this is crucial. Just like venues, hotels start contracting their room blocks a year out, way before you can even make room reservations. If you plan on getting ready at the hotel, I highly recommend requesting a suite or a big space, like a boardroom, to make things comfortable. Some hotels are very limited based on their capacity, events in house, or other room blocks in-house during that same time. Securing your hotel room blocks early on is key (no pun intended).
There are many things to consider before choosing the hotel(s):
Does it offer courtesy room blocks or is it strictly attrition + how many blocks should you reserve
Are you able to book a suite for getting ready and your wedding night
What is the cost per night and is there a minimum night stay
Proximity to venue - this is key for shuttles and your timeline!
Does it have a bar/restaurant that can be used for post wedding drinks or even buffet breakfast the next morning
Courtesy Block vs Attrition
The first has no financial obligation. Typically you can get a courtesy block for 10-20 rooms. There is a discount but not as nice as the latter and the block will close 6 weeks before your wedding date. When you contract under attrition you are responsible for any unbooked rooms if you do not meet the attrition requirements. For example, if you block 10 rooms at 90% attrition but only book 8, you are financially responsible for payment of 1 room.
Now let’s dive a little deeper - how many guests need accommodations? If you potentially have a lot of out of town guests this is where it can get tricky. Do you get a block with attrition so that you can hold 20+ rooms OR do you get multiple hotel blocks in the surrounding area. This is only an option if there are other hotels in the area though. If there are, I highly recommend doing multiple courtesy blocks. If not, make sure you get a good count. In most cases you can only add to either type of block if when your block is filled, they will only add if it’s available, and it may not be at the same rate.
Living the Suite Life
Don’t get me wrong, we all love staying in a suite when traveling but those are not always available or in our budget. Your wedding is a bit different. Things to think about: Where are you getting hair and makeup done and how many people need the services, and how many artists did you hire? If in fact you are getting hair and makeup done at your hotel, you NEED to have a conversation about your options. Do they have a suite and how big are they? If you contract a room block will they offer you a suite at a special rate? If they don’t have a suite, do they have a boardroom that is available, and what’s the additional cost? Finding out all these details is key to a successful, stress- free, enjoyable wedding morning!
Cost & Minimums
Who doesn’t love attending a wedding? I do! Especially when I am not working one. However, they get expensive, even for guests. For those out of town it’s at least the cost of travel, 1-2 nights in a hotel, meals, and your gift. The locals may also choose to stay at the hotel and take the shuttle so that they can have fun and be part of the afterparty (if there is one). Therefore when choosing a hotel block or multiple, keep this in mind! Having two or even three hotels - different brands and/or price points is super helpful to guests. And guess what, as long as they are within the area, shuttles can stop at each one so that everyone is accommodated.
Timeline and Guest Transportation
As mentioned above, having multiple hotels and shuttling guests back and forth is totally doable, but please keep in mind the distance to your venue. I wish I was Mary Poppins, but alas I am not! I cannot control Mother Nature, kids, or TRAFFIC - when you find out how, please let me know (or better yet - write a book and i’ll buy it!). But seriously, I totally get wanting to get ready in a certain location. For me it was my parents house and having that “Father of the Bride” moment. Or maybe you have fallen in love with a gorgeous hotel 20 minutes away vs using the basic one 5 minutes away. It’s really not a problem as long as we take into consideration travel times. If it takes 20 minutes for a car to get from the location to the venue it probably takes 35-40 minutes between loading and unloading shuttles + traffic. This will affect your timeline, first look (if you plan to do one), and when photos will take place. This also means that instead of using one shuttle to do multiple rounds to transport guests you will probably need to get multiple which is more $$$. Again, just something to think about.
Let’s CELEBRATE the Celebration
Everyone loves an afterparty! They also love a nice breakfast when they wake up post wedding (hungover or not). If you really want to go for the ultimate experience then you are probably thinking After-Party & Post-Wedding Brunch. Both of which are most accommodating at the hotel (or venue for afterparty and hotel for brunch). Regardless, if this is something that is important to you, I would check with the hotel before you sign your contract to see what your options are. This may alter your decision on hotels so better to find this out before you sign anything.
I know I just threw a lot of information your way but this stuff is important! A lot of times couples don't think about these details until the last minute and then they need to add on another shuttle (if it's available) or they are scrambling in other ways. Hence why us planners are extremely helpful!
Danielle Caldwell Events designs, plans and coordinates weddings in Long Island, Westchester, and the greater metropolitan area. Danielle takes on 8-10 weddings per year with a dedicated team on the day of your wedding to ensure you are taken care of. If you’re ready to discuss planning your special day, she would love to hear from you!
