How to Negotiate Hotel Blocks

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Arranging a hotel block and finalizing the contract is one of the most important parts of planning an event. It can also be one of the most overwhelming and confusing processes. There’s hotel jargon, legal terms, and the idea of facing off against someone over the negotiating table. We’re here to walk you through the basics of negotiating hotel blocks.

Why Negotiate a Hotel Block?

A hotel block is the base of operations for your entire event. Without a firm hotel contract, everything else is up in the air. Where will your guests stay? What rooms do you have reserved for meetings and presentations? How much will it cost for each guest to attend? It all comes back to the hotel block. A hotel block keeps everyone organized and in one central place. Hotel blocks are crucial for event planners, but they also make a big difference for guests.

It’s possible to plan an event where guests are responsible for their own accommodations, but it’s becoming increasingly rare. In today’s world, a hotel block is considered a professional courtesy because it makes it easy for guests to book their travel and make a reservation. The easier it is for guests, the more likely they will attend your conference or event. You don’t want one guest to reserve a room for $100 a night and another guest to be forced to pay $500 a night to stay at the same hotel. Plus, hotel blocks often mean that guests get a discounted rate because the event organizers are bringing in lots of business to the hotel. Hotel blocks make everyone equal and keeps things consistent.

Are you convinced now that hotel blocks are a crucial foundation to a good event? Here are some best practices on how to negotiate a hotel block, no matter if it’s your first time or your 50th time.

Start Early

Major events book their room blocks three to five years in advance. The bigger the event, the earlier you should start. Even a smaller event benefits from starting the hotel process as early as possible. Remember, it’s the starting place for your event. Nothing else can be finalized until the hotel is in place.

Starting early gives you better rates than waiting until the last minute. If a hotel representative sees that your event is in less than a year, they’ll know you don’t have as many options. They’re more likely to raise the rates. Starting earlier gives you more negotiating power to get what you want. Hotels want to be full, and if you’re the first event to book the hotel a ways out, you have more cards in your hand. When learning how to negotiate a hotel block, starting early also gives you more time to iron out the details and work through the process.

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