All About a Wedding Hotel Room Block

Hotel Room Block for your wedding?  If you’re confused right now, you’re not alone.  Couples reach out to us almost every day with questions about their wedding hotel room block. This got us thinking, how can we help?  Let’s try to break it down a bit and answer some frequently asked questions.

 

Wedding Photo by:  Kristen Weaver Photography

What is a hotel room block?

A wedding hotel room block is an agreement with the hotel to secure a certain number of guestrooms for your guests.  Many hotels, including Mission Inn Resort, require that you agree to a minimum of ten rooms on wedding night.

Wedding Photo by: Heather Rice Photography

Why get a hotel room block?

By creating a hotel room block, you are ensuring that your guests have a place to stay while enjoying one of the most important weekends of your life.  Creating a hotel room block also locks in great rates!  Wedding hotel room blocks cost less than retail price by up to $50 per night.  That’s a huge savings for your friends and family!

Wedding Photo by:  J Photography by Jessi Caparella

How many hotel rooms do I block?

There is no simple answer to this question but here are some simple steps to get close:

Step 1 – Total Wedding Guests – This is how many rooms you would need if every guest stayed in their own room.

Step 2- Divide in Half – A large majority of your wedding guests will likely be in pairs.  Assuming that all guests are couples, divide your guest list in half.  You’re getting closer.

Step 3 – Analyzing the Guest List – What guests are coming in from out-of-town?  Who has more than a one hour drive?  These are guests that you’ll want to consider.  Are you having an open bar for most of the night?

Including a guest room column in your guest list tracker can make room block decisions a lot easier.

Here’s an example:

What does a hotel room block cost me?

When planning for your big day, the last thing that you want is another cost.  With most hotels and depending on the number of guestrooms you are holding, there is no upfront cost.  Your guests can just call in and use their own credit cards to book the rooms that you are holding for them.

What is attrition?

It sounds scarier than it really is but attrition is something you want to understand and pay attention to.  First, remember that every hotel has different attrition policies for wedding room blocks.  Be sure to ask what your hotel’s attrition policy is.

Attrition refers to the percentage of rooms that must be filled by your guests in order to avoid paying a penalty.  Mission Inn Resort Weddings agreements have 80% attrition.  For example, let’s say you make a block of 10 rooms at Mission Inn Resort for your wedding.  However, only 7 rooms are booked by your guests.  You would owe the price of one room.

Wedding Photo by:  Kathy Thomas Photography

What if I don’t get a block or I don’t book enough rooms?

The first bummer about not getting a room block is that you and your guests do not qualify for that great discounted rate.  This means friends and family will be paying premium price for a hotel room for your wedding.  Even if you add a room block later on in the planning process, there is a good chance that the first rate quoted is not available and has gone up.

You also take a huge risk when not booking enough hotel rooms for your guests that the hotel simply will not have any more rooms left.  Hotels only have a limited number of guest rooms, once all of those rooms are booked; there is no way that the hotel can add more.  (At least it’s very unlikely, unless they have a renovation in the works)  No one wants to tell their grandmother that she will have to travel a long distance to the wedding because they did not secure her a hotel room.  Trust us!

Wedding Photo by:  Rudy & Marta Photography

Your wedding room block can be the start of planning an amazing and fun wedding weekend.  By securing guestrooms for your wedding day, you can ensure that you and your friends and family all have a stress free wedding weekend experience.