Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

What is the proper etiquette for recommending hotels for out of town guests? We will be sending out STD magnets, and would like to include information about local hotels for the OOT guests. I know that we should tour several hotels to make sure they are ok. Once we decide on one or two, what are the benefits to reserving a block of rooms? Do we pay for holding the block, or do the hotels only charge once the guests call to reserve their individual rooms?

Most of our OOT guests have other family in the area, so my assumption is that they will be renting cars so that they can visit them throughout the weekend and/or week, or will 'hitch' a ride with their local relatives to the church and reception. However, is it expected that the bride and groom arrange for transportation for OOT guests?

Thanks for your help!

Re: Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

We put our wedding website on our STD magnet and then the website had all of the hotel information. We wound up blocking off rooms at the Huntington Hilton. The benefit to doing that is that you get a better rate for your guests. Also, FH and I get a free suite the night of the wedding if 25 rooms are booked within our block. Each hotel is different, but most of them won't require you to pay for any of the rooms in the block. They just release them a month before the wedding to the general public. Just make sure you ask the hotel what their policy is.

As for transportation, I don't think that it's expected to provide it, but it is certainly nice to have. Most of our OOT guests will be renting cars, but we don't want them to have to drive the night of the wedding. We'd prefer that everyone have a good time and no one have to worry about drinking and driving.

Re: Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

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Posted by laural2979

We put our wedding website on our STD magnet and then the website had all of the hotel information. We wound up blocking off rooms at the Huntington Hilton. The benefit to doing that is that you get a better rate for your guests. Also, FH and I get a free suite the night of the wedding if 25 rooms are booked within our block. Each hotel is different, but most of them won't require you to pay for any of the rooms in the block. They just release them a month before the wedding to the general public. Just make sure you ask the hotel what their policy is.

As for transportation, I don't think that it's expected to provide it, but it is certainly nice to have. Most of our OOT guests will be renting cars, but we don't want them to have to drive the night of the wedding. We'd prefer that everyone have a good time and no one have to worry about drinking and driving.

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We did the same...put our wedding website on the magnet. But we did realize most of our out of towners are older people who are probably not internet saavy...so we also just typed up something in Word and made it look real cute and pretty and put the info on there and just folded it up and put it in with the magnet. I only put that in for the older folks though...I knew others would just go to our website.
I'm also including this hotel info again with our wedding invite on a small enclosure card that matches our invite.

Re: Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

We reserved the block of rooms before sending out the STD. I made a separate information card saying that we had the rooms reserved at the hotel and they could book anytime. This way some people booked early which so far has helped.

You do not pay for reserving the block. The guests pay for the rooms. They reserve by credit card but they don't get charged until the day they arrive.

It is not expected that you arrange transportation. Some hotels provide it some do not. We arranged our own because we have a lot of out of town guest and do not want them to worry about driving from place to place.

Hope this helps. FM me if you have any other questions.

Re: Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

i will tell you what we did...

we blocked the rooms at the hotel(they charge when the guests start booking)

Don't assume that they will rent cars. A lot of our OOT Guests are driving in and not taking their cars to the reception.

I put a Hotel Guests only response card in the invitation.

HOTEL GUESTS ONLY

______WILL REQUIRE TRANSPORTATION TO THE RECEPTION
_______ WILL NOT REQUIRE TRANSPORTATION TO THE RECEPTION

I sent my invites out a month early and everyone that is staying at the hotel wants the transportation
then you can provide the appriate transportation for your guests.

We have a 14 passenger stretch limo the will go back and forth between the reception and the hotel for 2 hours

Your guests are going to want to have a good time and if they know they won't have to drive then they will take the transportation...

My parents are even taking the transportation we are providing and staying at the hotel

Re: Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

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Posted by nala3378

i will tell you what we did...

we blocked the rooms at the hotel(they charge when the guests start booking)

Don't assume that they will rent cars. A lot of our OOT Guests are driving in and not taking their cars to the reception.

I put a Hotel Guests only response card in the invitation.

HOTEL GUESTS ONLY

______WILL REQUIRE TRANSPORTATION TO THE RECEPTION
_______ WILL NOT REQUIRE TRANSPORTATION TO THE RECEPTION

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this is a great idea!! can i use this? so did this card go in the same response envelope as the response card?

Re: Hotel/Transportation for OOT Guests Questions

The financial responsibility varies from hotel to hotel and based on the number of rooms you block. We're responsbile for 70% of the rooms we blocked (because we blocked a large number of them). We have additional rooms that we aren't responsible for that will just get released a month before the wedding.

The main advantage to blocking rooms at a hotel is usually they give the guests a better rate than if you don't block.

Transportation is a nice option to offer guests who are staying at the hotel, especially if they don't know there way around the area and want to have a good time.