Can someone give me an idea of what goes on when you block rooms...do you owe money and do you have a minimum that you have to meet??
Any tips would be great!!
Thanks!!
Nancy
Normally you request a number of rooms and they give you a block rate -- somewhat cheaper than the normal rate because you are giving them business for multiple rooms.
You don't normally have to pay for any of the rooms -- that is left to each individual guest to book them and pay for them.
Some hotels require that you leave a credit card number -- but they wont charge you.
But be specific with them because some places will try to charge you for the rooms that are not booked.
They will give you a date that the rooms need to be booked by -- usually a few weeks before the wedding -- so if they are rooms still not booked they can put them back into availability for anyone to book.
Sorry if that's confusing. So places will try to screw around with you so make sure you have it all in writing.
I just finished blocking off a set of hotel rooms at both the Wingate in Garden City and the Holiday Inn in Rockville Centre. I received a rate of $149 and $145, respectively. The minimum number of rooms was 5, and the max was 10 (Wingate) or 20 (Holiday Inn). The rooms are held with out credit card numbers in these instances. If I needed more than they allowed, a credit card was necessary to hold the reservation.
In both cases, if my guests do not book these rooms by one month before, the hotel removes the block on them and makes them available to the general public. Guests then wont receive the special rate.
I had to sign a 'contract' that says I understood these terms, but in neither case am I responsible if the rooms don't all fill up. Both places provided me with maps and direction cards to enclose in my invitations.
It's one of the easiest and non-costing things I had to do in my wedding planning thus far :)
Also....since I filled up over 25 rooms...I got one for free!!!!!!!
I was just wondering how far in advance I should look into blocking off some rooms in a hotel...I have looked into the hotels themselves but I am not getting married for a year. When is a good time to do this? Thanks
I am also looking into both of those places. Is it true that Wingate doesn't have a bar? Does the Holiday Inn have a bar? I want a place for my family to mingle late night after the wedding, and maybe even between the church and reception.
FYI: When I called Wingate, they said for $35 they provide a shuttle to go to and from the inn to the reception. I thought that was great!
Mariott has a bar but it closes really early. We invited some people to come to the bar there since that is where we were staying our wedding night -- and we come to find out it closes early. So we were not to happy about that. Windham Windwatch does have a bar in the lobby.
Depending on the area and time of year of your wedding, I would suggest blocking off the rooms as soon as possible. My wedding is in April and some hotels were already booked. Earlier is better than later in my opinion. However, I would not guarantee any money until you know for sure people will be staying over. If they don't require a deposit there is no harm booking the rooms as soon as you book your hall.
Jamie, to answer your question, I am not 100% that the Holiday Inn or Wingate have actual bars in them. I do know that both places have places to eat in them. For example, the Holiday Inn has Tredwells, plus an assortment of bars in the town. I just got the info from Wingate, so I'll look it over tonight and report back if they have a bar. Our wedding is in the afternoon, and we still aren't sure if that many people will stay overnight, so finding a place with a bar was not our concern. We just wanted people to have the option of being close to the Church or the reception hall, because they are 1/2 hour away from each other.
