Planning for places for your guests to stay for your big day can be VERY confusing! Bella Baxter is here with a Step-by-Step Guide to help you get the perfect Hotel Room Block for you and your wedding guests, so that everyone has a place to rest their 

1. Decide on the location/area of town that you would like your guests to stay.  Then choose about two to three hotels that you would like to make blocks with.  This will give your guests some options as well as possible different rates to help with your guests’ budgets.

2. Now before you call these hotels, have some details ready.

-Information of who will be the main contact for the Wedding Block contract (Name, address, email and contact phone number). This can be the Bride, Bride’s mother or anyone you designate to maintain this for you.

-Name of the Wedding Block (usually last name of Bride & Groom)

-Dates that you want guests to check in and check out (usually check in on Friday and check out on Sunday with the wedding on Saturday).  Guests can always talk with the hotel if they want to come in a day early or check out a day later.

-Decide if you would like to do a courtesy block or have a set amount of rooms available for your guests to choose from. (Let me break this down… Courtesy Block is a block where the hotel will set aside ‘X’ amount of rooms (usually starting at 10 rooms per night) at their nightly rate under your Wedding Block Name for your guests to call and reserve at that rate.  With a Courtesy Block, you will not be liable for any room attrition at the hotel. Room attrition means that if the rooms do not get reserved, you as the contract holder will have to pay the hotel the cost in the difference of the rooms.  

Having  these items ready and decided will help make everything go very smoothly and quickly when you are talking with the hotel. 

3. Time to call the hotels!  When you call the main number, ask for the Sales Department.   

If you decide to do a Courtesy Room Block, ask for that first so the salesperson can start in the right direction for you.

TIP: Before you get off the call with the salesperson, ask them to contact you if you start to run low on your rooms for each night within the block.  If you are still a month or more out from your wedding weekend and you know most of your guests need to reserve rooms, request to add more rooms to your block.

4. Once the salesperson has completed your block, you should receive an online link that you can apply to your Wedding Website so your guests can reserve online directly through that link.

TIP: If your guests have questions regarding the hotels or their reservations, we would suggest putting the hotel contact numbers on your Wedding Website so they call the hotel directly and not call you or family regarding questions.

5. Lastly, if you and your new partner plan to stay in a hotel for your wedding night, go ahead and book that while you are setting up the room blocks. Especially if you are wanting a Suite or specific style room.  Be sure to ask if the hotel has any wedding specials (free champagne, complimentary breakfast, free upgrade, etc.)

NOTE: Will you need a place to get ready with your bridesmaids if your venue does not offer a Bridal Suite? Hotels usually have special suites for things like this and you can reserve for the night before and be able to check in that night or early in the morning of your wedding day.  (Hotel staff can clean the room and have it ready for you and your husband the night of the wedding)

Happy Planning!

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