2011 top 30 tips for planning the perfect off site corporate meeting at a hotel

2011 Top 30 Tips

For Planning The Perfect

Off Site Corporate Meeting

At A Hotel

When you are ready to see how The Meetings Concierge will save

you time and save your company money while making your life

easier, please call Nancy or Leeann at 480-991-4125 or

[email protected] / [email protected]

www.meetingsconcierge.com

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.meetingsconcierge.com/

2011 Tops Tips For Planning The Perfect

Off Site Corporate Meeting At A Hotel

1) Always ask for upgrades to suites at the group rate.

Ask for as many upgrades as you have VIP's to take

care of. Hotels will offer this if you ask.

2) Make sure the group rate quoted is for either single

(1 person) or double (2persons) in the room.

3) Ask for the group rate to be available 3 days prior to

arrival as well as 3 days after the group's departure

date. This will help you to provide the negotiated

group rate for any guests needing to arrive before the

official group arrival date as well as take care of those

who need to extend their stay after the group's

departure date.

Nancy Nachman, CMM, CMP


Nancy Nachman | LinkedIn


http://www.linkedin.com/pub/nancy-nachman/8/39b/3b2




4) No early departure fee. Many hotels are trying to

insert an Early Departure Fee in hotel contracts. Do

everything possible to not agree to this.

How could one possibly know, especially in the case of

an emergency, that one may have to depart prior to the

scheduled group's departure date.

Hotel started to insert this clause as a means of not

losing revenue for those guests who, by their own

whim, decide to leave before the group's scheduled

departure date.

This term is vague (not able to guarantee if someone

would have to leave unexpectedly) and contract terms

can't be vague; it's the law.






5) Negotiate when rooming list is due, also known as

the Cut-Off Date in a hotel contract. Most do 30 days

prior to arrival. If that does not give you enough time

to get a rooming list to the hotel, and you can't give a

complete rooming list until perhaps 3 weeks prior to

arrival, note this in the contract.

This is a catch-22. Closer to arrival you may have a

need to increase the room block and perhaps the hotel

will be unable to accommodate that request if they are

nearing or sold out.

Always try to negotiate to be able to get the negotiated

group rate for any late reservations that come in after

the cut-off date.

Not all hotels will agree; each one is different, and it

always just depends upon supply and demand and the

relationship you have with a hotel.






6) BE AWARE: Hotel room rates on the internet are

usually only for a few rooms and they change

constantly depending on inventory needs. Do not go

by what is on internet if you need a block of rooms for

a corporate meeting.

7) Hotels consider you to be a "group" if you have 10

or more guestrooms per night. With 10 or more

guestrooms per night you are able to negotiate group

rates.

8) Hotels make the most revenue from the guestroom

rate. If a room costs $200, about 25% of that rate

($50) goes to cleaning the room and replenishing

amenities, etc. Therefore, about 75% of a $200 room

rate ($150) is profit.

There is more flexibility in negotiating room rates than

food prices.






9) Hotels do not make much revenue from catered

banquets. If a lunch costs $100, about 75% of that

cost ($75) goes toward the purchase, preparation and

serving of the food. Therefore, about $25% of a $100

lunch ($25) is profit.

10) Where a hotel makes a bundle is on the

beverages, especially alcohol which has the highest

mark-up. There is less flexibility in negotiating food

prices than room prices.

11) Overnight and valet parking costs can't always be

negotiated. Not all hotels own their garages.

12) Make a Wish List of things that are important to

your group and what you need and ask for those items

and not what you do not need or won't use.






Here are some cost items you will see in your hotel

contracts. Some are negotiable and others may not

be. Just ask.

Again, what you get usually depends upon your

relationship with the hotel, and moreover, how much

past or future business opportunities your business

represents to the hotel; resort fees, housekeeping,

bellman tips, internet access charges.

13) Attrition means "what-if". What-if I promise you

100 rooms per night, and upon arrival my group only

has 78 rooms per night. Your organization will pay the

difference, called attrition.

Attrition should always be given a % amount of

allowable decrease of total room nights. For example:

X Hotel allows Y Corporation to reduce total room

nights by 15%. If you guaranteed 100 room nights you

would only be responsible for 85 room nights (15%

allowable attrition).






14) And, negotiate that if the hotel is sold out during

the nights of your stay (meaning they were able to sell

the rooms you did not utilize), then the hotel will not

charge your company attrition.

15) Some customers like multiple year contracts if you

hold the same meeting every year and you like the

same hotel for each year's meeting.

If you want a multiple year contract make sure in your

cancellation clause it states that if all is not acceptable

for the 1st meeting (based upon hotel performance /

your guests feedback) you can get out of the future

contracts.

Or before you depart you will sign contract for year 2 if

all is good.






16) Meeting rooms- things to ask the hotel. Hopefully

the hotel has a good diagram and meeting room

dimensions chart on their website.

17) Find out about whether or not there are windows or

pillars or solid vs air walls in the meeting rooms they

intend to place your meeting/banquets (can you hear

through the air walls?).

18) Find out the ceiling height, room dimensions (not

just square footage - long, narrow rooms are not fun).

19) Find out which other corporations are booked in

the meeting rooms next to you and decide if that is

acceptable or not.

20) Will you be sharing any common space/will other

meetings think your buffet breakfast is for them?

21) Be sure that none of your direct competitors meet

at the same time as your meeting.






You have to ask the hotel to be sure and give the hotel

a list of your direct competitors that you do not want

meeting in the hotel at the same time. 22) Do the

meeting rooms back up to a noisy area of

banquets/back of the house?

23) Ask for discounts on A/V? Is there an in-house

A/V company or outside contractor? Is there a charge

to bring in your own equipment or your own A/V

company?. If you bring in your own A/V company is

there someone on staff to help? Is there an additional

cost to do this?

24) FIND YOUR CONFERENCE SERVICES MGR

DAILY TO REVIEW CHARGES. Do not wait until you

are ready to leave to review the charges. Meet at end

each day to review what worked and anything to be

tweaked for next day.

25) If they do not meet with you, get something from

them, like a plate of cookies in addition to your AM

break. If they mess up ask for something back.






26) How are the meeting tables set? What space

does group need? Always try to get no more than 2

guests to be seated at a standard 6 ft banquet table for

classroom style seating.

27) If you want a certain meeting room put it in the

contract. If the hotel wants to change the meeting

room they need to first get your approval and then if

you can move they should give you something for it

(plate of cookies on the house at the break).

28) Hotels are not in the credit business and many

now ask for hefty pre-paid deposits from the time the

contract is signed and then leading up to arrival day,

with most of the costs pre-paid prior to arrival.

29) Ask if there is a discount for prepaying with a

check vs a credit card?

30) Find out the terms of the final payment and see if

the hotel will agree to direct bill your company for any

remaining costs or do those costs need to be paid

prior to departure.



2011 Top 30 Tips

For Planning The Perfect

Off Site Corporate Meeting

At A Hotel

When you are ready to see how The Meetings Concierge will save

you time and save your company money while making your life

easier, please call Nancy or Leeann at 480-991-4125 or

[email protected] / [email protected]





2011 top 30 tips for planning the perfect off site corporate meeting at a hotel

Documents