Group Reservations for Hotel Savings

One thing that people often overlook when trying to save on a hotel room for a big event are the group booking discounts most hotels offer. Hotels love to book large groups of people in advance, because it assures them a full booking without having to resort to walk-in traffic. Getting group rates are not nearly as hard as you might think.

The only real requisite for making it happen is timing. You need to contact the hotel with enough advance notice so they can block out the rooms. They also may ask for a minimum number of room commitments and a maximum number of rooms for your group. Just determine how many other people in your group you think you can get to sign up for the deal, and be conservative. While the hotel is not going to mind if you do not hit the maximum number of rooms, if you do not hit the minimum allotment, it may change the room rate for everyone in the booking group.

It may take some haggling and bartering, and as always, you need to be aware of seasonal timing and how concerned the hotel will be about getting rid of those rooms. However, if you book it far enough in advance, your chances for negotiating a better deal are very good. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, at least for the hotel it is.

Once you make a deal, you will be given a reservation code, or else you will just have a party or group name to identify members who want to get a room. With this information, contact people in your group and give them the hotel phone number for reservations, give them the reservation code/group name, and let them know the nightly rate and what days the rate is effective. The sooner you get that locked up the more secure your group reservations will be, limiting the chances of any kind of rate increase.

Click here for more group rate information