As you are planning your wedding, you'll pick the chapel, the dress and all the decorations; as well as many other things. However, as you're deciding on how many guests you expect to fill the chapel, you should also keep in mind that some of your guests might be coming in from out of town, so you'll need to figure out where they will sleep.
Many couples choose to book a block of hotel rooms, so their guests can book their room and not have to worry about researching where they'll stay. This guide explains what you need to know about blocking hotel rooms.
Know the Attrition Percentage
Attrition percentage is the amount of rooms that must be sold to avoid penalty fees. The rate should be high. This means that if the minimum amount of rooms required were not sold, you would still be responsible to pay the hotel for difference. The attrition percentage is one of the most central factors of the contract negotiations, so be sure not to sign paperwork until you've reached a reasonable percentage.
To ensure that you meet this percentage, choose a hotel that's centrally located between the chapel and the reception venue. Your guests are more likely to book a room where you want them to if they don't have to travel far to your event.
Know the Allowable Shrinkage
Allowable shrinkage is another important factor of the contract. This number represents the amount of rooms that can remain unreserved without any penalty to you. This number is usually low. So, if you reserved 40 rooms and 4-8 are not sold, you would not be penalized. Allowable shrinkage is a number you need to take into consideration when determining the total amount of rooms you reserve.
Be Realistic When Blocking Rooms
After you fully understand the attrition percentage and allowable shrinkage, pick a modest amount of rooms to reserve. If you block out too many rooms, you may suffer penalty if they do not sell. Not enough rooms reserved could result in the unlikely possibility of the hotel not having enough accommodations for your guests. This is more likely to happen if your wedding date is around a holiday, or located in a popular destination, because hotels in these areas sell rooms quickly.
Make Sure Your Guests Book Early
Once you've signed the contract and reserved the block of rooms, notify your guests immediately. It takes some time for a large group of people to arrange their schedules and finalize hotel bookings. The earlier that your guests book, the more time you'll have to adjust the reservation accordingly. If your initial reservation is a lower number and the rooms sell quickly, you can negotiate adding more rooms with the hotel.
If you're not up to speed on where people stay when they come into town for a wedding, ask the wedding chapel organizer for names of hotels where previous couples have blocked a group of rooms. They should be able to give you a list of accommodations that are not only centrally located, but offer some fabulous amenities as well.
To learn more, contact a wedding chapel like Chapel of the Bells.
