Just Tell Me HOW MUCH!

What's with all the questions the hotel sales managers ask when you call them to find out about how much rooms will cost your (choose whichever is appropriate from the list below)

wedding guests
sports team
family members at reunion
associates at your corporation
government employees
tour group
client

when all you truly want to know is HOW MUCH DO YOUR ROOMS COST?

(If you haven't read my post on hotel lingo, now would be a good time to review it!)

That's an easy answer to give, if you'd just like the short answer. The rate is the "regular," or "rack" rate and that rate is the highest rate the hotel has to offer.

Now, if you'd like to answer a few questions, the hotel sales manager can begin to determine what sorts of discounts your group might be qualified to receive, or if their hotel is even a good fit for what you have planned. Keep in mind that what you may consider to be a "group" may not be a group in the eyes of the hotel. Typically we consider a group to be ten or more rooms per night. Anything less would probably not qualify for any sort of group rate. In addition, just because you are bringing a group to town, there's no guarantee that your rate will necessarily be lower than any other discount available. During peak times, there are fewer discounts, period. This is something you might want to consider when planning to take a group to a destination during their high season.

Also, keep in mind that a hotel will most likely not have discounts available, even for groups, if the hotel has already sold a large portion of its inventory. A group, in that instance, could actually lose money for a hotel. For example, if you only had ten rooms in a hotel, and six of them have already been sold, would you really take anything less than full price for the last remaining rooms?

With all of that in mind, here are the sorts of questions (outside of the usual arrival and departure dates and the number of rooms you're requiring questions) you might encounter when calling a hotel to get a quote for your group:

"Are your dates flexible?"
I know this sounds like a ridiculous question to a sports team who's coming to town for a tournament, but for a bride looking to plan a reception and find accommodations for her guests, or a family reunion planner, this question could land the group the deal it is hoping to find. The hotel sales manager could then research availability for the dates you were initially planning to visit as well as alternate dates in the event the hotel's availability is limited during the time period you are requesting. Also, this is a sign that the sales manager will try to work with you, as there may be a better "deal" for your group during another time period close to the dates you are requesting.

"How did you hear about our hotel?"
Sometimes the answer to this question will assist the hotel with tracking advertising and marketing efforts, and sometimes the answer will prompt the hotel to properly thank an individual who has referred the services of their hotel. Perhaps you have attended another function at the hotel, which will signal the sales manager that you are familiar with their particular hotel, thus eliminating the need for the next question...

"Are you familiar with our hotel?"
The sales manager could have just started rattling off a laundry list of the hotel's features, but if you're a wedding planner, how important is it for you to hear about the hotel's outstanding business center?

"Will you be needing any meeting space?"
Right. It's always possible that the hotel will have enough sleeping rooms for your group, but will not have enough meeting space to accommodate your guests. Giving this information right up front will help the sales manager determine just how much of the hotel your group will need.

"Are you planning any meal functions?"
Many hotels place room rental prices on their meeting space on a sliding scale. The more food and beverage your group purchases, the lower the cost of the rental of the room. It may sound silly to you that the sales manager asks a question like this if you've already told them that you will require meeting space, but you would be surprised at how many groups just want a room with tables and no meals.

"What are you planning to do in the meeting space?"
The hotel needs to know if it's a party, a meeting, a training seminar, a wedding, a banquet dinner, or a wrestling match. Getting this information, along with knowing the number of people you expect to attend your function, will help the sales manager determine how much space (and which room) will meet your group's needs.

"What sort of budget are you working with?"
Hey, we have to pre-qualify for mortgages so we know how much house we can purchase, right? It's the same with planning catered functions at a hotel. If you are working with a budget of $2,000, but need to feed 200 people, you may be embarrassed when your group arrives to find chips and dip. Be realistic about your budget and what you'd like to accomplish with it, and let the sales manager assist you with reality of what that budget will buy.

"Are you also looking at other hotels?"
Yes, we want to know who you consider to be our competition. Sometimes people will try to negotiate a rate with an upscale hotel based on a quote they received from a nearby budget hotel. You have to understand that the budget hotel is not in direct competition with the upscale hotel, so you are not comparing apples to apples. Also, in some instances, your group or event may require the use of more than one hotel. Knowing this is helpful to the hotel sales manager, so that if your group block fills they will know where to refer additional reservations requests.

"Is this a one-time event, or do you plan other events in the area?"
Mmm hmm. We want to know if we can work with you again, and if we can help you to secure accommodations for future events while we're working on this one. Hotels look very kindly upon clients who place multiple events in their hotels every year. This could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship between you and the sales manager, who could take the huge load of putting these events together off of your shoulder by putting the knowledge of your group's needs to use each time you utilize their hotel. Just like any other business, hoteliers enjoy repeat customers, and will work hard to make sure you keep coming back.

These are just a few of the questions you may be asked. There are literally hundreds more, depending on the type of group you are trying to make arrangements for. My advice to you is to be patient with your hotel sales manager. They truly are trying to gain as much insight into what it is you're trying to accomplish to make sure that your event goes off as planned.