Arranging rooms for your group in New York City seems easy. However, countless hotels with competing calendars, contractual negotiations, strict attrition clauses, and rooms filling up fast in good take up a lot more time and skill than most event planners anticipate.
This is precisely why planning firms are hired. Here are just a few ways in which they streamline the entire process of arranging hotel rooms, making the process less costly and less risky for large groups.
- They Secure Better Rates Than You Can
There is a different negotiation process between the hotels and a planning firm than there is between the hotels and individual organizers. New York event planning services like Best Venues have existing connections to the sales departments of the hotels in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and all other New York neighborhoods from years of steady and reliable business.
As a result, they can secure:
- Reduced group prices compared to the usual published prices.
- Complimentary upgrades to the rooms for important clients.
- Additional amenities such as complimentary breakfast, suite upgrades, or welcome packs.
- Waived or reduced resort and facility fees.
Most professional event planners do not charge clients for hotel services – they earn money through industry commission.
- They Pair the Correct Hotel With the Right Group
Not every hotels for large groups NYC suits every group. A financial services firm conducting a three-day leadership summit will have different requirements than a tech company organizing an incentive trip or a nonprofit hosting a charity event.
New York event planning services evaluate hotel options based on:
- Distance from the event site – minimizing the distance and logistics involved.
- Quality of conference facilities – making sure there are breakout rooms and AV equipment as well as catering facilities.
- Character of the neighborhood – choosing the best suited area for the event’s atmosphere.
- Accessibility – prioritizing hotels close to major subway lines or public transport for out-of-town attendees.
Such a thorough approach to selecting hotels removes any guesswork and prevents the common mistake of booking a hotel that looks right on paper but creates logistical problems for the group on the ground.
- They Handle Room Blocks With Precision
Getting the room block is just a part of the task. Proper management of the room block until the actual event takes place needs constant attention and effort – which many event organizers simply don’t have enough time to give to their projects.
Professionals booking hotels for large groups NYC can take care of the following important points:
- Custom booking links – special booking webpages to make sure that everyone books their room within the room block.
- Live rooming list – tracking of which members of the group have booked and which didn’t and filling of the room block.
- VIP and ADA room requests – booking specific types of rooms through the hotel.
- Room block adjustment – adding or subtracting rooms based on final attendance figures.
Such an approach guarantees that the two major problems of a group hotel experience never happen, which are guests unable to locate the room block and last-minute surprise about pickup rates when the deadline to meet them has already passed.
- They Protect Clients From Contract Risk
The contracts for large group bookings at hotels are filled with provisions with serious monetary implications. For instance, penalties for failure to reach the minimum number of rooms due to attrition can cost a huge amount.
Professional New York event planning services examine all clauses in the contract before signing it and negotiating the terms that minimize the risk for clients:
- Attrition penalties set up with the minimum pickup percentage down from 90 percent to 75 percent or lower.
- Provision allowing late bookings by other customers to offset attrition charges.
- Late booking cutoff date extended to allow more clients to book rooms within the room block.
- Specific cancellation terms specifying the refund policy.
Individuals usually do not understand the above clauses when signing the contracts with hotels. Planning professionals negotiate such provisions as a routine procedure for each project.
- They Manage the Details Which Spoil the Event
Large group bookings of hotel rooms usually include many aspects other than booking the room block itself. Booking hotels for large groups NYC also requires:
- Coordinating check-in and check-out times for groups arriving together.
- Organizing transfers between the hotel and the venue.
- Organizing room drops of gifts and/or brochures.
- Setting up a special check-in area for large groups.
- Making sure of compliance with ADA and dietary needs of guests.
The New York event planning services handle all these issues during the process of engagement, so organizers have to concentrate only on managing the event itself.
How Best Venues New York Manages Hotel Accommodations for Group Events
Best Venues New York provides full service when it comes to organizing hotel accommodations for groups of people in addition to providing event management and venue sourcing services. The company takes care of room blocks, contract negotiations, rooming lists, and logistics for corporate meetings, conferences, galas, and summits taking place in New York City. All of this is done by their team for free.
Their connections include hotels located in Midtown, the Financial District, Brooklyn, and boutique hotels in Manhattan. This gives clients access to the full range of hotels for large groups NYC rather than a limited selection of preferred partners.