In a past not so long ago, it was normal for a person to grow up within a few blocks of grandparents, aunts, uncles and assorted cousins. One could attend local schools, seek work in the area, and perhaps settle down with a hometown sweetheart. In this world of the past, weddings could take place nearby and the reception might be held at a favorite family restaurant within a short commute of friends and family.
This situation still exists today. However, it is more likely that your friends and family will be coming from long distances. While you plan every aspect of your wedding experience, take a moment to recognize the special effort made by those guests who will be arriving from far off places. They will come by planes, trains, and automobiles. And they will come with heavy bags, gifts and individual needs. With that in mind, you will want to plan the perfect 'thank-you.’ But without breaking your budget. Need custom suits or tuxedos?
First, you want to reserve rooms at a nearby hotel for your out-of-town guests. What you do not want is for your guests to call around town looking for a hotel room a few months before your wedding only to discover that all the rooms in town are $500 per night. And you certainly do not want (and this happens more frequently than rarely) for your guests to find that all the rooms in town have been taken by a large convention, concert, and/or sporting event.
As a key bit of advice, reserve a block of rooms for your guests at special rates at one or two select hotels with plenty of time before the big event. At most hotels, and as a general rule, the minimum number of guests rooms required to make a block is 10 rooms per night. If, however, you are holding the reception at the hotel or using any banquet space that number can be flexed. If you are looking for over 30 rooms per night, another good idea is to split the group blocks among two to three hotels. This way your guests can have a choice between different locations and prices. (HotelPlanner.com). Whatever you do to set up these hotel blocks, do not start blindly calling hotels in your area. You will not be doing your guests any favors by reserving blocks at the first rates the hotel quotes to you. The first step is to see what rates are out there on the internet. The best source for accomplishing this is HotelPlanner.com.
The best thing about Hotel Planner’s system is that it is free and easy to use. All you need to do is name your location and dates and HotelPlanner.com will do the rest. If you were thinking of having your event away from home, it will allow you to search hotel group rates in multiple cities at the same time. They will also assign an account representative to you. This representative will help make sure your hotel deals are not only the best, but they will help with the reservation process as well.
The reservation process is very important because even if the room rate is very low, the deal may include a very strict cancellation policy, a high cash deposit, or other hidden costs such as mandatory resort fees.
Your HotelPlanner.com account representative will be a great help through these and all of other issues you may encounter. After choosing your hotel, the account representative will set up a special online booking website just for your guests. This will help you keep track of your guests as they confirm with your hotel. Again, all these services are free of charge. Don’t keep your finger hovering over the button. Start planning your wedding today.