Where will your guests stay?

When all your loved ones come into town for your wedding, they will need someplace to sleep. Supplying lodging for the out-of-town visitors used to be the bride’s family’s responsibility, but with times changing, most guests foot their own bill.


If your reception will be held at a hotel’s banquet hall, then it would make the most sense to book a block of rooms for your guest at that very site. Your banquet hall manager will easily guide you to the selection of a floor and a variety of rooms. Many all-in-one packages come at a discount, and some give the honeymoon suite to the bride and groom for free.


If you are not lucky enough to have the connected reception all and hotel option, then you will have to search for the right lodging for your guests. It all depends on the number of people you will need to host, and the budget level they can afford. Most brides attack this potentially dreadful task by researching hotels at several different budget levels. Although they obviously stay away from the seedy roadside motels with hourly rates, flickering lights, and a “FREE HBO” sign, they try to include in their list the possibilities of a budget hotel that is of high quality.


When searching for a quality hotel in moderate and higher expense brackets, ask the following:

• Is it close to the reception location?
  
• Does it require complicated travel directions, such as around hard-to-navigate circles?
  
• Does it have enough rooms?
  
• What is the nightly price of the rooms?
  
• Does it have room service? What time do they stop serving?
  
• Does it offer non-smoking rooms?
  
• Does it offer cribs and cots?
  
• Does it offer efficiencies?
  
• Does it have amenities, such as a spa or workout room, sauna, game room, etc.?
  
• Is it rated by AAA? How many stars?
  

When searching for the right place for your guests to stay, you should always tour the hotel in the company of the manager. Always inspect a hotel as if you were looking for your own spot to stay. Use your own judgment and request the best for your guests.


Booking a block of rooms in a hotel’s wedding package is not always the best deal. Although you should consider what it offers – such as a champagne breakfast buffet for your guests and your suite for free – be a smart shopper and inspect the package on an itemized basis. Find out what the regular rates for the rooms are on the dates of your wedding weekend. Then itemize your wedding package deal to see what you will actually save per room. Sometimes, the overfilled package with the seemingly great free services is actually a higher priced collection of what you could get for less than in a standard reservation.


When booking your rooms, be sure to get a solid contract that specifies the number of rooms, the suites you may have selected by name, the floor you want to be on, the date your guests’ arrive, and your complete contact information. And don’t forget to ask about the refund/cancellation rules and rates, as well as check in and check out times. Add the hotel manager’s name to your list of pre-wedding confirmation calls, and you are all set.