But whether or not the facility of your choice is a hotel, you will need to provide your out-of-town guests with some idea of where they can stay. Even your local guests may wish to avoid the risk of driving home after having a few drinks at your reception.
Call for rates early! In the first place, you tend to get a better rate when calling a year or so in advance. And once a rate is quoted, it's golden. Second, if your wedding date happens to fall on a convention weekend, or during fall foliage or any other special event, you will need to know this as soon as possible so that your guests who will need rooms can get them!
If your reception is booked at a hotel, contact your banquet sales representative. In larger operations, you might be referred to a Group Sales Manager. In any case, you will want to get information on rates for the day before, the day of, and the day after your wedding. And, if you are speaking with a representative of the hotel other than the banquet sales-rep, you will want to point out that your wedding is being held there. Be sure you know the following:
1. (Based on your wedding occurring on a weekend) Is this the best weekend rate available? Is there an additional discount if a certain number of rooms are booked by your wedding guests?
2. (Based on your wedding occurring during a weekend) What would the weekday rate be per night for guests arriving earlier in the week, or staying later into the next week?
3. Are these rates per person or per room?
4. What is the rate with tax? Are there any other fees or surcharges?
5. What is the cost for cribs? For rollaway beds?
6. Are handicapped rooms available?
7. Are there any special events coinciding with the weekend (or surrounding the date) of your wedding?
8. Is there a toll-free reservation number that out-of-state guests can call direct to reach the hotel?
9. Up until what time of day can a room be held for guest arrival without a credit card number to secure it?
10. What credit cards are accepted at this hotel?
If the hotel sees no danger of filling up well before your wedding guests have received their invitations:
- Ask that a "rate quote" card be filled out with your name (use your maiden name), the groom's name, and the weekend or date of your wedding. This method does not guarantee rooms for your wedding day, so you have no financial obligations. It simply provides the reservationist with the proper rate quote for your group. You will be responsible for supplying any necessary information to your guests. But don't worry — it's very simple!
- Ask if you may have some brochures to mail to your guests. These should be supplied to you without charge. Ask for enough for one-half of your total guest count.
The best plan of action is to mail the hotel brochure separately from your invitation, with the rate information for all guests, and a list of "tourist activities" included for those coming from out of town. Your hotel information notice can be simply typewritten, copied, and folded into the brochure. Here's an example:
THE BELMONT PLAZA
of Belmont Hills, Massachusetts
is pleased to offer specially discounted rates for our wedding guests!
$49.00 per room per night on the weekend ($55.00 per room per night during the week) plus 9.7% tax
In-state call direct: Out-of-state call toll free:
(617) 555-1776 1-800-555-0001
Remember to tell the reservationist that you are with the Hamilton-Cartwright Reception
A VISA®, MasterCard®, American Express®, or Diners Club Card® number will be necessary to hold your room for arrival after 4 p.m. Call early to ensure availability. See? It's that easy!
But what if there is a special event scheduled for the same weekend as your wedding? If rooms are currently available, you should definitely reserve a "block" of rooms for the ease and comfort of your guests.
How many rooms will you need? The average wedding results in 10% of the guests booking rooms. So, if your anticipated guest count is 200, reserve 20 rooms. However, if you plan on inviting several out-of-town guests, increase that number accordingly!
Avoid using your credit card to hold a block of rooms. Instead, get a cut-off date. This simply means that these 20 or so rooms will be held until a certain date without obligation. On that specified date, any and for reservations made by your wedding guests after the cut-off date would then be subject to availability.
Keep in mind that you will have to give your guests adequate notice! If your cut-off date is five weeks prior to your wedding, you must send your invitations out approximately eight weeks before your wedding day! You can send out a notice like the example shown later, but remember to replace the "Call early to ensure availability" line with something like the following:
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the increased demand for rooms during fall foliage season, you must make your reservations prior to September 1st!
In any case, remember that you will want to book rooms for your bridesmaids, ushers, and other important friends and family members coming from out of town. Count up the number of rooms you know you will need and add half a dozen to that number. Remember to ask for nonsmoking rooms for your friends and family who do not smoke.
Give a credit card number to hold these rooms and get a written copy or computer print-out of your reservation. This should state the latest date you can cancel what you don't need. Securing the six extra rooms helps in two ways: (1) You may have unintentionally forgotten someone special on your list. (2) Because of your credit card hold, these rooms will be available longer than the general block of rooms held for your wedding guests. In this way, you might be able to assist anyone who waited until the last minute to get a room. Just remember to cancel what you don't need by the date specified! If you don't, your credit card will be billed for at least one night's room and tax on any and all unclaimed rooms. And if the hotel can prove that you understood the policies, you will have little or no recourse through your credit card company.
Now, if your reception facility does not have overnight accommodations, call or visit all the hotels, motels, inns, and bed-and-break-fast facilities in your immediate area. Get rate quotes for your wedding day and ask if the facility has a toll-free number. I would recommend taking the time to see a guest room at each facility. This helps you to avoid referring a property to your guests that might not be quite up to your standards.
Depending on the style and mailing specifications of your invitation, you can either include this list as an insert to your invitation, or mail it separately with a "tourist activities" list for out-of-town guests. And, as previously mentioned, if your wedding date coincides with a special event in your area, indicate to your guests that they should make their reservations as early as possible.
Having reviewed all of the overnight accommodations in your area, select the best site for your bridesmaids, family members, or whomever you will be providing rooms for, based on where you believe they might feel most comfortable. Bed-and-breakfasts often appeal to couples, and many of these homes or small inns provide truly romantic atmospheres. They are not, however, always suitable for a group of giggling bridesmaids. Your friends might wish to "party" and have a good time, and may not feel quite at ease doing so in someone else's home. Just use your best judgment. Not all your personal guests need to stay at the same place.
And once again, as tiresome as it may be to hear, remember to get in writing all the deposit and cancellation policies!
Tourist Activities for Out-of-Town Guests
Once your closest friends and family from out of town hear the happy news of your engagement, they may possibly decide to work their vacation plans around the day of your wedding. And even for those just coming for the weekend, what nicer gift can you give them but some great ideas on what to do!
If you, your fiance, or any immediate family member belongs to AAA, or any other fine travel service, you're in great luck. Visit your local office, explain that you're getting married, etc., and ask for information on all there is to do within easy driving distance in the season in which you will wed. Know in advance approximately how many mailings you would need. Some agencies will have stock supplies of brochures, coupons, etc., just for the asking. Even if you don't have any professional contacts in the travel world, there are still some options open to you:
- Visit your local Chamber of Commerce for ideas.
- Drive to your closest tourist information facility.
If you have no way of getting, or for that matter mailing, all of the tourist information available to your guests, you can simply type a list and send it out with your hotel notice. Just remember to include a variety of activities and restaurants to appeal to both couples and families. And for courtesy's sake, include church service schedules for as many denominations as you can. (Note: If your reception is being held at a hotel, the front desk usually has, or posts, such a listing. You can either copy this information, or indicate on your packet that the hotel will provide schedules upon request.)
If you have enough time and the desire to do so, you can write your own Personal "Travel Guide" for out-of-town guests! Just visit all the fun places to go to in your area (if you haven't done so recently) and write your opinions down in letter format to copy for your guests. Be sure to include everything — amusement parks, museums, walking tours, aquariums, historic buildings, beaches, gardens, nature trails. . . . Are there any interesting arts and crafts galleries, or any other specialty shops, particularly in "restored" areas? What sporting events are going on? Are there any special celebrations in or around town, such as a blue-grass festival or Oktoberfest? Is there a lovely dairy farm nearby that offers tours of their cheesemaking process? How about bicycle tours, or boat rides? Just keep in mind the time of year in which your wedding will occur. And for basic information, list movie theatres and local restaurants. If you have a favorite romantic or fun restaurant, be sure to let people know, but also include the "family" type eateries so that everyone can dine well according to their budgets.
This personalized travel planner can be as informative and as fun as you want to make it. And don't be afraid to ask each place for coupons you can pass along to your guests (restaurants included). They'd most likely welcome the added business. And your wedding guests will feel honored that you did so much to make their stay special!
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