Do’s and Don’ts of Booking Hotels With VenueQuest

August 28, 2015 by

The most comDos and Donts of booking hotels with VenueQuestmon misconception we face at VenueQuest, is customers who think our third party hotel booking services are only for large meetings.  The truth is, most company meetings are small meetings, and never see more than 35 people in attendance.  While we certainly enjoy when a company meeting is big enough to fill an entire hotel, it is the customers who regularly need to find hotels for small meetings who are the bread and butter that keep our lights on and our team working.

But this is only the most common misconception which we hear about.  During a recent convention, an informal poll of potential customers revealed a few more reasons why some would-be customers thought it would be best to book group hotel rooms and off site meetings on their own.  This infographic is your quick guide to understanding where we all stand when working together.

 

Filed Under: Best Practices, Meeting Planning Advice, VenueQuest Services

What To Do When Hotels Are Sold Out.

January 27, 2015 by

We have always promoted the fact that VenueQuest hotel booking service was a convenient way for our customers to find and book the most Sold Out Hotelcompetitive hotel for their needs.  Conversations with our customers about which factors were important to them when selecting a hotel for their meetings have revolved around factors such as; convenient location, good price on hotel rooms and recently renovated.

But as of early 2015, we are seeing a surge in requests from anxious Executive Assistants who are discovering their go-to hotel is booked, whether that happens to be in San Francisco, Atlanta, or Frankfurt.  And so is the hotel next door!  This reveals another benefit of VenueQuests booking service which is becoming more relevant as the demand on the travel industry grows more intense every month.  That is the fact that we can simultaneously determine the availability of group room rates, and meeting space at every hotel in a given city.

After placing your request for group hotel rooms and meeting space with VenueQuest, we promptly solicit your requirement to every hotel that can physically accommodate your needs.  Then, we prepare a custom report for you detailing only the offers with guaranteed availability for your dates, and meeting space needs.  2-3 days after your initial request, you will have the information you need to select a hotel for your off-site meeting and proceed with a booking.

There is never a fee for this service, and we can assist you with your hotel booking needs in any city or resort worldwide.

Send Us Your Hotel Request

Filed Under: Best Practices, Meeting Planning Advice, VenueQuest Services

Where Can I Put This Pan

May 30, 2014 by

At the end of April, I relocated to a new home. A much smaller home. My previous residence was a 5 bedroom suburban colonial with a basement, an attic, a wide driveway and enough storage and closet space to hide a small marching band. My new place has just enough storage space to hide a photo of a marching band. Ah, the sacrifices we make for love.

As I have spent nights and weekends trying to achieve organization, I have re-learned that there is always more than one way to get something done. And having the perspective of a fresh set of eyes can absolutely work wonders.  More than a few times, I have found myself standing in the middle of the kitchen, with a bowl or pan in my hand and defeat on my face as I try to locate a resting spot for just one more item. And then, just as I am about to give up and write a blog post about being frustrated, my fiance glides in, looks left, then right, flips a stack of plastic cups and a cheese grater, snatches the bowl from my hand, and before I even understand what has happened, she is gone.

This scenario has played out both ways. The downsizing required the rental of a storage unit and it turned out there is a reason why my Dad was always in charge of packing the car for family vacations…I seem to have genetic super powers when it comes to stacking, turning, balancing and fitting the boxes together in that tiny space. That time, it was my lady who stood by watching with amazement.  In both cases, we had each confronted a challenge with our own perspective, and our internal tools for problem solving, and while I am sure we each would have gotten the job done, it turned out that someone with a different perspective could get the job done faster and easier.

If you find yourself in a situation at work (or with church, team sports, or family gatherings) where you need to book a hotel for a meeting, and you need discounted hotel group rates, consider calling VenueQuest to see if our perspective could get the job done faster and easier for you.

To qualify for discounted hotel group rates, our minimum size is 10 rooms per night.   Booking hotels for groups is all we do, so we have the resources to find you the ideal venue anywhere in the world. There is never a fee for this service, and you will not pay more for hotel rooms brokered by VenueQuest, than you would had you booked it yourself.

Our value is in providing a decision making process which gives you the confidence that you have selected the best hotel for your group.

Thanks for reading today.

Filed Under: Meeting Planning Advice, VenueQuest Services

How To Save Money When Planning a Meeting Series

May 7, 2012 by

Consider alternate patterns

Most groups try to schedule their meetings to take place in the middle of the week. However, if your meeting is only a few days long, try to schedule it towards either in the beginning or the end of the week so that the hotel could possibly book two groups during that week instead of one. This allows the hotel to maximize revenue for the week, and therefore your group will not be looked upon to pay the higher rates needed to meet their revenue goals.

Find great hotels in Second Tier Cities

Love to go to Phoenix in the winter for the incredible weather, but can’t find reasonable rates or availability? Try Tucson! Wish you could afford San Francisco… how about Oakland instead? It is close to all three major airports in the area and they have a great train that can get you to downtown San Francisco in minutes!

Hot dates

Many hotels send us their “hot dates” regularly, letting us know the dates they need to fill and usually offer incredible incentives to clients for booking over those needed dates.

Ensure guests are checked in under your room block to avoid attrition penalties

Organizations are going as far as penalizing attendees for not checking in under the group room block. If an association gets hit with a high bill for attrition, it could force them to lose a substantial amount of money and possibly increase membership rates to compensate for it. This is a good incentive for attendees to book rooms properly.

Allow use of your meeting room after hours

If you only need your meeting room during daytime hours, allow the hotel to book an evening reception. You can substantially reduce meeting room rental this way.

Negotiate important concessions into your contract

Some examples of important concessions are late check-outs or upgrades, it is best to negotiate them prior to the contract. Typically hotels will not accommodate those requests after the contract has been signed.

Share staging materials with other groups before or after your meeting

If you have extensive audio visual or staging requirements, ask about the groups meeting before or after your group, if they have similar needs, you may be able to save on set up or breakdown costs.

Hold meal functions in meeting room

Seek sponsorships

Obtain quotes from outside vendors

Hotels will typically not allow you to bring in food and beverage for your group, but sometimes you can find better prices on audio visual equipment by getting a few quotes.

Consider international destinations

There are fantastic international destinations that are inexpensive to fly to and have extraordinary hotels at fair prices. Call VenueQuest to help you locate a great international hotel for your next meeting!

 

Filed Under: Best Practices, Meeting Planning Advice, Planning Meetings, Saving Money