Unless you’re eloping, an engaged couple has the eternal question: where will my wedding guests spend the night?
Here are 10 tips for scheduling room blocks in Calhoun County:
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A room block is an agreement you reach with the hotel. They’ll save rooms for your guests, but the guests have to make reservations by the cut-off date. So make sure they know that date.
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Don’t put it off! Take care of the hotel blocks right after you book the venue. Hotels in Calhoun County fill up fast, so the earlier the better, says Calhoun County Visitors Bureau Sales Director Jay Gladstone.
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Here’s a tip to estimate the number of rooms per block: Some of your guests who live near the destination might want a room, too. A wedding is a great time to hang out with old friends or spend a night away from the kids. Start with counting the out-of-town guests, your wedding party and family, but add some extra rooms.
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The more guests you have, the more options you should offer. To help with budgets, try to keep each block at a different price. There is a cluster of four hotels by Beckley Road in Battle Creek that are a great option for this. With different price points and amenitites, they’re so close together that carpooling or a shuttle is easy for everyone.
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Having your rehearsal dinner, cocktail hour, reception or a post-wedding brunch at the hotel makes planning easier. Many hotels have options for meetings, food and drinks.
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When picking a number to block, start with a higher number than you think you need. It’s harder to go up than go down. “You want to make sure Grandma and Grandpa aren’t left out because they didn’t get a hotel room,” Jay says.
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Communicate, communicate, communicate – let guests know the blocks are available. It’ll save them time and money, but they can’t wait. Put hotel information and the cut-off date on your wedding website, add an accomodations card to the invite and directly contact your out-of-town guests through email. “There’s always those couple guests, like Uncle Bob, who does everything last minute,” Jay says.
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Agree to the block and then keep in touch with the hotel. Have constant updates with the sales manager to see where you’re at. If guests aren’t booking, send out reminders. Ask the hotel sales manager who booked, because you might have to get after Uncle Bob. If it’s booking up fast, you can try to add a few more rooms.
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Make welcome bags. If your guests are from out-of-town, then they’ll be looking for things to do and places to eat – maybe a bar for a post-wedding get-together or a diner for a late breakfast. Throw in some candy or a souvenier. The Calhoun County Visitors Bureau is a great resource for that information and we have cute items in our store that would be good add-ons, like postcards and cereal bowls. Ask if the hotel will hand out welcome bags at check-in or deliver directly to the room.
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If you don’t know where to start, reach out to Jay. Jay can talk it through with you and send out requests to hotels for prices and accomodations. Then you can make a better-informed decision without making a dozen calls. Email Sales Director Jay Gladstone at jay@battlecreekvisitors.org or call 269-420-5973.