Finding a hotel that works for your event can be a challenge. You want affordability for your client with the ideal amenities to suit their needs. However, achieving those goals isn’t always as simple as it might seem. With 18 years’ experience in meeting and event planning, Sean Schuette of Schuette on Duty Solutions, is no stranger to the art of hotel negotiations. He revealed some of his best practices for us so that you can get the “big deal” the next time you book your event hotel.
Q. Tell me about Schuette on Duty Solutions and what you offer your customers?
A. I’ve been involved and working in the industry for 18 years now, and this is the first year of operation for Schuette on Duty Solutions. My three main areas of focus involve event strategy, event design, and event production. I help spark outcome-based solutions for meetings and events.
Q. Where do you start when negotiating a package with a hotel? Room rates, food and beverage, meeting space, technology?
A. The first thing to do is to have a set date (or dates) from the client for the program. That opens up the discussion and through the RFP, I try to present the entire picture to the hotel or venue up front. This helps them see that this is not just another lead coming across their desk. By presenting the clients’ needs as fully as I can up front, I avoid what I call a “square peg in a round hole.” In other words, I want to know that they can accommodate us with what we need, rather than try to sandwich us in with something that won’t work for the program and its goals. I’d rather stop the discussion at that point then continue to try to negotiate something that just won’t work.
Q. How do you know if a hotel is the right one?
A. It’s really about a partnership. Sometimes the hotel may not be a fit and it might not work for the event and its needs. That’s why I ask for as much of the clients’ needs up front as possible.
Q. What advice would you offer to an inexperienced planner who is new to this?
A. You should ask for as much information as you can from your client in advance. Find out the sleeping room rate range, as that is a key part of the process. What often happens is guests will book outside the block. They may find they can get a better rate or better benefits with their credit card or ancillary membership. That means that sometimes you need to construct your room block conservatively. In the end, I make sure I do my best to partner with the client to promote the host hotel and communicate the benefits of booking there.
History is key to the process when determining the needs of the program. Has the group done a similar event like this before? What kind of room block did they book? How did they perform on what was blocked? If it’s a first-time event at a hotel, there are a lot of unknowns and it is best to be on the conservative side of things and partner with the venue as you go along. It’s important to have frequent periods to check in and see pacing on aspects of the program.
Q. Any other tips?
A. The best policy is to be up front on the rate range. For example, for a past event we had narrowed the choices down to two hotels. There was a difference of ten dollars for the rate between the two. I asked the sales team at the hotel that we preferred what we needed to do to get the rate we wanted. They spoke with their superiors and we were able to negotiate the client’s preferred rate. The point is to have that discussion early on as opposed to later, so that you’re not put in the position of begging.
It all comes back to relationships you’ve built. If they’re not the right fit for this event, it’s better to shake hands and walk away. By keeping a good relationship with them, you open the door to the possibility that another client might be a good fit.
