What type of Group is right for you?
Dear [Name],
I'm thrilled to share that your wedding date at the beautiful resort is confirmed! This marks a major milestone in your wedding journey. With the major decisions now settled, it's my turn to take the reins and guide you through the next steps, ensuring you can enjoy the more exciting aspects of your wedding planning. Now, we need to address one crucial detail: your preferred method for managing guest accommodations.
You have two options to consider:
Groups Your Way/Group Ease: This choice allows each guest to book their own room, offering flexibility in travel packages that can include the room, flights (if booked within 10 months of travel), insurance, and tours. With this option, I will get a group code for you that links all of these reservations together so that you earn any perks & benefits for having a group. However, it's important to note that prices may vary over time, and there is a risk of the resort reaching full capacity or overselling.
Traditional Group Contract Reservations: Opting for a group reservation involves securing a set number of rooms through a "Group Contract." This is a formal agreement guaranteeing the availability and rates of a certain number of rooms in your reserved block. Although your guests will individually book and pay for their rooms, as the signatory of this contract, you'll be responsible for meeting its terms and conditions and making the initial deposit for all rooms, ensuring a more controlled and stable booking process for your guests.
Each option has its advantages, and the choice depends on what best suits your needs and those of your guests. I'm here to assist with either option and to answer any questions you may have.
Here's a breakdown of the benefits and logistics when opting for Group Contract Reservations:
Room Block Reservation: You have the flexibility to reserve the necessary number of rooms to accommodate your family and friends for your wedding. This is particularly crucial when selecting a smaller or popular resort, or when traveling during peak seasons when resorts tend to reach full capacity – which they often do. If all the rooms in your reserved block are booked, we can typically request additional rooms, and the original rate is often honored for these additional accommodations.
Flexible Arrival Dates and Stay Length: Although we establish specific dates to initiate the Group Agreement, your guests will have the freedom to choose their individual arrival dates and the number of nights they wish to stay when booking their rooms. They can also select their preferred room category and any desired upgrades, enabling each guest to personalize their trip according to their needs.
Locked-In Rates: The rates outlined in your Group Agreement remain fixed, ensuring that everyone pays the same price for their room. Since these rates are contractually set, there's no need for you or your guests to spend time scouring the internet for potentially better deals. Additionally, this helps prevent any discomfort that can arise when one guest discovers they paid more for their room than another guest. You can have confidence in the rates we secure within your Agreement.
Group Rooming List: I'll compile a Group Rooming List and submit it to the resort before your arrival, requesting that rooms be situated near each other. Resorts strive to accommodate such requests to the best of their abilities.
Optional Additions: Guests booking independent rooms have the flexibility to easily add optional items such as travel insurance, flights, and sightseeing tours to their reservations.
Group Amenities: Some resorts may include special amenities or upgrades for Group Agreements. These group-specific perks will be clearly outlined in your Group Agreement.
Payment Structure: Guests typically need to make an initial payment of around $100 per person to secure their room reservation. Final payments are usually due 65 days before the travel date, but guests have the option to pre-pay portions to better budget for their trip.
Things to Consider:
While a Group Agreement offers numerous advantages, it's essential to remember that it constitutes a legally binding contract with specific terms and conditions. All of these terms will be clearly outlined in the Agreement for your review before you decide to sign it. To maintain the group amenities, you typically need to secure a minimum number of rooms (usually around 10 rooms, and sometimes fewer for certain resorts).
It's worth noting that group rates may not always be the absolute cheapest option. This can be attributed to the fact that we are negotiating an average rate for a significant number of rooms. In the travel industry, as available inventory decreases, rates tend to increase.
Managing your group reservation also comes with deadlines for canceling extra rooms, and there may be penalties if you cancel beyond a certain threshold. As a precaution, I often recommend starting with a conservative number of rooms to avoid penalties, and this approach tends to work well.
Furthermore, a deposit is typically required for your reserved block of rooms, but we can utilize individual deposits made by your guests toward the Group Deposit, streamlining the process.
When it comes to airline arrangements, it's important to note that airlines often have their own requirements and rules. Most airlines will insist that all guests within the group be booked on the same flights, traveling to the same destinations, and on the same dates. These rules are set by the airlines themselves and are separate from the resort's Group Agreement.
Regarding the Group Deposit, here's a detailed explanation (for illustrative purposes):
Let's consider a scenario where you're arranging a group with 10 rooms, which will accommodate a total of 20 guests (assuming an average of 2 guests per room). In this case, the Group Deposit is calculated as follows: 10 rooms multiplied by a $100 deposit per room, resulting in a total Group Deposit of $1,000. Please note that the actual deposit amount required may vary depending on the specific resort's policies.
We typically have a designated timeframe to collect deposits from your guests before the Group Deposit deadline. At the end of this extended period, I will calculate the total Group Deposit required and subtract the deposits your guests have already paid. The remaining deposit amount will be your responsibility to ensure that the remaining rooms in your group block are secured. The amount you pay will later be applied to YOUR room reservation when we finalize payments, typically 65 days prior to the travel date. As long as you meet the terms of the agreement, you won't lose this deposit, and it guarantees the availability of the specified number of rooms for your guests, preventing them from selling out. If additional rooms are required along the way, we can usually arrange for them, depending on the hotel's availability.
In summary:
Group Agreements are advantageous when approached with a clear understanding. If you have confidence in the number of guests on your list and can commit to meeting the minimum room requirement, I recommend that we request a Group Agreement. This will allow you to review the actual rates and terms, giving you the opportunity to ask questions and fully understand the agreement before making a commitment.