Bar Extensions

Stephen P

The hotel where I'm getting married are charging €380 for a bar extension. If the normal bar times are until 12.30am the extension is only until 2.30am. We're paying all that money for 2 hours extra. :eek:
Is that the normal rate? And I wonder could I only get an hour extra for less?
I'd ring the hotel only the wedding co-ordinator isn't there today.

ecaf

Our hotel said it was going up from €200 to €450, but they were only going to charge us €200.
Apparently they have to apply for a bar extension to allow them to serve later than normal. Some hotels are giving discounts on it, ours ended up giving it to us complimentary when we were negotiating.

You can always decline to get it and just use the residents bar from 12:30 - either call their bluff, or else your guests who are not staying in the hotel will have to leave!

Stephen P

I'll ring tomorrow and try to negotiate it. I'm thinking about trying to negotiate the price of the rooms aswell for guests. They're currently charging €75 per person sharing. A lot of people have said they won't stay because its so expensive.

omahaid

Nearly all the hotels we dealt with just used the bar extension fee as a negotiation ploy, they "discounted" it for us after we started negotation. One or two places just said straight up that they would pay for it as they will make money. Suffice to say, that sort of honesty got our business.

Toots

AFAIK it costs €500 to apply for the bar extension through the courts, so some hotels will (try to) make you cover this cost. TBH, I think it's a bit much, because they're basically charging you to make you and your guests spend more money in their hotel. When you think about how much drink they will likely sell in those two hours, they'll cover €500 no problem, especially considering by that hour of the night the party is usually in full swing and drink is flowing.

Our hotel offered it to us complimentary straight out, but most people I know who have recently gotten/ are getting married have negotiated with the hotel to waive the fee. It's usually the first thing they try to bargain down. I had about 30 hotel brochures sent out to me when we were looking at hotels, and out of them all I think there were only 5 or 6 who were trying to charge for bar extensions.

Emerald Lass

thats €500 per year BTW, not per event! so if they are charging €450 then one wedding practically pays for it for them for the year! but they still ask every couple to pay it. total swizz.

Was another thread on here a while ago where some people mentioned that they have been told that they could not refuse to extend the bar because food was served or something? not sure about it, someone might be able to shed soem more light.

one hotel I looked at wanted €450 for the extension, which was only 1 hour! which I thought was total highway robbery. My hotel wanted €200 - if I was having a larger party it was free, but cos my wedding is only 50 people at day reception, they wanted me to pay! I pointed out that my wedding is in 3 mths, on a thursday so the chances of them getting another larger booking was slim. I was providing them with business throughout the day they would not normally have on a Thursday. I bluffed and told them either throw in the extension or I'd forgoe it, but I wasn't forking out €200 to allow them make more money over the bar! and lets be honest the best time for spending money over the bar is later in the night when no one wants the night to end!

In the end they caved and made a compromise - just as well cos I did really want it, just didn't want to pay €200! Ended up agreeing to €50 as a compromise to cover the extra 2 hours for the bar staff. Would rather it have been free, but €50 isn't bad considering.

chance your arm - what have you got to loose?

and if they do throw it in/reduce it get it in writing to confirm.