Hotel room prices (increase) for weddings

Name Changed

I have booked the hotel for our wedding, and we were told that we would have a special deal for wedding guests who want to stay in the hotel at €60 per person. I thought that was very expensive, but when told that is was a "special deal" I thought nothing of it.

I checked the hotel rates recently, and the rooms are only €70 each per night! So our special rate works out at €50 extra per room!

First of all, I didn't realise that hotels could conveniently raise their prices if there was a wedding on but that's another issue.

Anyway, there are always deals for this hotel on Groupon, etc. I contacted the hotel with a view to using these vouchers and was told that they cannot be used in tandem with any other deal, it's in the small print.

I checked the small print and it does say that. But the deal that we have is €50 extra per room so it's not exactly a deal.

Anyone have any experiences with such a thing and if so, what did you do?

It's really after annoying me. I was delighted with this hotel but now I feel we are being totally ripped off. This hotel was recommended to me by word of mouth and it appears that this is how they drum up most of their business. I don't understand why they would claim to have a special rate for wedding guests when the price has gone up by 60% odd. It's "special" alright.

Name Changed

Oh, and I queried the hotel and as I said they said the Groupon offer cannot be used with another offer. I said there isn't really an offer, since it's an increase in price.

They have decline to answer any further correspondence from me!

paulbok

Do you have to take the "special rooms" for the wedding?
If not just let your guests know NOT to mention the wedding when they book.

Name Changed

paulbok wrote: »

Do you have to take the "special rooms" for the wedding?
If not just let your guests know NOT to mention the wedding when they book.

It's only a small hotel! Only wedding guests can stay there!

stinkle

have they actually block-booked all the rooms on your behalf though? If, for example, most of your guests opt to stay elsewhere then surely they'd end up letting non-wedding guests stay in vacant rooms. You could query that perhaps, and maybe insist on them accepting the groupon voucher for people who do stay there as part of the bartering

sandin

When the hotel does not have a wedding, they discount the rates in order to fill their rooms. This is done ona percentage of room and once the allocation is sold out, the rates increase

You can be sure that the groupon vouchers would not be valid on a wedding night and possibly only a few rooms are allocated to the vouchers..

Hotels also have what is called a standard / rack rate - this is charged at busy weekends or when major events are on.

For a wedding a hotel normally charges a rate inbetween their special offer rate and standard rate and it means all guests can get this price until all rooms are sold out.

The other alternative is to have no rooms reserved and some guests paying €70 per room with no breakfast and others paying €90 per persom B&B and others paying over this again. And then some groupon coupon hlders also getting rooms to the detriment of your guests.

If this was the scenario, then you'd really be mad.

Name Changed

stinkle wrote: »

have they actually block-booked all the rooms on your behalf though? If, for example, most of your guests opt to stay elsewhere then surely they'd end up letting non-wedding guests stay in vacant rooms. You could query that perhaps, and maybe insist on them accepting the groupon voucher for people who do stay there as part of the bartering

The rooms are held on our behalf until a month before the wedding. If the rooms were reasonably priced, we would take them all. I could tell them to keep 25 of them and tell everyone else to book, but according to the hotel the groupon voucher cannot be used as the rooms are technically reserved for the wedding and there is a "special offer" in place. I could get everyone to go to a different hotel which is €20 cheaper per room, but that would ruin the night. Most people would have to leave relatively early!

Name Changed

sandin wrote: »

When the hotel does not have a wedding, they discount the rates in order to fill their rooms. This is done ona percentage of room and once the allocation is sold out, the rates increase

You can be sure that the groupon vouchers would not be valid on a wedding night and possibly only a few rooms are allocated to the vouchers..

Hotels also have what is called a standard / rack rate - this is charged at busy weekends or when major events are on.

For a wedding a hotel normally charges a rate inbetween their special offer rate and standard rate and it means all guests can get this price until all rooms are sold out.

The other alternative is to have no rooms reserved and some guests paying €70 per room with no breakfast and others paying €90 per persom B&B and others paying over this again. And then some groupon coupon hlders also getting rooms to the detriment of your guests.

If this was the scenario, then you'd really be mad.

Cheers for the info!

When I check the price for a room on any night with a wedding however, the room is still at the standard rate. It just won't let you book it!

Not that I'm trying to be smart or anything, but why is this such an issue, out of curiousity?

Surely you thought the price was okay in the first place, when you agreed to it? I understand everyone's trying to save a few Euro here and there, but the hotel are practically reserving the whole place for you (hence why you can't book that date). I don't know anything about the hotel industry, but I would imagine such a thing would cost more, alright.


You'll always find cheaper hotels, but expecting a hotel to take vouchers that they use as a tool to try and fill rooms when the place is otherwise dead, on the night of a Wedding, when they're practically guaranteed good numbers, is a bit of a stretch, in my own personal opinion.

Just my thoughts, though, personally.

Recessionbust

sandin wrote: »

When the hotel does not have a wedding, they discount the rates in order to fill their rooms. This is done ona percentage of room and once the allocation is sold out, the rates increase

You can be sure that the groupon vouchers would not be valid on a wedding night and possibly only a few rooms are allocated to the vouchers..

Hotels also have what is called a standard / rack rate - this is charged at busy weekends or when major events are on.

For a wedding a hotel normally charges a rate inbetween their special offer rate and standard rate and it means all guests can get this price until all rooms are sold out.

The other alternative is to have no rooms reserved and some guests paying €70 per room with no breakfast and others paying €90 per persom B&B and others paying over this again. And then some groupon coupon hlders also getting rooms to the detriment of your guests.

If this was the scenario, then you'd really be mad.

This is true. The hotel has a min an max rate. They can charge which ever they like.
Rather than argue this with them why don't you sit down with your wedding planner and discuss your grievance with them? They are normally very helpfull an while they may not given any further reduction at least you will have put your grievance across.

Name Changed

Deleted User wrote: »

Not that I'm trying to be smart or anything, but why is this such an issue, out of curiousity?

Surely you thought the price was okay in the first place, when you agreed to it? I understand everyone's trying to save a few Euro here and there, but the hotel are practically reserving the whole place for you (hence why you can't book that date). I don't know anything about the hotel industry, but I would imagine such a thing would cost more, alright.


You'll always find cheaper hotels, but expecting a hotel to take vouchers that they use as a tool to try and fill rooms when the place is otherwise dead, on the night of a Wedding, when they're practically guaranteed good numbers, is a bit of a stretch, in my own personal opinion.

Just my thoughts, though, personally.

They sold the hotel to us on the basis that they did a "special offer" for wedding guests. They told us that the price was reduced to 120 from something else (I can't remember now) so although I didn't regard it as cheap, I thought they were being reasonable. Then I realised that the price of the room would normally only be 70.

The "special offer" that they offered was to add 50 onto the price. That just annoyed me!!

I've sorted in now. I did enough moaning and bi***ing that they are giving it for 100 a room if paid in advance. Although not that much of a difference, it will seem like it is!

The hotel will make an absolute fortune from the wedding anyway. We're having a fairly big wedding, but the majority going would drink right through into the morning and they keep the residents bar open once there is someone there!

I didn't really expect them to take the vouchers. It was the "special offer" deal that really annoyed me!

Name Changed

Recessionbust wrote: »

This is true. The hotel has a min an max rate. They can charge which ever they like.
Rather than argue this with them why don't you sit down with your wedding planner and discuss your grievance with them? They are normally very helpfull an while they may not given any further reduction at least you will have put your grievance across.

I got it reduced by 20 per room if paid for in advance to that's better than nothing! It was worth giving out about it!