| As the person who organizes trips for your group, you | | | | to give you better rates than they otherwise would to |
| will need to know how to get good hotel rates when | | | | keep your business. Organizing multiple trips for multiple |
| you and your group travel. There are a number of | | | | groups will also help you to negotiate better rates with |
| things you can do to get better deals for your group. | | | | a hotel. This is one reason why you can sometimes |
| To do this it helps to know a little of how hotels | | | | get better rates going through a professional group |
| operate and handle their bookings. | | | | organizer. They give hotels enough business that they |
| As a group staying in a hotel, you may expect to get | | | | can get rates that even after marking-up, work out |
| better rates than an individual or family. Hotels generally | | | | cheaper than what you could get by your self direct. |
| consider a booking of 10 or more rooms a group | | | | Negotiation |
| booking. Below this point you are unlikely to get any | | | | Don't be afraid to negotiate with a hotel. Hotels will not |
| real discount on your booking. This normally equates to | | | | normally give you the best rate they can do straight |
| a minimum group size of 20 people taking double (1 | | | | away. They will give you the rate they want to sell at |
| double bed) or twin (2 single beds) rooms. You can | | | | although they can drop back to a certain point. Keep |
| cram your group into quad and triple rooms but these | | | | negotiating until you think you have reached that point. |
| are generally intended for families and you will often | | | | You can also try playing one hotel of another. Get |
| find that the 3rd and 4th beds are sofa or pull out | | | | quotes from another hotel. Even if it is not cheaper tell |
| beds. | | | | the hotel you are negotiating with that a competitor |
| Supply and demand | | | | has offered you £5 per night less and can they |
| The rate you get out of a hotel is fundamentally | | | | match it? You will however need to bear in mind the |
| governed by supply and demand. If you are organising | | | | likely demand for hotel accommodation at the time you |
| a trip to Edinburgh when the festival is on you will find it | | | | want to book. If a hotel can easily be filled at that time |
| difficult to get good rates by your self. All the hotels in | | | | they will be more resistive to negotiation. |
| Edinburgh at this time could easily fill their hotels twice | | | | Web sites |
| over. As a result they can get away with charging | | | | Most web sites are intended for booking |
| almost what ever they want even for low quality | | | | accommodation for families, single travelers and small |
| accommodation. If timing is not important, try and book | | | | groups of friends. Most are not really intended for |
| on of peak dates. You will be able to get much better | | | | group accommodation booking. You need to be |
| quotes. Make sure you don't try and book when | | | | careful about how many rooms are actually available |
| events are going on in that location unless you are | | | | and whether this meats your needs. |
| attending them of course. Hotels may have certain | | | | Often tour operators commit to filling a certain number |
| weekends or weeks that just have not filled for what | | | | of hotel rooms in a hotel and are financially liable to |
| ever reason. Try asking if there is an alternative date | | | | pay for those rooms whether they fill them or not. |
| they could give you a better rate on. They may be | | | | They will have a target to break even and a target to |
| able to pick quiet weekends when they would not | | | | make reasonable profit. Once these have been met |
| mind reducing the rate to fill up the hotel. | | | | they will be left with a number of rooms they just |
| Bargaining power | | | | want to get rid of and sell as they have already met |
| If you give a hotel plenty of business you will have | | | | their required profit margin. You will often find these |
| better bargaining power over rates. If you give a hotel | | | | rooms on websites like and Expedia. On these sites |
| hassle free business you may be able to get better | | | | they can often reduce the price of the room to below |
| rates. If you have an annual trip with your group you | | | | cost as the profit for their allocation has already been |
| could try to use the same hotel each year so they no | | | | met and they just need to get rid of the rooms. |
| you will give them repeat business. This may help them | | | | |