Wedding, Anniversaries and Special events/funtions that involve renting the whole inn.

[The Farmers Daughter]

Do you have different parameters for these situations? How do you handle a whole house booking?
Say for examply, you have a bride who wants to book your inn for a wedding a year in advance, but the weekend she wants is a Holiday weekend when you know you are going to book solid anyway. Do you give the bride any discounts or other special treatment that would be different that a regular booking?
What are your requirements for something like this?

 

[Don Draper]

I think you answered your own question...you know you will be full anyway, and you know any type of special event and/or whole house booking is almost always a major PITA and more effort than a "normal" house full...so why would you even consider a discount?
We say to have an event here you have to rent the entire house, plus $250 event fee, and if it's a weekend it's a 2-night minimum. No one ever wants to pay the $$, so we don't end up doing any special events here. But that's how we want it, we are full most weekends anyway.
I wouldn't consider anything special or discounted unless it's an off-season time for you. Also, to book that far in advance, I would require some kind of non-refundable down payment. People just don't realize that we are not like hotels, if we block off a space for them and they cancel that is money right out of our pockets with no chance to rebook.

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

I think you answered your own question...you know you will be full anyway, and you know any type of special event and/or whole house booking is almost always a major PITA and more effort than a "normal" house full...so why would you even consider a discount?
We say to have an event here you have to rent the entire house, plus $250 event fee, and if it's a weekend it's a 2-night minimum. No one ever wants to pay the $$, so we don't end up doing any special events here. But that's how we want it, we are full most weekends anyway.
I wouldn't consider anything special or discounted unless it's an off-season time for you. Also, to book that far in advance, I would require some kind of non-refundable down payment. People just don't realize that we are not like hotels, if we block off a space for them and they cancel that is money right out of our pockets with no chance to rebook..

I think you answered your own question...you know you will be full anyway, and you know any type of special event and/or whole house booking is almost always a major PITA and more effort than a "normal" house full...so why would you even consider a discount?
We say to have an event here you have to rent the entire house, plus $250 event fee, and if it's a weekend it's a 2-night minimum. No one ever wants to pay the $$, so we don't end up doing any special events here. But that's how we want it, we are full most weekends anyway.
I wouldn't consider anything special or discounted unless it's an off-season time for you. Also, to book that far in advance, I would require some kind of non-refundable down payment. People just don't realize that we are not like hotels, if we block off a space for them and they cancel that is money right out of our pockets with no chance to rebook.

I am trying to work with a bride who wants to book Memorial Day weekend of next year. The PTB (powers that be) want a 50% non refundable deposit which works out to being over $1300.00
The bride thought that was just crazy.....Is it?

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

always tempting to book up in advance. i was always cheered by seeing those blocked off rooms. but i only gave a discount for this when it was a local woman. because i discovered that the whole house group in some ways was more work than individual bookings.
is this to hold the wedding there or just to stay there? need more info.

No the wedding is at a nearby farm. This would be 6 rooms for the brides family. 2 nights.

 

[user 26]

always tempting to book up in advance. i was always cheered by seeing those blocked off rooms. but i only gave a discount for this when it was a local woman. because i discovered that the whole house group in some ways was more work than individual bookings.
i always took a deposit from the bride/groom/whomever ... they had to pay the customary deposit for all rooms. say the deposit was $100 per room - eight rooms - i wanted $800 to hold the rooms. then, as each guest booked and PAID THEIR OWN DEPOSIT of $100, i would refund the $100 to the bride.
is this to hold the wedding there or just to stay there? need more info.

 

[muirford]

I don't give any kind of discount for group reservations and I have a non-refundable deposit charged 30 days in advance - with the rare exception for off-season bookings. That's a pretty short season for weekends for me - just maybe Jan/Feb non-holiday weekends.
There was quite a lengthy discussion with both pros and cons on this thread - https://www.innspiring.com/node/3739. Innkeepers clearly have a love/hate relationship with groups - I fall more in the actively dislike category. I have met some lovely guests in groups but they are ALWAYS more work for me than a house full of unrelated guests, both physically and emotionally.

 

[user 26]

i always took a deposit from the bride/groom/whomever ... they had to pay the customary deposit for all rooms. say the deposit was $100 per room - eight rooms - i wanted $800 to hold the rooms. then, as each guest booked and PAID THEIR OWN DEPOSIT of $100, i would refund the $100 to the bride.
guests all together can be easier because they all know each other and they are on the same schedule. no worries about folks coming in later from a party bothering other guests not in the wedding group who are on a different schedule because they are pretty much all doing the same things. i often had guests with me for wedding weekends and there were rehearsals, a dinner, the wedding, next day a brunch, etc. it's really best to know what the wedding plans are you so you don't make a breakfast only to find out 'oh, we're all meeting up at xyz restaurant'
guests all together can be harder because your guests in party mode (without control) will try to treat your place as home base and take over - trying to get into areas you don't want them in. (in my experience)

 

[Breakfast Diva]

Definitely no discount and I would consider an additional fee since you don't really know at this point if your rooms will increase in price between now and then.
I would do a 50% deposit with it becoming non-refundable 6 months prior to the event and put some sort of cancellation charge fee too. 60 days before the event, it becomes non-refundable and balance due. Certainly for a major holiday you would be able to fill those rooms if they cancelled out 60 prior. I would also consider doing a damage/cleaning deposit since it's a wedding and people tend to drink and anything can happen.
I think doing a 50% non refundable deposit a year in advance is a bit extreme.

 

[Don Draper]

From an owners' perspective, it sounds to me like your PTB do not want this booking. And their bottom line is the bottom line, so the bride will either pay or she won't. I personally don't find 50% non-refundable extreme, but I've already explained how I feel about groups in general.
OTOH, if you know you can refill your rooms for the Memorial Day weekend at the last minute if she would cancel, then maybe a less restrictive deposit would be in order. If you are left to explain all this to the bride, I would emphasize to her the fact that you are making a commitment to hold all these rooms for her and will be actively turning other guests away for the next 9 months.

 

[user 26]

From an owners' perspective, it sounds to me like your PTB do not want this booking. And their bottom line is the bottom line, so the bride will either pay or she won't. I personally don't find 50% non-refundable extreme, but I've already explained how I feel about groups in general.
OTOH, if you know you can refill your rooms for the Memorial Day weekend at the last minute if she would cancel, then maybe a less restrictive deposit would be in order. If you are left to explain all this to the bride, I would emphasize to her the fact that you are making a commitment to hold all these rooms for her and will be actively turning other guests away for the next 9 months..

From an owners' perspective, it sounds to me like your PTB do not want this booking.

did i miss something?

 

[The Farmers Daughter]

From an owners' perspective, it sounds to me like your PTB do not want this booking. And their bottom line is the bottom line, so the bride will either pay or she won't. I personally don't find 50% non-refundable extreme, but I've already explained how I feel about groups in general.
OTOH, if you know you can refill your rooms for the Memorial Day weekend at the last minute if she would cancel, then maybe a less restrictive deposit would be in order. If you are left to explain all this to the bride, I would emphasize to her the fact that you are making a commitment to hold all these rooms for her and will be actively turning other guests away for the next 9 months..

From an owners' perspective, it sounds to me like your PTB do not want this booking.

did i miss something?
.

From an owners' perspective, it sounds to me like your PTB do not want this booking.

did i miss something?

cut and paste from above:
I am trying to work with a bride who wants to book Memorial Day weekend of next year. The PTB (powers that be) want a 50% non refundable deposit which works out to being over $1300.00
The bride thought that was just crazy.....Is it?

 

[swirt]

Considering the number or planned weddings that go Kabloooey before the date, I don't think it is unreasonable to ask for half up front and make it non-refundable. Or as others have suggested, make it non-refundable after a certain date where it becomes less likely you could fill the rooms (3 months out, 6 months out... whatever is right for your area.)

 

[user 26]

oh, i see. non - refundable from the day the deposit is made? that does sound unreasonable.
that sounds more like a deposit for a wedding venue. had a relative book a place, they weren't going to be able to afford the big fancy wedding and lost their $1000. deposit even though it was shortly after being paid.

 

[egoodell]

I don't understand why people are asking if they should give discounts for groups or even worse wedding parties. Anything connected to a wedding tells me there is danger of last minute cancellations, and if they do come they will create complete messes. Your linens will have permanent stains from tanning products. They will troop in makeup people, hair dressers, photographers, additional family members will drop in. They will flush things down your toilets and plug them. They will spill wine all over while getting ready. They will need needle and thread and want you to press their dresses. And that's just to start. Who would give a discount to do all this additional work???
Riki

 

[JBloggs]

I don't understand why people are asking if they should give discounts for groups or even worse wedding parties. Anything connected to a wedding tells me there is danger of last minute cancellations, and if they do come they will create complete messes. Your linens will have permanent stains from tanning products. They will troop in makeup people, hair dressers, photographers, additional family members will drop in. They will flush things down your toilets and plug them. They will spill wine all over while getting ready. They will need needle and thread and want you to press their dresses. And that's just to start. Who would give a discount to do all this additional work???
Riki.

Because they think they are doing you a favor by booking all the rooms. Every group asks for a discount, every group is more work with lack of boundaries. I prefer NO groups at all, but in the slim times over winter it sounds like it is okay...it rarely is.