New outside vendor policy for EDR-- insane!

Hey guys- well, this one just knocks everything else out of the park.... EDR is now requiring new brides to pay a $500 vendor fee AND pay a 3 night min stay for their photog at the resort- in order to bring in their own photographer.

 

Essentially, they are now charging an approx $1,250 fee-- the cheapest rooms at EDR for single occupancy run around $250/night.... This is truly unbelievable.... This is the email correspondence from the EDR WC that I had regarding this new policy.

 

Hi Valeria-- wait-- this link you sent me to the website states the

following:

"Outside photographers and videographers are not allowed on property unless

pre-approved by the hotel in advance. The hotels reserve the right to deny

access to the property to any unauthorized photographer or videographer.

Please contact your wedding coordinator for more information on approved

vendors. Outside photographers and videographers approved by the hotel will

incur a $500 photo fee and a 3 night minimum stay at the hotel. "

 

We were told we had to pay a $500 outside vendor fee. The way this sounds.

is the requirement is a --$500 vendor fee AND a 3 night stay at

hotel?!?!!?!? -- We were not told that we would have to book a room at the

resort for the photographer. The photographer is local and doesn't need a

room. This wasn't in our original agreement.

 

Could you clarify on this?

Valerie's response:

 

Hi Shannon,

 

This is correct, I will honour for you the 500 usd fee for the photographer,

since this was stipulated with you before this policy began to be active.

For all the new weddings, if they wish to bring an outsider photographer,

they will have to pay a 500 usd fee + 3 minimum night stay.

 

I apologize for me to be the one informing you of this new policy, but the

Hotel demands for us to inform each bride of this new policy.

 

Thanks.

 

My response:

 

Hey Valeria--- thanks for clarifying this up for me. I know it's not your "fault" - your are just enforcing what the resort/Karisma asks you too.

It's just a shame, bc it will definitely affect a bride's decisions- there are too many other "wedding" resorts in the Cancun/RM area that don't have this stipulation that the bride will choose over EDR, bc of this. Photography is too important for the bride, to leave it to a resort photographer. $500 plus a 3 night min- would be an approx $1,250 "fee"! -- I would certainly go with another resort, if this policy applied to me- if I was just now deciding between resorts. I hope you guys are able to pass some feedback to the people that make these decisions.

 

Thanks again, for all your help, and I am thankful this doesn't apply to me, and I am able to relax and be excited about my wedding at EDR-- you've been great.

Sorry for the long post-- just wanted to make sure I relayed everything correctly. It is a terrible business decision on Karisma's part- they will lose tons of business over this. I know I would not pay a $1250 "extra" fee to have my wedding at EDR. Such a shame... Glad it doesn't apply to me, but a shame for any potential future brides that wanted to have their wedding there....

This is good for any other EDR brides who have not yet decided on their venue to know about. I know that if I had to pay $1250 just to have a good photographer, I would have crossed EDR off my list. However, I did (just yesterday) check out the EDR photographer's website and while the photographer doesn't appear to be as good as the fabulous off-site ones, it does appear that they have improved upon their work (not to mention now have favorable feedback from previous EDR brides who used their services) since the time that I signed up for my wedding at EDR. Hopefully all of our complaints about the EDR photographer were heard and they stepped things up in that area. Just an additional consideration for future EDR brides....

I think this should be made sticky. People need to know how EDR is with their fees before deciding to book their wedding there. If they chose elsewhere, they should let the hotel know the fees was the deciding factor.

 

I used to try to warn people of EDRs policies, but I stopped because so many people were telling me they got around them. It now sounds like you can't get around them anymore.

 

This forum is huge & growing. Maybe we can apply enough pressure to get them to change their fee loving ways.

Morgan instead of making it a sticky I changed the title so it will come up in people's search.

OMG no!!! EDR was on the top of my list!

 

Thats the most unreasonable thing I've ever heard.

I have not recieved any emails about this. Maybe because I am so far out. It was either the fee or the room when I last checked. I wonder if they got fined and now they are trying to discourage the practice. ( in addition to collecting a fee).

Exactly. I don't think it is possible to try and get around it anymore. I was getting around it because my photographers were coming for a week, and originally the policy was 3 nights stay OR $500.
I booked my wedding on that policy. The resort has however twice attempted to apply this new policy to me. I have refused and reminded them of their promise - which they have agreed they will honor. (although for some reason they forgot this promise when they asked for the $500 this week again.)

it is riduculous, however EDR is a beautiful resort. and I am most definitly still looking forward to having my wedding there. Though, I have to agree - if this was the policy from the outset when I was planning - I'm not sure I would have booked them!!

Thanks Christine! Not sure why I care so much, because this isn't my hotel. I just hate seeing people find this info out too late & have to deal with all these issues. Saying you have to use this one photographer at our hotel is like saying you have to marry this designated groom at our hotel. OK, not that bad, but I really think people should get have options.

And don't forget- If their policy is what makes you pick another place, tell them that. They need to know it's not cool. Maybe they will change. It's a shame for people to have to take this beautiful hotel off there lists of options because of their policies.

Thanks for this post. I am going for my site visit next month and EDR was on my list. Already, Valeria has told me that she might not have time to meet with me during my only visit there before making my decision. That alone has made me think twice, but, now with the new policy...i'm not even sure I want to consider this one anymore.