group booking or not?

FutureMoreno · July 30, 2009

We did not do a group booking- so our guests didn't have to pay all the money up front. They just have to pay the deposit & balance 45 days before we leave. Where we are going is very big and we are expecting around 50 guests, so hopefully no probs there. I can see the pron & cons of booking both ways though...

finzup · August 3, 2009

I don't think i'm doing a group booking.. We're having the wedding at a large property (4 hotels on one property) in Playa del Carmen in the low season (July) so hopefully it won't be a problem selling out/etc.

The resort is currently on Expedia for cheap ($987 for air/hotel/all-incl) for this summer so I think we are taking a chance on next summer being similar.

I don't know if this is correct or not, really -- I just want my guests paying the lowest possible costs... However they are open to book however they want.... Hopefully it won't come back and bite me in the butt!

AJandNate2010 · August 3, 2009

We chose not to do a group booking. According to our TA, we would have to pay a large deposit to hold the space (thousands of dollars) and as guests booked they would pay the remaining balance on the rest of the rooms. My stance is that people will be more likely to book quickly if there is a risk of the price going up. I really didn't want to pay tons of money then have people back out. So far the price has gone up about $15 in the last 3 weeks (the flight price). It just seems like less of a hassle. Hope this helps!

sunnyee · August 5, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCBlondie

So your MOH (who is doubling as your TA), says to wait until how long before? We are still 10 months out and the resort has not actually even opened yet. If I do a search for pricing for Nov (when it opens) and then again for Feb prices, the Feb prices are a few hundred less. Does your TA give you an idea of how far out to book?

Essentially we are going to wait until we get a good price and that can mean at least a few more months. Last year a group of us (20 people) went to the Mayan in February and we didn't book until early January. I kept an eye on prices for the resort we wanted on the internet and my TA kept her eye on the space available on the plane and at the resort for the date we wanted.

It was kind of nerve wracking waiting so long but it was also kind of fun. May not be what most brides would consider doing, but we are going to keep an eye on prices and hold out for a while.

Which resort are you going to?

RCBlondie · August 21, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunnyee

Essentially we are going to wait until we get a good price and that can mean at least a few more months. Last year a group of us (20 people) went to the Mayan in February and we didn't book until early January. I kept an eye on prices for the resort we wanted on the internet and my TA kept her eye on the space available on the plane and at the resort for the date we wanted.

It was kind of nerve wracking waiting so long but it was also kind of fun. May not be what most brides would consider doing, but we are going to keep an eye on prices and hold out for a while.

Which resort are you going to?

We are going to the new Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort that is scheduled to open early Oct 2009. There is a lot of hype around the resort opening so I figure that maybe right now the hype is driving up the cost a little. Should be lower in a little bit considering our wedding is in June 2010.

Still not sure what to do with regards to group booking or not. Our guests are travelling from Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand....who said destination weddings are easier to plan? hehe

karenk77 · August 21, 2009

Well I spoke to a few and what they said is you have to pay $50 deposit p.p to just block off a certain amount of room. then you have to give an air deposit to guarantee the flight for x amount of people..and whatever rate you sign your contract, that is the rate you lock in to..so if it goes up you scored! but if the price goes down you can't take advantage of that. Also whatever you pay for your deposit for the people that don't show its a loss on your account.

Love3 · August 21, 2009

we didn't do a group rate as I didn't want to deal with all the headaches. Every man for themselves, and bk at your own risk lol

bcbride · August 21, 2009

We did the early booking bonus and paid our deposits back in February, the rates came out last month for December and they didn't go down as much as we were hoping they would :/

Now that this happened, I kinda hoped we just let everyone book on their own cuz now some of our guests feel stuck, especially after seeing better deals online, but I guess no one could predict any of this, but just something to think about...

JenniferSS · August 21, 2009

group bookings are the most confusing part of the Dw's as each person who responds will have an entirely different experience- the reasons for it are:

Each resort has it's own policies in place regarding groups-even these can vary depending on which property and destination plus the factors listed below!

Then each tour operator has their policies- beleive me these all differ greatly also.

Now add to that- the time of year the group is traveling- general rule of thumb- high season stricter polices, less discount; low season policies a little more lenient, discounts a little higher.

Size of group - to most resorts a large group usually starts with 100 rooms- anything smaller is a small to mid size group. Large groups = greater amenities and perks.

Amount of nights - a 3 night stay + less perks & pricing discount compared to full group 7 night stay.

Now we add in the difference between USA & Canada - tour operators operate completely different.

I know it probably didn't really clarify anything but hopefully explained why each person has a different answer!

RCBlondie · August 26, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by TA Jennifer

group bookings are the most confusing part of the Dw's as each person who responds will have an entirely different experience- the reasons for it are:

Each resort has it's own policies in place regarding groups-even these can vary depending on which property and destination plus the factors listed below!

Then each tour operator has their policies- beleive me these all differ greatly also.

Now add to that- the time of year the group is traveling- general rule of thumb- high season stricter polices, less discount; low season policies a little more lenient, discounts a little higher.

Size of group - to most resorts a large group usually starts with 100 rooms- anything smaller is a small to mid size group. Large groups = greater amenities and perks.

Amount of nights - a 3 night stay + less perks & pricing discount compared to full group 7 night stay.

Now we add in the difference between USA & Canada - tour operators operate completely different.

I know it probably didn't really clarify anything but hopefully explained why each person has a different answer!

thanks for clarifying that. It does help out with understanding how things work in the travel industry. Unfortunately I am still unsure of what to do. My FI says to let everyone deal with it on their own but since we have some people from far away they seem to want some indication of confirmed rooms. Thank you though, I think you have probably really helped some of us out.

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group booking or not?

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