How to Book a Hotel For a Large Group

Booking a hotel for a large group can be complicated, but there are plenty of perks when working with the right property.

For one, many hotels are willing to negotiate a discounted rate if you reserve ten or more rooms at once.

Booking a block also ensures that everyone attending your school trip, business conference, wedding or family reunion stays under the same roof for a smooth, hiccup-free trip.

But how do you actually book a hotel for a large group?

And, what should you look for in a hotel and amenities when planning a group trip with dozens of attendees with unique personalities and needs?

This post discusses the ins and outs of booking hotels for large groups. You’ll learn how to book a hotel for a large group hassle-free.

Let’s get started!.

Table of Contents

1. What to Consider Before Booking a Hotel For a Large Group
2. How to Book a Hotel For a Large Group
3. Tips for Booking Hotels for Large Groups
4. Use a Hotel Booking Tool Like Engine

What to Consider Before Booking a Hotel For a Large Group

When you book a hotel for large groups, there are several factors to consider.

First, to create the best experience possible for your attendees, you need to consider their needs. The hotel’s location is also crucial.

So, let’s examine nine things to consider before booking a hotel for a large group:

1. Individual Preferences

Before you book the hotel, you must consider everyone’s personal preferences. Individual guests have unique tastes, so it’s important to accommodate each person to the best of your ability.

It can be intimidating visiting a new place for the first time. Accommodating your guests’ preferences boosts their comfort levels.

Ask your attendees what type of room they prefer, what amenities they like and if they need any special accommodations.

2. Preferred Amenities

The right hotel amenities can make a world of difference. Although some people in the group may want to go out and explore the area in their downtime, other guests may want everything within a hand's reach.

Some hotel chains offer luxurious amenities and make it easy to find what you need to suit your guests’ preferences.

If you’re looking to treat your guests well, the best hotels offer:

• A fitness center
• Continental breakfast service
• Room service availability
• An on-site restaurant and cafe
• A swimming pool
• A game room
• Free WiFi
• Complimentary toiletries
• Concierge services
• Relaxed check-in and check-out times

A few additional amenities include airport shuttles, meeting rooms, on-site parking, and wake-up calls.

3. Proximity to Important Locations

Always consider the hotel’s proximity to key destinations before booking.

These locations include restaurants, leisure areas, shopping areas, convenience stores and medical care facilities. You should offer your guests a range of options within walking distance or a quick 10-minute taxi from the hotel.

If your group is visiting for an event like a wedding, conference or business retreat, make sure that transport can be easily arranged to the main venue.

Since your attendees will undoubtedly have downtime when they are free to explore, ensure that they have everything they need within a reasonable distance.

4. Special Accommodations

You also need to consider special accommodations for those with disabilities, health needs, and dietary restrictions.

Many people adopt special diets, while others may have specific food allergies. Therefore, it would be best to ask your group about their dietary restrictions and book a hotel that caters to them.

It’s also essential to know if any of your attendees need accommodations for a disability. The federal law requires employers to provide reasonable accommodation to those with disabilities.

Some of these accommodations include:

• Shower seats
• Transfer lifts
• Elevators
• Raised toilets
• Grab bars
• Wheelchair-accessible ramps
• Wide doorways

5. Traveler Loyalty Programs

Traveler loyalty programs allow your organization and your guests to earn rewards while staying at a hotel.

For this reason, it’s essential to book a hotel that offers a comprehensive loyalty program so that you can get rewarded for booking.

Also, read up on How to Choose Your Travel Rewards Credit Cards

6. Availability of  Transportation

There are two crucial questions to ask yourself before booking a hotel for your group.

1. How will your guests travel to and from the convention center, venue or meeting area?
2. Where else will they need to go, and how can they get there?

Efficient transportation is vital to avoid delay and confusion. A few transportation options include public transport, car rentals, shuttles and rideshare services.

Depending on the destination, public transportation can be the most affordable and efficient way to transport your guests. This type of transportation includes subways, trams, buses, trollies and ferries.

If you opt for public transportation, it’s important to choose a hotel within easy walking distance of the subway terminal or bus stop.

Furthermore, you may want to pre-purchase the transportation passes for the duration of the trip. Your attendees won’t feel hassled to purchase individual passes on the first day they arrive.

You must also consider how the attendees will arrive at the hotel. For example, if they’re traveling by airplane, you may want to book a hotel that offers a complimentary shuttle service to and from the hotel.

The entire trip will run exponentially smoother if your guests have an easy way to get around the city.

7. Safety of the Area

Although hotel properties employ security measures to keep guests safe, it’s important to consider the safety of the surrounding area.

As a booking manager, keeping your group safe while traveling is on your shoulders. To do so, conduct research on the local area. Avoid hotels located in areas with high crime rates.

Even if you need to book a hotel farther away from the meeting site, your guests’ comfort and safety are a top priority.

You should also know what type of on-site security the hotel offers. For example, does the hotel have 24/7 security guards and security cameras around the building? Are the doors secured with lock chains and secure keycard locks?

You should consider these questions before booking a hotel for a large group.

8. Group and Individual Budgets

The specified travel budget for your group determines which hotels you can book. Group rentals typically come with discount rates, so you should look for a hotel that offers an attractive group rate.

9. Room Sharing

Doubling up on rooms is a great way to cut costs, but not at the expense of your guests’ comfort. You should find out if your attendees are willing to share guest rooms. If so, ask each person who they are willing to share a room with so you can accommodate them adequately.

Discover more: 11 Things to Consider When Making a Group Hotel Booking for Business

How to Book a Hotel For a Large Group

Different types of groups require unique hotel accommodations. For example, you wouldn’t book budget motel rooms or hostels for a business retreat.

So let’s discuss how to book a hotel room for different types of large groups.

For a School Group or Trip

School trips are cherished and exciting for students. Students rarely get an opportunity away from the classroom, and a school trip can be the highlight of their years, especially with an overnight stay involved.

The hotel you book for your student group should have all the amenities they need to have fun and be themselves, like a swimming pool. Finding a hotel in a safe area is especially important for this type of trip.

For a Work Crew

If you’re booking a hotel for a work crew, it’s essential to find a property near the worksite. Your workers also need a convenient mode of transportation to travel to the worksite.

Find out if there are any public transportation options near the worksite. Then, find a hotel near a connecting public transportation area.

You may also want to find a hotel with a breakfast buffet option, so the employees don’t need to worry about where to eat before work.

For a Business Retreat or Getaway

Business retreats allow your employees to get away from their daily routines and focus on team-building. A successful business getaway builds chemistry and camaraderie among your employees, making your company more productive when they get back to work.

For a business retreat, find a hotel that provides comfort and convenience. Your goal is to create a trip that’s as stress-free as possible for your employees.

Depending on your company’s budget, it’s worth looking for a hotel that offers many amenities.

For a Professional Business Event

Professional business events, such as meetings, conventions and conferences, may call for elegant hotel accommodations. However, since your employees are still working during these events, you may not need to book the most luxurious five-star hotel.

Instead, think about what type of business event it is, what kind of employees are attending and how you can best accommodate them.

For a Special Occasion

Special occasions require special hotel accommodations. Events like weddings and family reunions happen once in a blue moon.

Since these events are so rare, you should make the most out of your group’s budget. This involves booking a family-friendly hotel with bedroom suites, larger rooms and luxurious perks and amenities.

Whether you’re booking a trip for San Francisco, New York City or anywhere else, there will be plenty of hotel vacation rentals.

Tips for Booking Hotels for Large Groups

As the hotel booking coordinator, your best plan of action is to book ahead of schedule. You never want to wait until the last minute to book a hotel for a large group.

Group travel can be difficult to book if every hotel you contact doesn’t have enough open rooms during your stay. If you need to book bedroom suites for a large group, it may be difficult to find the correct number of available rooms. Early bookings remove all the risks of booking a hotel too close to the travel dates.

Furthermore, booking in advance gives you access to special offers and discounts. When you book early, you can contact several hotels and negotiate the best rate for your group.

Depending on the event you’re booking for your large group, you may want to inquire about the hotel’s conference center or banquet hall.

If you need these types of rooms during your stay, it’s essential to book them well in advance of your travel dates.

Similar: Hacks for Getting Better Accommodations at Entrepreneurship Conferences

Use a Hotel Booking Tool Like Engine

Engine makes it easy to book a hotel for large groups.

Anytime you need more than eight rooms, the expert Groups team will handle the booking process from end-to-end, with white-glove service at no additional charge. It eliminates all the hassle and inconveniences of hotel booking for large groups.

But what is Engine?

Engine is a platform that specializes in connecting business travelers to great accommodations, including specialized services for large group hotel bookings and long-term stays.

We provide affordable travel management for small and medium businesses while still offering the comprehensive reporting and analytics tools needed by government and enterprise organizations.

Engine saves businesses money and time by offering exclusive group rates for many hotels, with 2,700 brand partners and access to 700,000 properties around the world.

With Engine, you can search, filter and book hotels to save your organization up to 60% on lodging.

Engine Benefits

Let’s take a closer look at Engine’s benefits:

Free to join and use

That’s right. Engine is entirely free to use. There are no joining fees, membership fees or subscription fees.

Engine also doesn’t require any contracts or minimums.

Savings

Not only is Engine free to use, but you also get access to top-of-the-line discount rates for groups.

In fact, Kiln & Dryer saved $123,000 on lodging once the company signed up for Engine.

Personalized Admin Dashboard

You can use Engine’s personalized dashboard to view itineraries, manage budgets, track bookings and analyze travel data.

Rewards

At Engine, travelers receive rewards through the Engine rewards program and brand-specific loyalty programs, for double the loyalty earnings. This is a layered rewards program that is rare to see in the industry.

How to Book a Hotel With Engine

You can book stays up to 8 rooms directly through our platform, or get help for large group trips through our dedicated Groups team. This is a built-in service specifically created to book hotels for large groups.

Your dedicated Group Sales Manager will help you coordinate your group trip and find you the best deal for conferences, project stays, professional trainings and much more.

Conclusion

The main benefit of booking hotel rooms for groups is receiving more affordable group rates. Luckily, booking group rentals doesn’t have to be so hard.

Use Engine on your next group booking to save up to 60% on boutique hotels, luxury hotels and big-name hotel brands!

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