Don’t forget the parking: Hotel negotiating tips
It’s no longer a buyers’ market for meetings.
With hotels seeing higher occupancies and rising rates, meeting planners are spending more time than ever negotiating agreements.
To get the best deals, the key is to look beyond the room rate.
Travel Leaders Corp. meetings and incentives VP Mary Ann Willingham says the best way to negotiate with hotels starts with the traditional—push your company’s meeting planners to use your preferred transient travel partners.
The negotiated transient rate is just a starting point, though.
Since groups are more lucrative than transient travelers, group business is even more negotiable.
The meals, the coffee breaks, the room rentals, even the time attendees spend at the property having coffee or buying a round of drinks at the bar add up.
And that extra business for the hotel can translate into soft benefits that hold down your meetings costs.
The best negotiators think of things that don’t cost the hotel much but can save their companies a bundle.
Suite upgrades, food and beverage, Internet charges, resort fees can all be part of the conversation.
And for city sites, don’t forget the parking, Willingham says. "That’s a hidden gem that can often save $25-$30 a day per person."
In short, Willingham told TravelMole, "in our world, everything is negotiable."
Travel Leaders was formed in 2008 by a merger of Carlson Wagonlit Travel Associates, Travel Leaders, and Tzell Travel Group. It is the largest travel agency franchisor in the United States, with 1,250 franchised locations.
By Cheryl Rosen
Cheryl
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026