1. Set your DDR ceiling first. Calculate your total budget divided by delegate count divided by event days. This is your maximum DDR. Share it in your RFP — hotels that quote above it are wasting your time. 2. Send to 5+ venues simultaneously. The negotiating power from competitive RFPs is your biggest lever. Hotels respond faster and price more aggressively when they know they're competing.
3. Specify the dedicated internet requirement in writing. 'High-speed Wi-Fi' means different things to different hotels. Request minimum [X] Mbps dedicated upload hardwired ethernet — this eliminates shared bandwidth problems. 4. Include sustainability criteria. Hotels with genuine programmes welcome the question. Hotels without them will either commit to improvements or self-select out — both outcomes save you from a greenwashing liability.
5. Negotiate attrition to 70%. The hotel's opening position is 80–85%. Push to 70% and measure on total event revenue rather than room count alone. This is the most common contractual risk for planners and the most consistently negotiable. 6. Add a rebooking credit clause. If you might need to postpone, negotiate upfront to have any cancellation penalty applied as event credit rather than forfeited cash.
7. Do a site inspection. For events over 50 pax, a physical inspection is non-negotiable. Test the internet, check the sightlines, meet the coordinator. 8. Request the BEO 14 days before. The Banquet Event Order is the hotel's binding operative document. Review every line — mistakes caught at this stage cost nothing; mistakes found on the day can ruin the event.
Easy RFP sends your brief to multiple hotels simultaneously. Compare DDR proposals. No commissions. Hotels never pay.
Create Free Account