How to write a hotel RFP that gets quality responses
Most hotel RFPs ask vague questions and get vague answers. A great RFP gives hotels everything they need to quote accurately on the first pass, while protecting you with the contract language you will later need. Here is the structure.
Key takeaways
- A great RFP does three jobs: gives hotels enough to quote accurately, includes risk-allocation clauses, and structures responses so quotes are comparable apples-to-apples.
- The 14 sections that matter cover briefing, accommodation, F&B, meeting space, pricing tiers, attrition, force majeure, and BAFO.
- The biggest mistake is leaving F&B service charge and AV pricing structure out of the brief — these surface in contract and bust budgets.
- Always require comparable response format. Free-form responses produce non-comparable quotes.
The quality of your hotel RFP determines the quality of the quotes you get back. Vague briefs produce vague quotes that are not comparable across hotels — and at evaluation time you find yourself negotiating apples versus oranges. A structured brief with clear specifications produces quotes you can stack against a scoring framework and decide defensibly.
This post walks through the structure we use in our planner work, refined into a 14-section template that covers the substance of the brief plus the contract language that protects you. By the end you will know what each section needs to say and which mistakes to avoid.
The 14 sections of a complete hotel RFP
Sections 1-3: Briefing. Event type, dates with flexibility flag, attendee count, location preferences, key context. Be specific about purpose — "internal sales kickoff" tells hotels different things than "external customer summit."
Sections 4-6: Accommodation requirements. Room mix (singles, doubles, suites), run-of-house versus guaranteed types, complimentary nights expected, corporate rate target if you have one.
Sections 7-8: F&B. Meal periods, service style (plated, buffet, family-style, canapé), dietary ratios, taste-test option. Include welcome cocktail and break expectations.
Sections 9-10: Meeting space. Plenary capacity at theatre setup with comfort margin, breakout rooms (count and capacities), AV scope, breakout schedule template.
Section 11: Pricing structure. Require quotes in tiers — published rate, group rate, group rate plus concessions package. Without this, quotes are not comparable.
Section 12: Attrition clause. Specify your expected slippage policy upfront (e.g., 80% slippage at 30 days, 50% at 14 days). Negotiable, but stating your starting position prevents surprises.
Section 13: Force majeure language. Post-COVID standard now widely adopted. Include voluntary cancellation rights and refund timeline expectations.
Section 14: BAFO process. Explain that you will run a Best-and-Final-Offer round if 2-3 hotels are tied at evaluation. This signals you are serious about competitive pressure.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving F&B service charge unspecified. Service charges range widely; not specifying turns into a 15-22% surprise on the contract.
- Vague AV. "Standard AV" means different things at different hotels. Spec it in the brief.
- No attrition clause. You will get one in the contract; better to negotiate it in the brief.
- No comparable response format. Hotels respond in their own format and you cannot stack quotes.
How to require comparable responses
Provide a response template alongside the brief. Hotels fill it in. Same fields, same units, same line structure. This makes evaluation straightforward.
The Easy RFP Hotel RFP Template implements this structure as a downloadable template.
Frequently asked questions
Should I include my budget in the RFP?
Mixed practice. Including a target gives hotels a frame of reference but can anchor quotes higher. Excluding it forces hotels to quote what they think they can win at. Test both with similar events.
How long should an RFP be?
The Easy RFP template runs to 14 sections but is concise — typically 4-6 pages once filled in. Longer than 8-10 pages signals over-specification.
Should I send the RFP as Word, PDF, or web form?
Web form (or the Easy RFP platform) produces the most comparable responses. PDF works as fallback. Word allows hotels to edit-in-place which is convenient but produces inconsistent formatting.
Use our free hotel RFP template
14 sections, battle-tested. Built from real planner work — designed to produce comparable, decision-ready responses.
Download the template →