Hotel Site Visit Checklist 2026: 60 Questions Every Planner Should Ask

Site visits are often treated as the "boring" phase of event planning. They're actually where most execution risk is discovered and resolved before the event. This is the checklist your planner should bring.

When to do a site visit

• Event budget over 50k EUR: always
• First-time with a property: always
• Top 2 shortlist: before final selection
• Returning to familiar property: skip or do virtual
• Small event under 40 pax: usually skip; virtual meeting suffices

Site visit logistics

• Duration: 3-4 hours for standard visit; full day for large events
• Who to bring: planner, event AV partner (if using), sometimes executive sponsor
• Ideal timing: weekday during an actual event run (to see hotel in operation)
• Dress: business casual; you want to look like a real buyer
• Meal: always include a meal (breakfast/lunch) to sample F&B

Arrival and first impressions

1. How did check-in feel? Friction, wait times, professionalism?
2. Lobby first impression — brand appropriate?
3. Signage clarity for meeting attendees?
4. Front desk able to handle group arrival surge?
5. Bathroom cleanliness?
6. Smell (lavender, staleness, cooking?)
7. Music / audio level in public areas?
8. Lighting in lobbies and hallways?

Meeting rooms

1. Plenary room: actual square metres vs listed
2. Ceiling height (matters for staging and AV)
3. Columns / obstructions in main space
4. Setup flexibility (can you split into 2 rooms?)
5. Natural light (yes/no; can be blacked out?)
6. Wall material (drywall vs concrete — matters for hanging)
7. HVAC audibility in session
8. Breakout rooms walking distance from plenary
9. Breakout rooms soundproof? (stand outside listening)
10. Storage room for gear / swag
11. Power capacity and outlet locations
12. Loading dock access for AV

Guestrooms

1. Inspect at least 3 rooms: different categories
2. Bed quality and bedding condition
3. Bathroom: shower pressure, water temperature, cleanliness
4. Desk area: workable for business guest?
5. Wifi speed (run speedtest in room)
6. Soundproofing (ask neighbour room test)
7. Climate control (HVAC noise, responsiveness)
8. View / natural light
9. Accessibility features for ADA/mobility
10. Safety: smoke detector, door security, balcony rail
11. Guest amenities (minibar, kettle, iron)

Food and beverage

1. Have a meal at hotel restaurant: quality, service
2. Breakfast buffet depth and freshness
3. Coffee quality (matters more than you think)
4. Dietary accommodations: test ask for vegan/gluten-free
5. Banquet kitchen capacity (ask to see)
6. Local sourcing evidence
7. Wine list variety
8. Service speed during meal
9. Temperature of food delivered

Service levels

1. Staff-to-guest ratio in public areas
2. Language fluency (English + local)
3. Concierge capability (ask them to recommend a restaurant, book it)
4. Speed of response to request
5. Professional training (eye contact, proactive, anticipates needs)
6. Staff uniforms and presentation
7. Eye-contact and smile frequency
8. Culture: do staff seem happy?

Back-of-house inspection

Ask to see:

1. Banquet kitchen
2. Housekeeping staging area
3. Engineering / maintenance workshop
4. Employee break room or cafeteria (tells you how staff are treated)
5. Loading dock and receiving area

How they present back-of-house to you tells you everything. Confident properties show; defensive properties deflect.

Technology infrastructure

1. Wifi speed at peak hours (200 simultaneous users test)
2. Symmetrical dedicated line for event use
3. AV equipment in-house or outsourced
4. Streaming / encoding capability
5. Backup generator for meeting rooms
6. Hybrid breakout capability (video in each room)
7. PMS (property management system) — modern? Allows quick rooming list uploads?

Contingency planning

1. What's their backup if plenary room HVAC fails?
2. Medical emergency protocol
3. Nearest hospital / clinic distance
4. Fire safety and evacuation plan
5. Security (CCTV, access control, lobby guarding)
6. Nearby alternative hotels if walked-out guests
7. Power backup duration
8. Sample pre-con meeting (their standard approach)

Red flags during site visit

• Only one person shows you the hotel (should be GM + sales + banquet + engineering)
• They won't show back-of-house
• Meeting rooms locked ("not available to show")
• Staff won't make eye contact with you as you walk through
• Wifi speedtest returns under 100 Mbps
• Stale smell in common areas
• Visible wear and tear in public areas (worn carpet, peeling paint)
• Bathroom in public area dirty
• No recent events on their calendar (either slow hotel or embellished claims)
• Sales rep evasive on specific questions

Virtual site visits

For secondary shortlist or remote properties, virtual site visits work but aren't equivalent.

Virtual site visit protocol

• 90 minutes, not 30
• Hotel sales rep walking with phone or GoPro
• Guest room walk-through from entry to view
• Meeting rooms in actual event setup
• Live test: ask them to show lobby at current time (not canned video)
• Q&A session with multiple department heads
• Request: drone overview if property is large

Post-visit synthesis

Within 48 hours, write up:

• First impressions summary
• Strengths (3-5)
• Concerns (3-5)
• Deal-breakers (any)
• Fit vs your specific event type
• Decision recommendation

Related reading

• Common RFP mistakes
• 6-month planning timeline
• Negotiation tactics