Howerton+Wooten Events Blog. The musings of a Maryland Wedding and Event Planner

Hotel Week: Hotel Site Visit Checklist (Part 1)

 

Checking out the hotel on your own is okay, but making a site visit appointment with a hotel salesperson (and your wedding planner) is even better.

 

Below is a recommended checklist that you can take with you on your site visit.

 

General Information –

 

Hotel Name __________________________________________________________________

Contact Person ________________________________________________________________

Phone # and E-Mail ____________________________________________________________

 

Consider these checklist items for your out of town guests staying at the hotel –

1.     What is the distance from the nearest airport?  (Miles)  ___________ (minutes) ___________

 

2.     Is transportation available from the airport?  (Subway)  Y/N   (Shuttle) Y/N     (Taxi) Y/N

 

3.     If your wedding and/or reception is not at the hotel, will the hotel provide a complimentary shuttle for your guests?  Are they willing to build the shuttle fee into the room rate?

 

4.     Does the hotel have any restaurants in-house?  What are their hours of operation?

 

5.     Are there any nearby restaurants?

 

6.     Is there any shopping near the hotel?

     (Shopping Mall)  Y/N     (Drug Store) Y/N           (Starbucks) Y/N

Here are some great checklist items to consider when planning for your guests staying at the hotel –

 

 

Arrival Experience, (list comments)

1.     Check-in (What is the check in time?  Are there long lines?  Is an automated check-in system available?)

 

2.     Check-out (What is the check out time?  If an automated check-out system available?)

 

3.     Lobby area (Is it easy to find the front desk?  Is hotel staff available for questions?  Is seating available?)

 

4.     Bellstand service (Are bellmen available for assistance?  Do they seem friendly and ready to assist?)

 

5.     Front desk service (Are there long lines?  Do they have ample staffing?  Does the staff seem friendly and ready to assist?  What is their policy regarding out of town guest bags?) 

 

Guest Rooms, (list comments)

1.     What type of rooms does the hotel have available?

     King Beds or Queen Beds?        Two Double Beds or Two Twin Beds?         Suites?

2.     Does the hotel offer Wi-Fi?  Is it for free or a fee

 

3.     Does the hotel have a Green Policy?

 

4.     Is the hotel smoke-free?

Event Space, (list comments)

1.     Condition of the ballroom (Are the walls clean and dent free?  Are the ballroom doors in good shape?)

 

2.     What is the condition of the ballroom foyer?  Is it the source of major foot traffic?  This maybe the location of your cocktails and you want to be sure that it is just as presentable and secure.

3.     What is the square footage of the ballroom and the foyer?  Your hotel salesperson can provide you with a sales kit that includes the capacity of the ballroom.  This is good to know because you definitely don’t want a room that is too small or too large.

4.     Overall experience (Are the airwalls soundproof?  What is the quality of the lighting and the sound system?  Does the room have a lot of pillars/columns? 

5.     How far away are the restrooms nearby?  Consider your older guests when you check the distance of the restrooms.

There is definitely more to come.  Stay tuned for more good questions to ask while you are on your site visit.

 

Take care!

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay

Hotel Week: WiFi Hotel Rooms

When I ask brides to identify one of their top priorities when booking their hotel room block, WiFi is always at the top of the list.

To give you a quick reference, I noted below the Hotel Brands where you can typically find Wireless Internet. 

{Wi-Fi for Free}

Aloft

Andaz

Doubletree*

Four Points by Sheraton

Hotel Indigo

Hyatt Place

Omni*

Ramada Worldwide

{Wi-Fi for a Fee}

Embassy Suites*

Hilton*

Le Méridien

Omni **

Sheraton

St. Regis

W

Westin

Enjoy, and let me know if I  am missing a hotel on the list.

Love & Soul Always, Kay

*In The Public Areas

*In Guest Hotel Rooms

(Source: Meetings & Conventions Magazine)

Hotel Week: Green Hotels

As you may know, hotels have not always been kind to mother earth.  Last year alone, more than 2 million hotel guests stayed in hotels using fresh linen, towels and hotel amenities on a daily basis while blasting the TV, alarm clock and air conditioner.

 

That is why booking a green hotel (or an Eco-Friendly hotel) for your wedding would help to reduce the negative impact that hotels have on the environment.

 

Here is the dilemma – How do you find a hotel that is actively working to improve the environment?  Where do you find green hotels in your area?  What exactly does it mean to be an eco-friendly hotel?

 

 

First things first – According to Orbitz, this is the criteria for Eco-Friendly Hotels:

·         Use a natural source of energy, such as wind, water, solar and/or bio-fuel.

·         Use environmentally-friendly and safe products on a regular basis

·         Contribute money from each hotel reservation to an environmental organization

·         Use of energy conserving devices

·         Earned the ENERGY STAR®

 

Where are the green hotels?  Listed below are some of the sites that I found.  If you know of others, please share.

·         Orbitz lists all of the hotels that have earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR® for using nearly 40 percent less energy than average buildings and emitting 35 percent less carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

·         Last September, ForbesTraveler.com created a list of America's Greenest Hotels.

·         WholeTravel.com lists and ranks green hotels based throughout the world.

·         RezHub.com helps travelers find environmentally-friendly hotels, activities, hybrid rental cars and flights (via carbon offsets)

·         The Green Hotels Association has a list of environmentally-friendly hotels by state.

 

Not finding your favorite hotel on any of the lists?  Talk to you hotel sales manager.  Tell them how you want to reduce your wedding’s negative impact on the environment – They should be able to come up with ways to work with you.

 

Love & Soul Always, Kay