Definition: Attrition refers to the percentage of hotel rooms in a block that guests actually book and stay in compared to the number of rooms that were initially reserved for your event. When you secure a room block at a hotel, the hotel may set a minimum number of rooms that need to be booked by your guests to avoid penalties or additional fees.
Practical Use + Tips: Now I know managing hotel room blocks can seem like a small detail in the grand scheme of your wedding planning, but it’s something that can save you a lot of stress and money if handled correctly.
My biggest tip? Communicate to your guest and remind them of this option over and over and over! You know your guest best- making sure you plan out who you really think would stay in the room block and who might find a different accommodation is so important when planning for a large out of town guest count!
A few things to consider:
- Usually the typical rate is 80-90% of the room blocks must be booked but that rate is negotiable in some circumstances (non-peak or event weekends).
- Know the hotel cut off date- last thing you want is to end up with all of your out of town guests without a room because they didn’t know when the last date to book was!
- Find out in advance what last minute add on rates are- no matter how hard you try to plan there is always one person who tries to add in.