At Inntel, we deal with large group bookings for our clients which involve managing and organising the accommodation and travel requirements. We have comprised an insight into the way we manage our client’s needs and the advantages of using a travel management company. We go the extra mile to deliver a reliable, personal service and better value for your business.
What is classed as a group booking?
Group bookings are when rooms required for accommodation or the number of travellers for rail and air enquires are ten or more. This is set at ten as it is when our suppliers start to stipulate terms and conditions and contracts for the bookings.
Why it’s important to manage them through Inntel?
Inntel have dedicated teams that can look after your group booking from start to finish, making your working life that little bit easier. We have a dedicated groups desk for accommodation and dedicated consultants looking after air and rail bookings.
The accommodations groups desk deals with a range of enquiries on a daily basis. We may receive an enquiry for ten rooms or eight hundred depending on our client’s specifications. By managing any type of group booking whether it’s for trains, flights or bedrooms, we are able to negotiate rates as well as terms and conditions offered to us by the suppliers.
When is the best time to send over a group enquiry?
The sooner we receive your enquiry the better! It gives us the chance of negotiating with suppliers in regards to costs and T&C’s. If we receive bookings far in advance it not only gives you more options for your booking but there will be more availability enabling suppliers to be more flexible with rates.
What do we do?
At Inntel we sweat the small stuff, so our goal is to ensure that you receive the best rates and terms and conditions for your group enquiries and to ensure that every booking runs smoothly from start to finish.
We keep close track of our bookings using a standard rooming list for all of our accomodation group bookings allowing us to keep a close eye on any changes. It allows us to pass all of your guest’s information to the hotel in advance so your details will be on their system before your arrival.
What do you need to know?
The main difference between an individual and a group booking is the terms and conditions stipulated by the supplier. For accommodation group bookings we would advise you on the cancellation policy prior to us confirming the booking. We do this to ensure you are happy with the terms before we proceed. If you feel the terms are not feasible for the group we would go back to the hotel to negotiate these.
The terms and conditions for accommodation groups are dependent on how many rooms are confirmed however the majority of them are 28 days/1 month prior to arrival. Once the booking has been confirmed the hotel would issue a contract that would need to be signed by you and returned back to the hotel by the date specified. This is a legal document and if this is not signed and returned the rooms are not guaranteed.
We are able to help with any questions you have in regards to the contract and will offer support and guidance wherever we can.
Why is a contract required for group accommodation?
Many hotels require a contract to be signed and returned to them to ensure the rooms are guaranteed. The hotels have this in place to protect their business from late cancellations or non-arrivals. If the hotels didn’t stipulate cancellation terms and the document is not signed and agreed to then someone would be able to cancel all of their rooms, whether it be ten rooms or a thousand, free of charge up until the day of arrival which would be a loss for the hotel.
The extended cancellation policies allow hotels to resell their rooms if you decide to cancel your booking. Whilst these terms and conditions can be quite strict we are able to negotiate some of the rooms to have a flexible cancellation policy.
Where are the savings to be had?
We are unable to negotioate savings on group bookings however this is dependent on the supplier we are using and the amount of availability that they are offering. The more notice we have the more scope we have to negotiate. It is also helpful if you can be flexible on dates, for example with group accommodation if there is an event taking place in the location they have requested it can make it difficult for the hotels to offer us discounted rates.
It is also helpful if you are flexible on what times you are able to travel via rail or air as we will be able to look at cheaper fares for these bookings. If you also require meeting rooms or private dining we are able to include the accommodation into these bookings to ensure the rate you are getting is the best value for money.