I have my location. How do I find the right hotel?

I have my location.  How do I find the right hotel?

In our last article, we outlined basic steps to help you find a good location for your event.  In this article, we’re going to drill down a little bit farther.  Once you have picked the host city or region, what’s the best way to find hotels or resorts?  With today’s technology and resources, the problem is not finding them, the problem is not finding too many.  Take a look at some of the pros and cons.

1.  Internet research – Do a quick Google search of “San Diego Hotels” for example, and you will quickly see how easy it is to find properties.  Lots of them.  The problem is narrowing them all down to a number you can handle.  Another problem is finding accurate rates — individual rates that you’ll find online are not the same as rates for group events.  Using this method for finding properties, you’ll need to contact hotel sales departments one at a time to get accurate group quotes.  Very time intensive, to say the least.  Although this isn’t the best way to narrow down properties, it is a great way to get a good feel for an area.

2.  Word of mouth recommendations – As with most things, a good recommendation is always the best way to find what you are looking for, and finding a good property is no exception.  There is nothing like having a good friend, coworker, or your supervisor recommending a particular property because they have had a successful meeting there before.  However, don’t forget to ask them how long ago they were there.  The hotel may have done renovations or changed management since they visited.

But should you stop at just that one property?  What if a higher-caliber property down the street just had a big cancellation over your preferred dates?  If you have time, you should always look at other properties in the area.  Get a good snapshot of the marketplace, if only to reinforce your decision.  You don’t want to find out later that a great deal was right around the corner.

3. Convention and Visitors Bureaus – CVBs are great resources to find information about a cities and area attractions.  In addition to being a no-cost resource, CVB employees generally live in the area and can provide great “inside” information about what’s going on about town.  CVBs can also be great resources for assisting with finding properties.  But again, you may end up back at the internet searching problem–too many properties to choose from.  CVBs generally send their leads to all or most of the properties in a given area, as that is part of their mission–to generate business for their local members.  They may not have the time or resources to qualify your event properly.

Another potential issue with CVBs is that your name and contact information will be given to the properties.  Be prepared for lots of follow-up is from hotel salespeople.  Along these lines, if you need to search and three different cities, you’ll need to contact three separate CVBs.  CVBs vary greatly from city to city, so be prepared for inconsistencies with what exactly they will do for you.  These minor disadvantages aside, CVBs are a great resource and are highly recommended.

4. Site Selection consulting firms – Like CVBs, site selection consulting firms (called “3rd parties” in the industry), are an excellent source to find information about hotels and resorts in a given area.  Also, there are also no costs to using site selection consulting firms, as they are compensated directly by whichever hotel earns your business.

However, there are some distinct advantages to using a site selection consulting firm instead of a CVB.  First, a third party will protect your privacy by conducting searches on your behalf, but using their name, not yours.  They will field the follow-up calls from salespeople, acting as a filter for information.  Second, they will qualify your event more thoroughly and only send your meeting specs to those properties that are truly match your requirements.  And, once your event is qualified, a site selection consulting firm can easily do a search in another city or region, if your location needs to change suddenly for whatever reason.  Finally, a site selection consulting firm can help after the search is done–setting up site visits and assistance with negotiating the contract, just to name a few.

MeetingSteward.com is a site selection consulting firm.

5. Finally, consider a combination of methods.   For example, a site selection consulting firm oftentimes works with a CVB to both gather rates and area-attraction information at the same time.  Since both organizations work at no cost to you, why not take advantage of both?  You’ll can get the all the benefits, and avoid all the disadvantages.  If you do go this route, however, be sure to contact the site selection consulting firm first to avoid confusion and duplication of effort.

Finding and narrowing down sites for your event can be a very time-consuming and frustrating part of your process.  However, knowing your options before you get started is the best way to avoid issues.  If you can find a good partner in the industry to help save you time and money, you’ll be way ahead of the curve.

Whatever method you choose, happy hunting and good luck!