Working With Hotels
Whether you’re looking for meeting space or simply accommodations for visiting clients or salespeople, start with a budget.

By Ellen Jensen

Over the past couple of years, you’ve expanded your business and you’re planning a company-wide meeting. Or perhaps you’re bringing in clients for a strategy meeting, but where should you have it? Your offices aren’t large enough to accommodate everybody.

Plus, you want to make a splash and make the meeting fun as well as informative.

Budget and Location
Budgeting is the first step in the planning process, said Mindy Lallier, sales manager with the Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau. Then, think about location.

Beverly Wetherton, director of sales at Courtyard by Marriott, said that the size of your meeting may determine which area of the city you hold it. The proximity to restaurants, shopping and entertainment and the interstate also can be a consideration.

Find some properties that are in a suitable location, and then contact each hotel’s corporate salesperson and tour each property to see what best fits your needs, as far as meeting space, fee structure and guest room rates.

“If you have clients or salespeople flying in from out of town, think about whether you want them to rent a car, or if it’s better to pay for transportation to shuttle them back and forth,” Lallier said. “Also consider whether the hotel includes breakfast.”

Extra Expenses
In planning meeting space, think about what type of configuration you want—theatre style or classroom style seating—as well as whether you need audio-visual equipment and meals or snacks, said Tom Lufft, director of sales for KCI Expo Center.

Lallier said most hotels with meeting space have audio-visual equipment available, or they work with an audio-visual company. Some may allow you to bring in your own equipment or work with outside vendors, but others will not.  

Lallier also said there often is a sliding scale of meeting room rental versus the number of rooms a client books on a given evening. Rates also can vary based on how far in advance you book.

“The pattern and number of rooms needed, size, meeting space—all of that affects how far in advance you need to book,” Lallier said.

“So the larger the meeting, the earlier you might need to book.”

The “pattern” refers to the part of the week you are booking guest rooms and meeting space. Lallier said each hotel and location is different, but some hotels are busy with corporate business Monday through Thursday, so that pattern could possibly cost more than a Thursday through Saturday room night pattern.

Limited Versus Full Service
Hotels are divided into limited versus full service. One of the biggest differences between the two is that full service usually has a full-service restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, instead of a complimentary continental breakfast. Full-service hotels also usually have room service available.

Wetherton said the staff at limited-service hotels usually can quickly learn the guests names, their special needs and their companies. A full-service hotel is larger, so guests don’t always get the opportunity to develop relationships with the hotel staff.

Lufft added that full-service hotels offer one-stop shopping—sleeping rooms, meeting facilities, full-service restaurant, fitness centers, swimming pool and business center. The idea is to meet all needs on-site so guests don’t have to leave the hotel.

Most limited-service hotels offer some amenities but usually not all of them. Lufft said they are likely to have swimming pools and fitness centers. They usually provide a continental breakfast, but typically don’t have a restaurant. Most limited services hotels don’t offer meeting space, or if they do, it’s usually small, seating up to 90 people.

Limited With Some Full-Service Amenities
Many hotels are listed as limited service but offer many of the full-service amenities that travelers are used to, such as a lounge, swimming pool, meeting space or business center. Lallier said that many times hotels are listed as limited service because they serve breakfast and dinner but not lunch, or the lounge may be open only during certain hours of the day. Also, most don’t have room service but do have to-go menus available in guest rooms from restaurants that deliver.

“They offer other options, just not directly through the hotel,” Lallier said.

The most important thing is to prepare a budget and make a list of your needs so you can find a match with the hotel that fits both your needs and your budget.

Although hotels try to go after the big groups to fill large portions of the hotel, smaller meetings add up as well and are just as important as larger meetings,” Lufft said.

Ellen Jensen is the managing editor of Kansas City Small Business Monthly magazine.