December is a great time to book a company meeting!

They are highly motivated to book every meeting possible by December 31st. So, if you’ve got a meeting to book by the end of the year, you can kick-start the competitive process with these simple tips:

Create a Competitive Environment to Maximize Savings

1)   Submit your RFP to at least 3 hotels
It may seem counter-productive to include additional hotels when sourcing your meeting, even when you know the particular hotel you want to book, but there is a purpose for it. Here’s a little industry secret - when hotels know you aren’t shopping around, they also know they don’t have to offer a competitive rate. Simply include a couple of other hotels along with your favorite when sourcing your RFP. You should see competitive bids that include special savings or discounts from each hotel in an effort to make their property stand out from the others. A little research may be required to select the hotels that are right for your meeting, but it will be well worth your time.

2)   Tell each hotel who they’re bidding against for your meeting
Hotel sales manager love to know who they are competing against. It gives them the opportunity to provide details about their property that will help you recognize the benefits of their hotel over the others. They can provide a proposal with details specific to your meeting that will help you make a quicker decision.

3)   Let them know when you will be making your decision
You don’t have to give them your final decision date, just the date you plan on narrowing down your list to your favorites – your “Short List”. Think of it as eliminating the hotel bids that you know won’t work for your meeting. It will motivate sales managers to respond quickly and bid aggressively on your meeting in order to make your short list.

4)   Communicate updates and decisions
Life doesn’t always go as planned. Hotels understand this, but they’re working hard to win your business so it’s fair to keep them updated on the meeting progress. Whether there is a delay in decision making or they didn’t make your short list, they will appreciate the feedback and you’ll gain credibility for next time.

5)   After the Short List - Negotiate Further
Negotiations don’t stop when you select your Short List – in fact, that’s when they begin. Once they’ve made your Short List, your hotel sales manager will take out all the stops to earn your business. That means they’ll be responsive to many requests that may not have been offered prior to being Short-Listed.

If you’re flexible to sign your contract prior to yearend, communicate this on your RFP and watch the deals roll in.

Send your meeting request to hotels with ASAP’s eRFP Solution

ASAP’s free eRFP Solution has these competitive strategies built right into the platform. You’ll receive hotel proposals with great offers, usually the same business day. Just click the link on the ASAP homepage or go to: https://www.asaporg.com/resources/zentila