HOSPITALITY ANSWERMAN

The Site Inspection – an important part of any successful reunion

Q:My sister and I are planning our reunion for next year (2024), and we can’t believe the prices we’re being quoted for hotel rooms, catering (both in the hotel and at local restaurants), and for a bus to take everyone sightseeing. Is there anything you can recommend to help us out here? If we can’t keep the cost of attending to an amount that everyone in the family can afford, we may have to cancel the reunion!

A:Well, the very first thing I would recommend is that you don’t cancel the reunion, even if the cost is more than what you’d originally budgeted. The joy of having everyone get together and the memories you’ll be creating will be far more important to your family than the fact that you all had to spend a little extra. Six months or a year later, everyone will remember the wonderful time that they had; no one will really remember (or care) about the rate they paid for their hotel room. There’s no question that prices for lodging, food, and many other things have gone up since the end of the pandemic. That said, there are a number of specific things you can do to help keep your costs down while planning your gathering. Here are twelve things you can do that will result in significant savings. All of them may not apply to your reunion, but some of them definitely will!

In your preliminary planning:

Contact the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) in the cities where you’re thinking of meeting. Ask them to provide a list of the “value dates” for getting together in their city. They can steer you away from dates when there are large events taking place (conventions, sports tournaments, festivals, etc.) that will push up the cost of hotel rooms.

Consider hotels in suburban corporate office park locations. They are frequently far less busy on weekends and in the summer months, and can offer significant discounts at those times. Frequently, parking at these properties will be free or discounted, as well.

Likewise, consider hotels which have microwave ovens and refrigerators in all their rooms. This will allow folks to purchase snacks, beverages, and sandwiches at a local supermarket, eliminating the need to eat every meal out. This can be especially helpful for families with young children.

When planning a meal at your hotel:

Ask the hotel to include the cost of breakfast in your room rate, if they don’t already offer breakfast as an amenity to all guests. This will likely be less expensive than the cost of the room and breakfast in the hotel restaurant, if purchased separately.

Schedule at least one catered meal (a lunch, brunch, or dinner) in the hotel. This will make it much easier for the hotel to offer you a hospitality room without charge for the length of your reunion.

For your catered meal, give the hotel a per person budget you’re looking to stick to, and let them customize a menu that meets this amount. They can do simple things like reducing the portion size (a lunch-size entrée rather than a dinner size-entrée), serving “in season” items, or serving a simpler dessert, to help you keep within your budget. Likewise, ask the hotel for a reduced per person price for children.

Many hotels will allow you to bring in pre-packaged snacks, sodas, and bottled water (but not alcoholic beverages) for your hospitality room, without charge, if you ask. Make sure this is noted in your contract with the hotel. This will be far less expensive than purchasing sodas and snacks from the hotel.

When contacting the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB):

Ask the CVB to provide a list of the local attractions that are free, discounted, or reasonably priced. Many cities have museums, art galleries, zoos, historic sites, and other attractions that are absolutely free!

Likewise, check with the CVB to see if discounts, coupons, or special offers are available for local restaurants, stores, shows, and sightseeing. Many CVBs now offer apps which you can download to your cell phone, providing you with a variety of special offers and discounts.

Many CVBs can recommend local speakers, musicians or other entertainers who are willing to come speak to/entertain your group without charge, or for a nominal fee. Many colleges likewise have speakers’ bureaus and/or student musicians who you can call upon.

Publicly-operated playgrounds, water parks and recreation facilities are many times a less expensive alternative to commerciallyrun establishments. Ask the CVB about local facilities that your group might enjoy visiting.

And finally:

Many hotels now have video display boards in their lobbies, and will gladly place a slide with a photo and/or the name of your reunion group on the display board without charge, if you ask. This is far easier and less expensive than having a traditional banner produced and hung.

Hope you all have a great reunion … please be sure to send us some photos!

About the Hospitality Answerman

Dean Miller, national sales director for Visit Fairfax (www.fxva.com), the convention and visitors bureau in Fairfax County, Virginia, is a great friend of reunions. Contact him (dmiller@fxva.com; 703-790-0643) when you are planning a reunion in the Washington, DC, area. Fairfax County is nearby, affordable, and conveniently located to all the area has to offer.

It’s bound to happen! On December 27, 2022 the clue for the opening puzzle on Wheel of Fortune was an event.