Hotel Reservations for Dummies

This should be aptly named “Greatest B*tchfight ever.”  For the last 2 weeks, I have been in negotiations with a hotel to reserve a block of rooms for the 2 days of my wedding.  Here is what I have learned you should always ask for:

1) A complimentary hospitality suite

2) An upgrade for the bride & groom

This is my story:  The asking price for a block of 20 rooms for 2 nights was $129/night + tax.  Parking is either valet (mucho dinero) or parking garage $7/night.  I first asked for free parking and a free hospitality suite (thanks to the suggestion from M2B because it totally didn’t occur to me).  They agreed to a free hospitality suite and a reduction to $125/night + tax instead of free parking.  Okay, not so bad.  We will also get the deluxe room connected to the boardroom (hosp. suite) that is a suite with 2 double beds for the group rate.  Even better – this will be great for my parents and brother, or more likely, the bridesmaids/groomsmen to man the booze.

Then, since one room was upgraded to a suite that could only contain doubles and not a king, I asked for an upgrade for the bride and groom.  To which the hotel replied – “we only do upgrades if you have a reception here.  we think the rate quoted is already a good deal for a four diamond property. etc. etc.”  To which I replied, I am sure you can manage to upgrade 1 room for the newlyweds who will be bringing our entire entourage/guests who will be using your amenities.  This one issue went back and forth for A WEEK.  Wow, they are a tough nut to crack for 1 upgrade.  Who would’ve thought.  Anyway, needless to say, I got it.  And I changed the reservation to 12 for Friday night and 28 for Saturday night, just to be safe.

Then today, just as we were about to seal the deal, they say the free airport shuttle service has been discontinued.  It was a test run for 6 months and it just didn’t work out.  They tossed it last week.

Um… all of my guests are out of town and need this service.  It was pretty much the basis of the bargain.  So for the first time since going to law school, I pulled out the attorney card.  Hello – our negotiations begun 2 weeks ago, before the service was pulled, and even though I didn’t accept the contract until today does not mean they can take out a significant clause after my acceptance.  A quick lesson on contracts:

• If their offer is accepted, they may no longer revoke
• Until their offer is accepted, they can probably revoke (unless they promise to hold it open for X amount of time)
• A counteroffer is a rejection plus a new offer

What happened here is they made me an offer, I rejected and counter-offered, repeat, repeat… they made a final offer, I accepted.  They did not tell me about the change in terms until after my acceptance.  It doesn’t matter that the terms changed, but they didn’t notify me until afterwards.  Therefore, they are bound to the terms of our negotiation and here we have it – complimentary airport shuttle service just for my guests! (However – I can only guarantee this for those who manage to reserve the 12 rooms Fri night or 28 rooms Sat night.)

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice, do not take it as legal advice, but just good natured fun and frantic wedding planning.