Venues
7 min read
How to read a hotel contract before you sign it
Attrition, food and beverage minimums and the one clause that decides who pays when fewer people come.
Start with attrition
Most room block contracts let you release rooms without penalty down to 80 percent of the block. Below that you pay for empty rooms. Ask for 75 percent and a review date 30 days out.
Then the food minimum
The food and beverage minimum is a floor, not a menu. If your guest count drops, the minimum does not. Tie it to the final headcount wherever you can.
Tell us the date, the headcount and the budget line.
A producer calls you back within one working day with three venue options and an honest read on the budget. No deck, no retainer to start.