Fiesta Americana - planning help needed!

[tvt]

Just realized I didn't answer part. Your biggest negotiating tip really depends on how elaborate of a wedding your planning. Send me a PM if you want to discuss more

[tvt]

Ok, 3rd post in a row, sad!

 

Many hotels will put together a customized menu for you. You give them your price per person and they usually come up with some pretty good menus that fit your budget.

[jak27]

Tara,

 

Thanks for the great insight! That's what my event planner & I were going to do...we took the menus, added what we liked, took out what we didn't and are just going to tell them, we want it for $X amount per person and negotiate like that.

 

Didn't mean to hijack fogdog! Just some negotiating tips for your contract!

[fogdog]

Definitely not a hijack - all very relevant to my current challenge!

 

FYI - I decided to email Ibonhe and asked for a clause in the contract that will let me cancel without penalty if we can't reach a reasonable agreement on F&B or to just put me in touch with the Conference Services Manager so I can negotiate at the same time. I'll let you all know what I hear back!

[jak27]

Oooh, nice work! Can't wait to see what they say...wish I had thought of that! Keep us informed for sure!

[MARIA]

Just wanted to throw in my two cents-I'm getting married at the Imperial Suite next weekend, and I worked with someone else. I was told to get a room block early as well, but I wound up cancelling it with 60 days notice because all my guests got a cheaper rate on travelocity. No penalties, no charges. Also, I haven't even made a deposit on F&B yet, and all menu selections/beverages are set-I have the feeling they are very laid back in Mexico, so for my own experience, committing to a room block was no big deal!

[jak27]

Oh, good point Maria! I haven't made any deposit on F&B either, I think the room block is really to get those rooms off the market.

 

Would you mind, after your wedding & honeymoon and after life resumes to normalcy, just writing up a little something about the Imperial Suite. We're using it for a welcome cocktail party (but bringing in our own beer & snacks, under the radar hopefully!) and would love to know what kind of kitchen/fridge/entertaining area etc the suite has. I didn't get a chance to see the inside when we visited a few weeks ago!

[fogdog]

Congrats in advance, Maria, and ditto on the review request - would love to hear how everything goes and your opinion on the suite!

Who did you work with on the planning?

Have a great weekend! Good luck and enjoy!

[MARIA]

No problem. I am using Christina from Sunset Weddings, will let you all know how it goes!

[KAMEYER70]

Quote:

Originally Posted by fogdog Hi- I am trying to sign the contract for Fiesta Americana but am feeling a bit nervous as Ibonhe, who I am working with, wants me to commit to the room block including the Imperial Suite (at $1800/night!) before I have any information related to any other details (food, beverage, set-up, etc). As I ask, she is sending me various pieces, but sometimes without prices and sometimes with conflicting info and I can tell it bothers her to do so...

It's been a couple weeks since I logged on here, but I wanted to add my two cents...
I am getting married at the Imperial Suite on Oct 20. I have a room block of 20 rooms (10 rooms each night), but I also have an attrition clause that allows for a whopping 3% reduction in rooms. The catch: I have to give a final count 45 days in advance.
To hold the room block and reserve the Imperial Suite, I needed to put down a $2k deposit. 95% is due 30 days before the event and the remaining on the day of.

Note about room rate:
My room block qouted $240 for deluxe, $560 for master suite and $650 for governor suite. Recently I found the deluxe room for $189 on Travelocity, Orbitz and Hotels.com. I have asked the hotel to match that rate and should have their answer this week.
Unfortunately, the master suites sold out before any of my guests could book them because they guaranted the price but not the availability. Only the deluxe rooms are guaranteed to be available. So if you have guests that for sure want a suite, make sure the hotel adds that to your guaranteed availability.

Good luck with the planning!