Hotel room blocks and guest travel: what to sign, what to ask, and what guests need to know

Two kinds of block

Ask for a courtesy block first. It gives guests the rate without putting your money at risk.

The three terms in the contract

• Cut-off date: the day unreserved rooms go back on general sale. The Knot says 30 days before check-in is typical.
• Attrition: the share of the block you promise to fill. The Knot says 80 to 90% is the standard target; WeddingWire says 70 to 90%. Fall short and you pay for the difference.
• Resell clause: wording that makes the hotel try to sell your unused rooms, so you are not charged for rooms it later sold to someone else. Ask for it.

What a hotel company says

Hilton's own event-planning glossary defines a cut-off date as the point where unreserved rooms "are released to the general public", and tells planners to "make sure you understand the guarantee, cancellation, and attrition policies in your contract". Hilton and Marriott both let you reserve small blocks online, up to 25 rooms, and handle larger ones through a sales contact.

When to book, and how many

• The Knot: start 9 to 12 months before, and have the block in place before save-the-dates go out.
• WeddingWire: shortly after you book the venue, and at least six months before.
• WeddingWire says most hotels need about 10 rooms to form a block, and suggests a block once you expect more than 20 out-of-town guests.
• Published rules for how many rooms to hold vary widely and none cites data. WeddingWire's approach is the safest: start small and ask whether you can add rooms.
• For larger weddings, Zola and WeddingWire both suggest two hotels at different prices.

Worth asking for

• Can we add rooms later at the same rate?
• What is the cut-off date, and can it move closer to the wedding?
• Is there a shuttle, and can we hire it for the venue run?
• Can welcome bags be handed out at check-in, and is there a fee?
• Early check-in or late check-out for the wedding party?
• A booking link we can put on our wedding website?

When a shuttle makes sense

• The Knot and Zola give the same rule of thumb: consider one when the hotel and the venue, or the ceremony and the reception, are more than 30 minutes apart.
• Also when parking is limited, when the venue is rural and rideshares are unreliable, or when many guests are from out of town without cars.
• Shuttles usually have a minimum hire of about three hours. Ask whether the hours can be split between the trip there and the trip back.
• One planner quoted by The Knot books seats for the expected guest count plus 10%.
• Before you pay for one, ask the hotel. Some run their own.

Check the bus or limo company

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration runs a "Look Before You Book" search for bus companies that cross state lines. It says to check a company's registration and insurance status before hiring, and to ask the company for its USDOT number because many have similar names. Companies that operate only within one state are overseen by that state. In California, for example, the Public Utilities Commission says to confirm that a limousine company is licensed and that its permit number is displayed on the vehicle.

For guests who are flying

• ID: since May 7, 2025, a state driver's license that is not REAL ID compliant is no longer accepted at airport checkpoints. A passport works instead.
• The dress: TSA says a wedding dress can go through the checkpoint, recommends a garment bag, and says to ask the airline about stowing it on board.
• Gifts: TSA suggests gift bags instead of wrapping, because officers may need to unwrap an item to screen it.
• Refunds: under Department of Transportation rules, a passenger is entitled to a refund when the airline cancels a flight, or changes it by three hours or more on a domestic trip, and the passenger chooses not to travel. It is due within seven business days for credit card purchases.

Put it on the website

• Hotel names, the booking link and the cut-off date, stated as a deadline
• The nearest airports and the driving time from each
• Shuttle times, or a note that guests should arrange their own transport
• Parking, and the address to give a rideshare driver