START HERE When it s time to get planning, get in touch with Hilton Worldwide. After all, we plan meetings and social events every day, for groups of all sizes, all over the world. Together, we ll ensure your vision comes to life and delights every attendee, every time. Simply use this page to start planning. Pre-planning checklist We ve created a checklist to help make your planning even easier. You ll save time if you re familiar with these questions before you start the hotel search and/or booking process. Click here for the checklist. Need a meeting or social space? Our hotels have more meeting and event space than anyone else in the world and finding the right space is easy. Search our hotels online to find the perfect location. If you only need one meeting room for your event, you can book instantly online. Simply look for the Book Now option after you start your search. If Book Now is not available, or if you need more than one meeting room, use the Pricing Request option instead. You can provide all of your event details directly to the hotel online, and someone from the hotel sales team will get back to you with pricing and next steps by email or phone.
Need overnight guest rooms? Did you know many hotels offer discounted rates for blocks of 10 or more sleeping rooms? When you book online, you ll see your hotel s group rate, select the perfect room type and provide all of your booking details. If you need 9 or fewer guest rooms, it s the same as if you were booking just one. Simply search for the right hotel online, select the rooms you need, and reserve on a single credit card. You also can assign names to the individual rooms during the booking process and allow your guests to pay with their own credit card upon arrival. If you need 10 or more guest rooms, we re here to help. Get started by searching online for the hotel that fits your needs. Then you have two options: 10-25 rooms: Book online from start to finish! Simply look for the Book Now option at participating hotels. 26+ rooms or if the Book Now option is not available at your selected hotel: Simply choose the Pricing Request option. Submitting a Pricing Request allows you to provide all of your event details to the hotel online. The hotel sales team will contact you by email or phone to provide pricing and availability, and work with you to finalize your booking. After You re Booked Confirmation After you book your event online and/or completed the Pricing Request form, you will receive an email confirmation. If you submitted a pricing request, you can expect a call or email to discuss the details, usually within 24 hours. Private Online Group Webpage If your guests are booking their own rooms from within your reserved room block, we provide a private, personalized group webpage so your guests have one-click access for booking via a personal email you send to them. Your hotel may call this a POG. If guests don t want to book online, they may call the hotel directly to book their rooms. Be sure they know to reference your group block. Guest List Manager As the lead organizer, you can view, download or print a guest list from your POG page to track room bookings and review your guests reservations status. Click here to learn more. Cut-off Dates and Cancellations Any rooms not reserved by your assigned cut-off date may be released from your room block and returned to open inventory. Be sure to communicate this date to your group. Cancelling a room block reservation or meeting space carries different rules and regulations than a normal reservation, so it s important you understand the terms of the agreement clearly. You must contact the hotel directly to cancel your group or meeting. Be sure to ask your hotel contact about the property s cancellation penalties and other terms associated with your booking. For help with unfamiliar hotel terminology, check out our Glossary. You may also be interested in our Event Planning Checklist, examples of Meeting Space Layouts, and tips for Mindful Eating. Need anything else? For questions about the property, area attractions, directions, parking and just about anything else, call the hotel directly. Our team will be happy to assist you as you plan your event!
EVENT PLANNING CHECKLIST For Starters Location DATE/TIME Have a few options in mind. HEAD COUNT Have a rough estimate of how many attendees you re planning to host. COMPARE Have a couple of locations in mind to compare benefits, amenities and pricing. SETUP Decide how your event room should be arranged. Click here to see examples of configurations. Are there are any special accessibility needs? STAYING OVERNIGHT Note whether you ll need sleeping rooms. If so, how many rooms and for how many nights? Food & Beverages STYLE OF FOOD/SERVICE Decide what type of food you want to serve and in what style (e.g., banquet, buffet, waiter service). Looking to reduce food waste and provide healthier options? Learn more about Hilton Worldwide s Mindful Eating options. QUANTITY OF MEALS How many meals will you provide? Breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, reception, networking event, etc.? RESTRICTIONS Do guests have special dietary requirements? Vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.? ALCOHOL Decide what type of alcohol you want to serve, if any, and in what style (e.g., open bar, cash bar or waiter service). DÉCOR Do you need flowers, special linens or other decorations? The hotel may obtain these for you, but first, find out about the hotel s decoration guidelines (e.g., decorations often cannot be hung or taped to hotel walls). The hotel also should have a list of preapproved vendors that understand their guidelines.
EVENT PLANNING CHECKLIST, CONT. Technology AUDIO/VISUAL Will you need a conference phone, DVD player, projector or screen? WIFI What degree of WiFi will you need? Enough to check email and surf the web? Or enough to stream videos and movies? Do you need one connection or several for all attendees? Before You Book REFERENCES Request at least two references from the hotel and check them out before signing a contract. SITE VISIT If possible, do a site inspection. If you re planning from out of town, ask the hotel to send you pictures or video of the venue. BUDGET Revisit your budget to make sure that the details of your event are covered. Is there anything you need to add before you book? CONTACT NAME Establish your assigned hotel contact for the day of your event. Understanding the Contract POLICIES Understand the cancellation, guarantee and attrition policies. Cancellation The last day that you can cancel your event and the date at which a penalty can be charged. Guarantee The exact count of attendees to be served food and beverages. Attrition If the amount of sleeping rooms or catering turns out to be less than what you reserved, the hotel may charge liquidated damages for nonperformance. GRATUITY/SERVICE CHARGE Review the hotel s gratuity and service charge policy and factor that into your budget. FORMS Be sure you ve read the BEO (Banquet Event Order) in detail. Ask questions about anything that s unclear, as this is a legal document. Need help with unfamiliar hotel terminology? Check out our Glossary.
MEETING SPACE LAYOUTS Examples of various room setups and best uses U-Shape Conference tables in the shape of the letter U with chairs around the outside. Ideal for meetings and discussion groups where there is a speaker, visual presentation or other focal point. Theater Rows of chairs facing the front of the room, divided by center and/or side aisles. Very space efficient and an excellent way to accommodate a large number of guests with a single focal point. Classroom Rows of conference tables with chairs facing the front of the room providing writing and workspace for each guest. Ideal when guests take notes, follow along with reference materials or use laptop computers. Boardroom Rectangular table with chairs around sides and ends. Great for board and committee meetings and discussion groups. Offers ample workspace and good interaction among participants. Banquet Multiple round tables, each seating 8-10 guests. May include buffet or service table. Great for social events, and also useful for small business meetings with breakout discussion groups or note-taking. Cocktail Small, round, usually tall tables throughout a space. Ideal for large events that demand guests circulate and interact. Chevron or V-Shape A variation on the classroom setup, rows of conference tables set at an angle with chairs facing the front of the room, providing writing and workspace for each guest. Ideal for small group conversations, note-taking, following along with reference materials, or using laptop computers.
MINDFUL EATING OPTIONS Ready to reduce food waste and meet healthier? Change the way you eat when you meet. Consider mindful eating. Here are simple ways to reduce food waste and offer healthier options without sacrificing a quality experience for your guests: Set up common-area food and beverage service to share resources and conserve serving supplies. Substitute bottled teas and vitamin-infused water for sodas to offer your guests healthier choices. Provide fresh water stations with reusable containers. Request pre-plated salads and desserts to avoid unused salad toppings and provide portion control on sweets. Select enough buffet items to provide a balanced meal without overserving. Incorporate more whole grains, fresh fruit and nuts. Fruits come in their own eco-friendly wrapper and make attendees feel better about their choices. Source local ingredients. Talk to your catering manager about available options. Donate extra food to charity if available. Ask your hotel about local programs. Talk about it. Share with your guests your commitment to be more mindful about reducing food waste, and encourage them to make healthy and eco-friendly choices of their own throughout the event.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS Advanced Deposit Requirement by some hotels to receive full or partial payment in advance of the event. Attrition The negative difference between the contracted block of guest rooms and the number of rooms consumed. Also, the attrition clause in a contract outlines the financial obligation for performance per the contract terms. Banquet Event Order (BEO) An important document outlining every detail of your event captured per agreed specifications. This includes menu, room configuration, staff-on-hand and more. Catering From simple water or coffee service for your group to full meals, your hotel can handle these needs. Cut-off Date A date where any remaining guest rooms in a group block are given back to the house for general sale. Group Rate Varies by hotel but is a special, reduced, per-night guest room rate dependent on booking a certain quantity of rooms.
GLOSSARY OF TERMS, CONT. Guarantee The minimum number of meals to be paid for by the client, even if some are not consumed. Typically, guarantees are required 48 hours in advance of the function. Guest List Manager Allows you to view, download or print a guest list to keep track of the rooms booked for your event, plus review attendees and their reservation status. Guest Room An overnight sleeping room for one or more guests. Liquidated Damages The amount of money the party agrees to pay for not meeting all contractual obligations. This amount is pre-agreed upon at the contract signing. Meeting Room Varies by hotel, ranging from a conference/board room capable of holding up to 25 people to a banquet hall that could hold hundreds. Private Online Group Page (POG) Provided by Hilton Worldwide, a complimentary, personalized, private group webpage so your guests can have one-click access for booking rooms via a personal email you send to them. Request for Proposal/Pricing Request Also referred to as RFPs. An electronic request submitted to one or many hotels for information on meetingspace accommodations. Hotels typically respond to RFPs within 24 hours or the next business day. Reservation A meeting and/or overnight guest room that has been confirmed with a credit card. Room Block A block of rooms reserved for a group at an agreed-upon rate. Social Space Varies by hotel and ranges from a meeting room to reserved lobby space.
GUEST LIST MANAGER Managing your room block online through the Hilton Worldwide Guest List Manager After your group has been set up for your chosen hotel, follow these steps: Step 1: Go to http://meetings.hilton.com/guestlist and click Get Started. Step 2: Sign in with your Hilton HHonors account information. If you don t have an HHonors account, click Sign Up. Step 3: Select Set Up A Group Event if you are the group administrator. Make sure you have the following information: hotel code, group code, and start-and-end SRP (Special Rate Plan) date. You can get this information from your confirmation email or your hotel. Step 4: Once you have completed adding the event, you will be taken to the My Guest List Manager Profile page. There, you will see the following sections: *Notes have been included in the second row to explain each column. Group Event Nickname You will see the group nickname you selected for your group here. Hotel e-events Confirmation If you booked your group online, click your confirmation number to access your contract and booking details. Guest Room Dates This gives you the booking dates if you booked guest rooms. Meeting Room Dates This gives you the booking dates if you booked meeting rooms. Reservations Guest List Here, you can either choose to book your reservations or view your rooming list, and changes or cancel reservations you have already booked. You can also export your rooming list in Excel format from here. Room Count Summary Here you can click to view your room count. You can see how many rooms have been booked and if there is any availability left. You can click here to view more info on your hotel. Step 5: Use the links provided to view your group s existing attendee reservations, review room counts or add new reservations to the group block. NOTE: While you will be able to view reservations that others have made, you will not be able to modify their reservations. You can only modify reservations that you have made. You re done! Now that you know how to use Guest List Manager, you can keep track of your groups online, on your time. MEETINGS