WINNER

Introduction I've written hotel RFPs as a corporate meeting planner, and I've received them as a Director of Sales at a hotel property. That dual perspective gives me something most consultants don't have: I know exactly what a hotel sales team sees when your RFP lands in their inbox, how they triage it, and what makes them decide to compete aggressively for your business versus send a perfunctory response. Here's what I know. How hotels prioritize incoming RFPs When an RFP h

Introduction I've been in this industry long enough to have seen every version of the 'free hotel sourcing' model — the good, the mediocre, and the ones that left clients with contracts they didn't fully understand. As someone who has worked on the hotel side and now advocates entirely for meeting planners, I can tell you exactly what separates a site selection partner who genuinely earns their commission from one who's just going through the motions. The commission model is

Introduction I've been doing hotel site selection since before most meeting planners had heard the term. In my 30-plus years in hospitality — as a corporate planner, a third-party planner, and a hotel Director of Sales & Marketing — I've seen every variation of this process, from the smoothest sourcing I've ever witnessed to the most expensive contract mistakes I hope you'll never repeat. Here's what I know about hotel site selection that I wish someone had told me earlier. W