Hilton Corporation Online Small Meeting Booking Service

Hilton Hotels offers guests the option of booking small meetings online. The tool allows groups of up to 25 people to reserve a block of rooms, meeting space, audiovisual equipment and food and drinks in one set-rate package. This tool launched about a year ago, and has been a success thus far.

The booking engine shows the potential meeting spaces, as well as provides information on how many people the space will hold using different layouts. During the booking process, the tool provides a cost estimate on the side bar of the website. No surprises at the end.

Hilton contends the tool may be expanded to accommodate larger groups and events in the near future. The estimate at this point is to have the ability to book 50 to 100 rooms in larger properties.

Upon ordering, the buyer must submit to non-negotiable terms and conditions, meaning that planners hoping to get deals for multiple events still will have to do it the old-fashioned way and talk to someone. If you aren’t worried about striking a deal, this is a great option. Prices are set by individual hotels based on prices in the local market. Meeting spaces available for online booking also are controlled by individual hotels. After booking the space, the meeting planner can access the “Guest List Manager,” which allows them to view attendees who have booked rooms. Kind of like e-vite for meeting planners. In addition, the meeting planner can create a website for the event with a reservations link.

The cancellation fees are pretty steep, so be sure you mean it before you book.