The Holiday Inn Westbury Hotel’s Social Sales Manager, Rachael Maretsky, provides helpful tips to future Brides and Grooms for when planning a wedding.
Overall, the following is in a Question and Answer format, and these have been determined by Rachael, and the Hotel’s Director of Sales, Stephanie Lambert, based on the most common questions they get from both brides and grooms.
They also chose to add some helpful tips outside of the question and answer format, because some information is just from years of experience in working with many brides, grooms, and their families.
The goal is to assist brides and grooms in planning their wedding day celebration, and to perhaps alleviate some stress by sharing their tips.
Q: How early should I reserve or block rooms after I reserve my Reception Hall?
A: We recommend reserving your block of rooms shortly after reserving your Catering Hall Venue where your Wedding and/or Reception will be held. This will help ensure availability, and also help ensure getting the amount of rooms and services you need and want. Quite often, the earlier that one reserves their block of rooms, the deeper the discount is on group accommodations, and it’s of course more likely that additional services and amenities will be available. It is not unusual for the Hotel to reserve a block of rooms 1-2 years out from one’s wedding date, but the average lead time is 6-8 months.
Q: How do I decide on how many rooms I should block for my guests?
A: We suggest taking a good look at your guest invitation list. Consider how many guests will be attending that are from out-of-town, and may want or need to stay to enjoy all of your Wedding Day activities. Plus, consider your pre- and post-wedding events and functions. Don’t forget your Bridal Party! Will they need to get ready at the Hotel? Will they need to stay in order to partake in all the events you would like for them to be a part of? If the bride and/or groom are staying the night before the wedding or on the wedding night, most often key family members and bridal party members will want or need to stay. For those that may be traveling more than two hours to attend, they will most likely want to stay at the host hotel. We always suggest starting off on a relatively conservative basis, as the Hotel may be able to add rooms to the block later; however, we suggest at least reserving the minimum amount of rooms you think your guests will need. Adding to a block of rooms is always based on availability, and cannot be guaranteed.
Q: What are some of the things I should consider when selecting a Hotel for my wedding guests?
A: Most often the hotel is chosen based upon its location, and the close proximity to the Wedding and Reception Hall. Other factors to consider include what types of pre- and post-wedding events you’re planning. Not all hotels provide, or can provide, the same services. For example, many properties do not offer full banquet, catering or dining options and services. The Holiday Inn Westbury is a full-service property that can provide services for rehearsal dinners, late/after-hour bar service, a post-wedding breakfast or brunch, etc. The Holiday Inn Westbury also recognizes that price is a factor for many; therefore, one can always count on the Hotel providing block rates that are significantly lower than published General Public rates.
Q: How can I get my guests to and from my reception hall from your hotel?
A: The Holiday Inn Westbury has a 14-passenger shuttle that we, at times, utilize for our wedding groups to and from the reception venue; however, we also have preferred vendors we work with that offer discounted pricing on shuttle and limo services.
Q: What type of rate should I expect? Do I get a discount for reserving a block of rooms?
A: All of our wedding couples receive a discount off of the General Public rate, which varies based upon the time of the year and the hotel’s availability at the time of reserving a block. As mentioned previously, the Holiday Inn Westbury always ensures that block/group rates are always lower than any published General Public rates. Discounts are provided to groups for guaranteeing the business; therefore, the more one is willing to guarantee, the greater the discount typically is. The Hotel also considers the additional services it will be providing to wedding guests, which includes, but is not limited to, banquet and catering services.
Q: Do you provide any information on where you are located that can be included in my invitations?
A: The Holiday Inn Westbury offers “Reservation/Direction Cards” to our wedding couples that book a block of rooms. These cards include directions to the hotel, as well as a section for wedding couples to fill in specific information about booking within their hotel block. Our Reservation/Direction Cards fit in most invitation envelopes. They are 4.5″ x 5.5″
Q: Do you allow gift bags to be given out upon check-in to those staying within the room block?
A: Gift bags are a great way to provide and show your guests a token of your appreciation for being a part of your special day. We welcome couples to provide gift bags to their guests; however, we do not permit the gift bags to be personalized for specific individual guests, as this prolongs the check-in process and prevents the Hotel’s Guest Service Agents in offering efficient and expedited services. If one insists on having personalized gift bags for each guest, there is a $5.00 per gift bag fee associated with the service. We recommend customizing your gift bag or box with a sticker, special design, color or theme, as guests will recognize it, but we also recommend to keep it simple, as sometimes, less is more. In order to not add more stress to your day, we always suggest that the bride or groom hand over the responsibility to a trusted person in their wedding party. Typically the Hotel will accept gift bags or boxes three – (3) days out from the main arrival date, and no less than one – (1) day, as the Hotel adds Profile Notes to each person/room that is to receive a bag/box.
Below are some suggestions for items to include in your gift bags or boxes:
- Bottled Water
- Snacks: (Pretzels, Chips, Popcorn, Crackers, etc.)
- Something Sweet (Chocolate, Cookies, Candy, etc.)
- Breath Refreshments (Breath Mints, etc.) *No gum please. Not good for pictures, and not good for the Hotel.
- Something Whimsical (Chocolate hearts, candy hearts, wedding theme color jelly beans, wedding theme color rock candy pops, etc.)
- Headache Medicine (Aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, etc.)
- Customized (Cookie, Cupcake, Brownie, Candy, etc.)
I would be happy to answer any and all of your questions, and assist you in planning your special day. It’s our goal to provide you and your with accommodations, services and amenities that will meet and exceed your expectations. Please contact me directly at 516-213-9102 or rmaretsky@hiwestbury.com. You may also submit a Social Request for Proposal for more information about a room block to be sent to you directly by our Sales Team.
*Please feel free to add your comments or suggestions to the Blog post. Rachael will be adding and updating the Blog post at least once a month with new tips, and they will include the most common questions we receive from our brides and grooms.
Below are some helpful website links about the Holiday Inn Westbury, as well as some general website links that both brides and grooms may find helpful throughout their journey as they prepare for their special day.
- Antus’s Catering of Hicksville: 4.0 miles
- Ariana Waterfall: 4.7 miles
- Chateau Briand: next door
- Cradle of Aviation: 3.6 miles
- Inn at New Hyde Park: 6.2 miles
- Jericho Terrace: 3.0 miles
- Pompei: 5.3 miles
- Sand Castle: 7.2 miles
- Stewart Manor Country Club: 5.4 miles
- The Carltun: 2.6 miles
- The Royalton at Roslyn Country Club: 3.4 miles
- Verdi’s: 1.6 miles
- Westbury Manor: 2.1 miles
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