5 Reasons To Avoid Hotels For Your Wedding

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Hotels are a popular go-to option for many when creating their events. Take caution, hotels aren’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all solution to venue planning. Make sure your venue is a good fit for the event you’re hosting. Here’s Disc Jockey Boston’s five reasons to rethink hotels as a venue for weddings.

  •  Cost
    • Hotels can be expensive! When you’re booking a hotel, you’re not just paying for the venue, you’re paying for a whole host of services. There’s a shocking number of people working behind the scenes in the office, kitchen, parking lots, and other posts to pull off your event.
  • Noise Complaints
    • I’ve seen couples spend good money on a fancy hotel for their wedding only to have the manager come over during the event and have the DJ bring the volume lower…and lower…and lower for fear of noise complaints from guests in other parts of the building. You worked too long and too hard to let your venue pull back the throttle on your event. By all means, keep the volume comfortable, but don’t fall to this limiting factor in hotels.
  • Service
    • Weddings at hotels is an industry. You’re just one more face in their endless sea of clients. Planners are much more likely to put you through their pipeline and standardize your day. Some people like this cookie-cutter approach, but it’s nice to get a personal touch with your wedding planning.
  • Monopoly on Services
    • Looking for catering? The hotel does that. Want bars? The hotel does that. Want lighting, flowers, décor? The hotel does that. In many cases, not only does the hotel provide those services, they require that you use them if you want those services. Anyone who has paid for a hotel catered dinner for 150 people knows just how high those add-on fees can be. If there was a specific vendor you wanted to use for any aspect of your event, your venue might not allow it.
  • Strict End Times
    • “The party is ending at 2AM,” means exactly that at a hotel. Whatever your end time, you can be sure the hotel is going to pull the plug precisely at the end of your contract. Continuing parties is nearly impossible, and in the rare cases they are, the cost can be exorbitant. There’s so many options for venues where if the vibe is still good when you’re scheduled to end, you can just ask the DJ to keep it going. Avoiding hotels can help to keep the venue from putting a halt to your awesome night.

 

What should you do instead? One option I always recommend to my clients is renting a house. There’s lots of scenic houses available. Not only is it a cheaper option, but you have much more to work with, the pace can be more leisurely, and you’re setup for a much more distinct party atmosphere. You can make it as fancy or simple as you like it, and most importantly keep the party going strong!