As published by Skift Meetings

In today’s pressure-cooker environment, planners want the same immediacy and variety as in their online grocery shopping. GroupSync’s instant booking gives them the faster, smarter decision-making capabilities they crave.

Skift Meetings’ recent State of Business Events survey found that over 75 percent of event planners are now facing shorter lead times. At the same time, venue bookings are being snatched up quickly as the industry begins to return to 2019 levels — with small meetings even surpassing pre-pandemic numbers. All of these factors mean that planners have to jump on the best deals as quickly as possible, or risk being shut out entirely from their top choices.

In years past, meeting planners could rely on their network of contacts to scope out the best rates and strike a deal, but with so much industry turnover during the pandemic, those connections might have moved on. And neither planners nor hotels want to deal with a stack of rapid-fire RFPs sent high and low. Fortunately, instant booking platforms are emerging to help stop the gap and create a new culture of transparency around group rates.

The recent announcement of the launch of Marriott International’s U.S. and Canada properties on GroupSync Marketplace is a sign of what is soon to become the industry standard, with hotels allowing event professionals to browse real-time group rates and book group guest rooms, meeting space, food & beverage, and audio/visual services in a single transaction instantly, online. Marriott and Groups360 are celebrating the launch with a 1 million Bonvoy points giveaway.

Book Smarter, More Streamlined, and at Scale

Marriott International is the first brand to have a direct integration with GroupSync Marketplace to offer instant booking for both guest rooms and meeting space at scale. In a squeezed market where bookings are being snapped up at a record rate, the ability to browse over 1,500 Marriott properties across the United States and Canada provides some much-needed breathing space to meeting planners.

Instant Booking for Small Meetings

Planners have access to real-time best available group rates and inventory for small meetings at these properties, with more to be added in 2023. Marriott’s definition of a small meeting is 10 to 25 guest rooms on peak and/or events for up to 50 attendees, available to book as little as 4 days out and up to 1 year out with a maximum length of stay of 7 days. However, each brand or property may set their own on-peak maximums and booking windows, so these parameters may vary as more hotel groups sign onto the GroupSync platform.

Total Transparency for Group Rates

Importantly, planners are seeing exactly the same pricing that the hotel sales team would see on their internal systems. “Today, whether a customer tries to book a 10-25 room group on Marriott.com, GroupSync, or calls one of our hotels directly, they will receive the same rate,” says Drew Pinto, Global Officer Global Sales, Distribution and Revenue Management at Marriott International. “Keeping rates consistent across our direct channels is crucial to giving our customers confidence to use GroupSync Instant Booking.”

Faster RFP Responses

Marriott’s integration with GroupSync isn’t just about providing clarity over rates and the option to book small meetings instantly; it also speeds up the traditional RFP process on both ends. Because the system removes some manual entry steps on the hotel side, planners can expect a faster response. And while this automation might streamline the beginning of the process, planners can rest assured that their relationship with the brand remains intact. “Whether a customer submits an RFP through GroupSync or any of our direct sales channels, that customer and corresponding group rate will be negotiated based on the event details and relationship with Marriott,” Pinto says.

Established Client Relationships

Further, whether planners opt to book instantly or submit an RFP, the system will automatically apply any MSAs (master service agreements) that they’ve previously negotiated. By the same token, planners can expect all the same perks no matter which booking route they choose. “We make sure that all those special requirements that you have — the acknowledgement, the welcome gifts — that all still happens,” explains Pinto.

Saving Planners’ Most Valued Resource: Time

Meeting planners are working in a pressure-cooker environment as the demand for small meetings heats up. Thanks to the increase in hybrid and remote work, face-to-face time now comes at a premium. It’s in this new paradigm that GroupSync’s instant booking tools are emerging as a viable option — just in time.

The traditional sourcing process can be long and painful. Particularly when it comes to small, simple meetings, having to send an RFP and wait three days or more just to secure basic information about availability, specifications, and rates can be frustrating, especially when time is of the essence.

Instant Booking for Catering, AV, and Equipment

With GroupSync, planners can instantly book what and when they need to — including AV, catering, and any other equipment. “This deal marks a landmark for group booking,” says Kemp Gallineau, CEO of Groups360. “It’s the first time an actual planner or an organizer, whether professional or non-professional, can go onto a site and book rooms and space to include catering and equipment without having to send an RFP.”

Time to Focus on Creative Meeting Design

This streamlined booking process has the added benefit of freeing up time to spend on the more complex and creative elements of planning a meeting or event. And that means meeting professionals can focus more energy on designing the moments of connection that provide the most value to attendees. With small meetings now filling a vital role in fostering collaboration and energizing company culture, there has never been greater need for planners to think carefully about how to make the most of these high-value experiences.

Visibility Across Corporate Teams

The GroupSync system also creates more visibility across big corporations, which can create a company-wide account with individual account access, all of which is trackable. With more and more corporate departments organizing small meetings to bring remote teams together, this kind of visibility has never been more important.

Shaping the Future of Booking Meetings

The launch of instant group booking is timely, but it has been many years in the making. This long process is a reflection of just how much thought went into each element.

Having worked in hospitality for over 30 years, CEO Kemp Gallineau drew from his deep industry knowledge from the very earliest stages of product development. In fact, it was during his tenure as Chief Sales Officer for Gaylord Entertainment (now Ryman Hospitality) that he saw an opportunity for the group sales process to be made more efficient. Thus began many years of product development and hotel negotiations. In his words, Groups360 is an “overnight success, nine years in the making.”

Rather than reaching the finish line, however, the GroupSync platform is on the path to build further momentum. “It takes a while to make things happen, but we’re excited, and we truly believe this is the pinnacle of what’s possible in the years to come,” he says.

What’s Next

GroupSync is already in use and working effectively, but it also continues to evolve. Both Groups360 and Marriott are seeking to continually improve the system, and have put mechanisms in place to capture regular feedback. “As trust and confidence grows, much like you’ve seen in other online platforms, consumers get more comfortable with the transparency and the way it works,” says Gallineau. “What’s exciting is both Marriott and Groups 360 are going to learn from the consumer through the way we use it.”

For meeting planners, this marks a key time to shape the direction of a product that will soon be vital to their daily work. Customer success agents at Groups360 will be monitoring and polling meeting planners about their experience. Marriott similarly encourages customers to try it out and tell them what they liked, what they didn’t, and what could be improved. “We’re all about making their lives easier,” Pinto says. “We want attendees staying at our hotels to be able to take advantage of their own point plans and be treated to all their custom preferences and privileges.”

The next step is rapid expansion of the product. According to Gallineau, “Currently we have the ability to send RFPs to over 200,000 hotels worldwide. Over the next few months we expect to have somewhere in the neighborhood of 20,000 hotels, mainly in the United States and Canada, that will be able to have bookable online inventory — either booking group rooms, group space, or rooms and space together.”

A New Era for Meeting Planners

When people shop online, they expect to see prices and availability immediately for most things. Although booking group meetings online is more complex than buying a pair of shoes or sunglasses, planners still want to see enough variety to be able to compare options and make fast, confident decisions. GroupSync provides this immediacy and flexibility, meaning that soon meeting planners will be able to browse through venue options armed with the most vital information: pricing and availability.

In addition to Marriott International, the Hilton, IHG, and Omni hotel groups have already enabled instant booking of group guest rooms for over 8,000 properties worldwide. It will only be a matter of time before meeting space inventory becomes available for instant booking across the board.

In the current climate, it’s easy to see the appeal of a system that lets planners narrow down viable venues quickly. Thanks to a growing list of hotel partners signing up for full transparency, the GroupSync Marketplace is now able to streamline every stage of venue procurement, from initial research to final closing. So if an instant booking platform isn’t on a planner’s wishlist already, it should be.

Have you heard? Marriott is giving away 1 million Marriott Bonvoy® points to celebrate their launch of Instant Booking on GroupSync. To learn more and to set up a free GroupSync account, click here. 

Planners are often tempted to host their group of attendees in warm, premium destinations under the sun, especially during colder weather months.

Palm trees and umbrella drinks anyone?

While the appeal of warmer temperatures is common, they aren’t necessarily more dynamic or cost efficient. There are a variety of benefits to visiting scenic winter destinations and even more when choosing a lesser-known location for your meeting or event.

Every event planner has essential criteria when searching for destinations. From the need for easy air travel and public transportation to convention center accommodations and after-hours attractions — we’ve considered them all.

We’re shining a spotlight on winter wonderlands for your group and breaking down everything you want to know.

Why you might want to choose a smaller city during the winter months
You may not have considered the following cities for your next meeting or event, or the winter season for that matter, but you should. Here’s three reasons:

1. Affordability

Better price points are simply more attractive. While some of our selections aren’t really off season, many destinations during winter are. Whether your budget is tighter or not — midsize cities can often get you the most bang for your buck without sacrificing quality. In addition, they typically offer special incentive packages for after-hours activities.

2. Population

Navigating densely populated airports and sidewalks while shoulder to shoulder does not lend itself to a relaxing travel experience. Plus, over-crowded public transit systems are stressful. Smaller cities, by nature, have more elbow room and are often easier to navigate.

3. Community

The hospitality of midsize destination cities means planners can create high-value experiences for their event attendees that interpolate small-city charm. That might include vouchers to nearby businesses, hotel room welcome baskets with local products, or pre-arranged guided city tours.

These cities might not be on most organizers’ radars for wintertime events, but we encourage planners to think outside the box when sourcing host cities.

There are, of course, other not-so-commonly-used cities for meetings and events that may work well. If you’re lost in destinations but know everything else you require, our GroupSync Marketplace can recommend cities based on your group’s criteria.

5 winter destinations for meetings and events

Jackson Hole, WY

They say you won’t go a day in Jackson Hole without running into an elk, and honestly, that might be enough to draw you in. For nature lovers, adventurers, and wannabe outdoorsmen, this is a city that fully embraces its panoramic landscape — from camping and dog sledding to hot springs and Nordic skiing.

• Air travel: Jackson Hole Airport is serviced year-round by Alaska, American, Delta, and United Airlines.
• Convention center: The Conference Center at The Lodge at Jackson Hole is a flexible event space of 10,000 square feet. It has natural light, individual climate controls, and a modern mountain design, and is a short drive to Yellowstone.
• Off the clock: Travelers could do the typical souvenir shopping in the town square, but why do what’s been done? Instead, opt for a wildlife tour or experience a winter sleigh ride. (If you do opt to shop, know that single-use plastic grocery bags were outlawed in 2019.)
• Stay longer: Reserve shuttle service and fly in early to visit Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks.
• Public transportation: Hiking, backpacking, skiing, whitewater rafting, and horseback riding are all ways people get around here. You can also manage with the public bus system, called START, or by renting a car, using a car share service, or calling a taxi.
• Cost efficiency: If skiing is a priority, the trip can become pricey. Yet there is still free activities to maximize your stay.

For more details:
• Visit Jackson Hole
• Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce

Park City, UT

“Winter’s Favorite Town” combines its silver mining history with its proud participation in the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. In fact, many athletes still use Park City as their training grounds.

• Air travel: The Salt Lake City International Airport’s sustainability focus is a plus, yet it’s really the convenient access travelers care about. The airport, which is also a Delta hub, is a 10- or 15-minute TRAX ride from downtown Salt Lake City and about the same drive time to the Salt Palace Convention Center.
• Convention center: Speaking of the convention center, take an online fly-through of its 700,000 square feet to see it for yourself. Park City’s meeting spaces vary in size.
• Off the clock: Depending on your cold weather bravery, you might pick a mountain biking route, as Park City is North America’s only IMBA Gold-level Ride Center. Celebrate your gumption post-ride at High West, the state’s first brewery and first legal distillery.
• Stay longer: Most of the state’s 15 resorts are less than an hour from the airport, so you’d be remiss not to take advantage of “The Greatest Snow on Earth” (it’s science). Then, save the date for the Sundance Film Festival.
• Public transportation: There’s a free bus and trolley system.
• Cost efficiency: Park City and neighboring Salt Lake City can’t help but be compared to one another, yet one aspect where Park City squeaks ahead is travel costs. Average costs for food, transportation, accommodation, and entertainment are higher here.

For more details:
• Park City Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Utah Office of Tourism

Coeur d’Alene, ID

Although the most revered is Lake Coeur d’Alene itself, the ice age left more than 55 lakes in and around this off-the-beaten-path destination. Boat cruises and private charters are available year-round if you’re looking for memorable and experiential ideas for your attendees.

• Air travel: The Spokane International Airport, Washington’s second largest, is 40 minutes west of Coeur d’Alene.
• Convention center: There’s 100,000 square feet of exhibit and meeting space to choose from in Coeur d’Alene, all near the lake and downtown. The 13,000-square-foot Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, for one, can supply meals for up to 625 guests.
• Off the clock: So maybe the snowy conditions are for everyone. Here, you have the option for some faux summer fun at one of Coeur d’Alene’s indoor water parks.
• Stay longer: By now, you’ve gotten the sense that these winter-centric cities offer skiing. But here’s where you take true advantage of these destinations: Invite the family for a shoulder stay specifically aimed at celebrating Christmas. Coeur d’Alene really does Christmas.
• Public transportation: You can book a Greyhound seat, travel by Amtrak, or follow the Citylink bus routes. Omnibus provides ground transportation back to the airport when your visit concludes.
• Cost efficiency: A late January visit will likely be the most affordable.

For more details:
• Coeur d’Alene Convention & Visitor Bureau

Palisades Tahoe, CA

Palisades Tahoe, previously Squaw Valley, hosted the 1960’s Winter Olympics and remains a winter paradise. It fully embraces the skiing lifestyle, so much so, that some restaurants let diners come straight in from the slopes.

• Air travel: Twelve airlines serve the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, which is currently undergoing its largest-ever construction program. More than 130 daily arrivals and departures connect to 20+ nonstop flight destinations.
• Convention center: There’s a reason floor-to-ceiling windows are common throughout Palisades Tahoe’s event space overlooking Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Mountain range. They provide the scenery, while you customize the 40,000 square feet to fit your needs.
• Off the clock: Even the pups here are athletic, so now’s your chance to go dog sledding. Then, organize your group (of humans) to bundle ski lift tickets and snag the group rate.
• Stay longer: The milder winter temps might encourage you to extend your stay. Plan a scenic drive through glacial lakes to arrive at Emerald Bay, the country’s second-most photographed location.
• Public transportation: It’s easiest to navigate the city with your own car, but transportation options are plentiful—local and national bus systems, water taxi, rail travel, and more.
• Cost efficiency: While there might be group deals and packages, if you plan to ski, you’ll want to prepare to pay.

For more details:
• Tahoe.com
• Palisades Tahoe

Québec City, Canada

With its charming European feel, Québec City is brimming with landmark, boutique, and chain hotels. (Le Concorde, for one, has a revolving restaurant atop the hotel.) Don’t be concerned about a potential language barrier, though—while it helps to learn a few useful French phrases, many locals in the tourist areas speak English.

• Air travel: It’s only 20 minutes between the Jean Lesage International Airport—where there are direct flights to many North American hubs—and the Québec City Convention Centre.
• Convention center: The convention center is a top event venue, yet depending on budget and size needs, there are hundreds of thousands of square feet in other meeting spaces to choose among.
• Off the clock: There’s history everywhere in this city, which was founded in 1608. Take it in with a walk along Place Royale and Rue du Petit-Champlain, two of North America’s oldest streets.
• Stay longer: No matter what time of year you visit, there will be a festival, carnival, or cultural event to warrant a handful of shoulder nights.
• Public transportation: An indoor passageway connects it to the Hilton Québec and Delta Québec hotels if you plan to stay warm and toasty, or venture outside, as the convention center is also only 10 minutes from the Gare du Palais bus and train station. The city’s public transit system makes it easy to get around during a business stay—pick up a pass for unlimited travel for five consecutive days.
• Cost efficiency: If you want to feel like you’re in Europe—without heading across the Atlantic—then Québec City, it is.

For more details:
• Québec City Convention Centre
• Québec City Business Destination
• Destination Canada

Winter destinations have just as much to love

And, smaller cities check all the same organizer boxes as their larger counterparts:

• Flexible meeting spaces
• Hotel accommodations
• Post-event activities

The main attraction, though, as we’ve found (besides skiing), is a celebration of heritage embedded within some of the best scenic views. If a wintertime group event is up for consideration, you can’t miss.

For 6 consecutive years, event planning was ranked as one of the most stressful jobs on Earth.

That’s scary. But you already knew that.

After hearing the horror stories of many professional planners, similar themes appeared to be woven into the web of various tasks, budgets, preparation, and more.

Luckily, we have a comparable solution to each common fear we’ve often heard as it relates to booking hotels for groups, meetings and events.

Fear #1: Wasting time searching and sourcing hotels for your group

Booking a hotel for your group or event can be a time-consuming and challenging process for a variety of reasons. You want the best possible deal on every detail; rooms, meeting space, amenities, travel accommodations, and the list is always varied. Plus, where you find your group-focused hotel information can be tricky and scattered.

Getting your information from a single resource that’s not named Google is a major aspect of streamlining your planning process. When you’re managing something so large, with various parties, having clear options and quick access to your information is the easiest way to organize, manage, and make decisions.

Solution

GroupSync Marketplace is a one-stop shop where you can find hotels and meeting spaces that can accommodate your event’s criteria.

Search and compare over 200,000 properties worldwide without irrelevant paid placements or ads. Get market forecasted as well as real-time rates and availability from hotels (without sending an RFP), plus see which hotels offer Instant Booking options for those smaller meetings that can take up too much of your time (spoiler alert).

GroupSync saves you time because it focuses on the needs of group travel organizers and event planners. From one simple online platform, you can book room blocks, a meeting space or both.

Fear #1, conquered!

Fear #2: Bored attendees during off hours

Any host would agree there’s no feeling worse than seeing your attendees yawning, binge-scrolling, or looking for the nearest exit. As a professional planner, it’s simply part of the job to prevent guests from being visibly bored. Sometimes all it takes to excite people is to give them something to look forward to or talk about.

If you want to get the most engagement from your audience, offer them some personalized touches. Even something as simple as convenient, walkable recommendations feels like an emersion in the local culture. People want to experience more today — use that as a motivating tool to get your attendees to participate and enjoy their time.

Solution

Get the most entertainment value when choosing properties. GroupSync allows you to search the proximity of your event and find the perfect hotel near the sights and attractions that can enhance your attendees’ experience.

Get creative early with the ability to locate the jewels and hidden gems of the city beforehand. Explore the local flare within your destination and suggest or plan additional activities to enhance your guests’ experience. GroupSync makes it easy to give you hotel options for where you need to be.

Fear #2, buried!

Fear #3: An overwhelming number of small meetings and short timeframes

One of the recently-formed behaviors proving to be consistent is the size of group bookings.

The encouragement of smaller groups has spiked the volume of group travel and the number of bookings. With smaller group travel requests, professional planners are finding they also come with much shorter timeframes to work with.

Planners want speed in RFP responses, but the fastest way to handle RFPs is to not handle them at all. For smaller groups, don’t waste time sending RFPs when you can book your small groups instantly.

Solution

Smaller room blocks can be booked in minutes with Instant Booking. It can often take the same amount of time to book a smaller group as it does a larger one, but with fewer guests or attendees, you’ve got options.

More than 7,000 hotels on GroupSync Marketplace are able to offer Instant Booking with real-time rates and availability for your set of dates.

Real-time hotel information is fairly new to group travel, though it’s been a much-needed feature for planners. Not only does Instant Booking provide immediate transactions for a faster and smoother booking process, it also allows you to eliminate the time involved in an otherwise slow, dreadful back-and-forth communication process with hotels.

Fear #3, vanquished!

It’s common for new, digital tools to scare planners away, but GroupSync condenses your challenges without over-complicating your profession. With one technology solution, you can conquer your most daunting fears with every group travel event.