In the first installment of our “How to Plan an Incentive Trip” series, we shared how to know your audience a little better, determine qualifications event timing, and design an outline to create your budget. Next it’s time to find a location.

Select Locations

Finding the right location that fits within your budget and will be motivating to your attendees is crucial. First, narrow your search to avoid feeling overwhelmed. We suggest starting with three cities and three to four properties in each city. This will give you a range of locations and comparisons within each.

Analyze Proposals

After you receive responses from each property it may still be overwhelming and many clients focus on just the room rates but here are some major considerations to think of.

• Food/Beverage Costs: These now vary quite a bit depending on the city and level of the property
• Food/Beverage Minimums: The property will ask that you have a minimum spend, excluding tax and gratuity.
• Hotel Concessions: A hotel may offer some concessions to help offset overall costs.
• Tax and Gratuity Rate: These percentages can vary depending, again on city and level.
• Rental Costs: Some properties may offer low base costs but will make up their revenue in charging additional fees on spaces, setups and/or amenities.

Negotiate

Everything is negotiable with a hotel so don’t be afraid to push back. Professional incentive travel companies like Brownell have experience negotiating and can save you money and add value. But remember, it’s always best to leave something on the table because it is a partnership with the hotel.

Learn more about what Brownell Incentive Travel can do for you here or contact us to start planning your incentive trip.