For the trade
The room block is where destination wedding money is made and lost. Contract it well and the couple gets comped nights, a protected rate and a free upgrade for both sets of parents. Contract it badly and they owe attrition on twenty rooms nobody slept in.
Ranges, not rules
The percentages and ratios above are typical of the contracts we see in Mexico and the Caribbean. They vary by brand, season, size of block and negotiating position, and none of them is standard. Every contract has to be read.
We contract below the expected headcount and add rooms as demand proves out. Adding rooms is almost always possible. Removing them is not.
A block with only one category forces guests to book outside it. We contract a spread so that a student cousin and a wealthy uncle can both book inside the block.
A single link, on the couple's wedding website, in the guest's own currency. Every booking that goes elsewhere costs the couple attrition credit and comped nights.
We review pickup monthly and release unsold rooms early where the contract allows, which reduces attrition exposure before it becomes a penalty.
Every guest booking, payment, date change, room change and cancellation. This is the volume work and it is the reason partners hand blocks over.
Rooming list against the resort's records, comped nights claimed, attrition calculated and disputed where wrong. Resorts make errors here regularly.
| Stage | Rooms | Reasoning |
|---|---|---|
| Initial contract | 40–45 | Around 60% of expected demand, keeps attrition exposure low |
| First add at 6 months | +10–15 | Added once pickup demonstrates real demand |
| Second add at 3 months | +5–10 | Late bookers, usually at a slightly higher rate |
| Final picked up | 60–70 | Roughly 2.2 guests per room across the group |
Contracting 70 rooms at the outset and picking up 60 exposes the couple to penalties on ten rooms. Contracting 42 and adding to 68 exposes them to nothing. Same wedding, materially different outcome.
Depending on the partner model, the resort contract sits with us, with you, or with the couple directly. Each has different liability and cash flow consequences, and we will walk you through them before anything is signed. Terms are agreed in writing per partnership.
