Housing & Accommodations Management Flashcards

What is a 'room block' in the context of government meeting planning?

Answer: A negotiated set of guest rooms held by a hotel for a specific group at an agreed rate

A room block is a negotiated inventory of guest rooms reserved by a hotel for a specific group at a contracted rate, used to house meeting attendees.

What is 'attrition' in a hotel room block contract?

Answer: The penalty charged when a group does not book the minimum number of contracted rooms

Attrition refers to the financial penalty a group owes when actual room pick-up falls below the contracted minimum commitment percentage.

What is the primary purpose of establishing a 'cut-off date' in a hotel room block agreement?

Answer: The deadline by which attendees must make reservations to receive the negotiated group rate

The cut-off date is the deadline by which attendees must book to receive the contracted group rate; rooms not reserved by this date are released back to the hotel's general inventory.

Which federal regulation primarily governs lodging reimbursement rates for government employees attending official meetings?

Answer: The Federal Travel Regulation (FTR)

The Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), administered by GSA, sets per diem rates and lodging reimbursement policies for federal civilian employees on official travel.

What does 'room pick-up' mean in post-event hotel reporting?

Answer: The actual number of room nights consumed by the group versus the contracted block

Room pick-up is the actual number of room nights used by attendees compared to the contracted block, and it directly affects attrition liability.

What is a 'housing bureau' in the context of large government conferences?

Answer: A third-party service that manages room block reservations across multiple hotels for a single event

A housing bureau is a third-party organization that centralizes reservation management across multiple hotel properties for large-scale events with high attendee volume.

In a hotel contract, what is the significance of the 'complimentary room ratio'?

Answer: The number of free rooms earned for every specified number of paid rooms booked

The complimentary (comp) room ratio specifies how many free rooms the group earns per paid room nights, typically expressed as 1:50, meaning one comp per 50 rooms booked.