The Hidden Barrier Blocking Hotel Group Sales
Hotels are sitting on a goldmine of group business, yet many don’t even realize they’re pushing potential clients away.
The culprit?
An outdated, cumbersome sales process anchored in rigid RFPs.
Here’s the reality: 50 to 80 percent of people planning meetings aren’t professional meeting planners.
They’re executive assistants, HR professionals, and department heads who have been tasked with organizing an event—and they don’t have the time or patience to navigate the traditional hotel sales process.
On the latest InnSync Show, I chatted with Organizational Coach, Todd Ryan, about how hotel group sales teams can unlock sales opportunities and book more direct group business.
Let’s see what they had to say.
How to Win at Hotel Group Sales
“A lot of the workforce was reduced [after COVID], and a lot more people are doing more with fewer resources and have taken on this responsibility,” explains Todd Ryan.
These accidental planners aren’t part of professional associations and often don’t even know what they don’t know.
“Hotels don’t even realize they’re pushing 50 to 80 percent of their potential guests away,” adds Cory. “It’s happening right under their noses, and they’re not doing what needs to be done to captivate, educate, inspire, and build trust.”
Yet, hotels are still treating them like seasoned event pros, assuming they understand airwalls, attrition clauses, and the industry jargon buried in multi-page contracts.
The result? Frustration, abandonment, and lost business.
The RFP Roadblock: Why Hotels Are Losing Easy Wins
Imagine you’re a busy executive assistant who just got assigned to book a company retreat. You land on a hotel website, excited to explore options. But instead of clear, digestible information, you’re hit with an intimidating RFP form demanding 30+ fields of data you don’t even have yet.
What do you do?
You bounce.
The truth is, many potential clients never even make it past this step.
“If they don’t know what information they need, because they’re not professional planners, they get halfway through the RFP process and abandon it,” says Ryan.
The process is so archaic that it drives people away before they even start.
And it’s not just about the forms. Even if someone submits an RFP, the follow-up is often slow, impersonal, and filled with boilerplate questions they’ve already answered.
Meanwhile, younger generations are avoiding sales calls altogether. “If we actually spent more time having better conversations, people would be willing to talk,” Ryan points out. “But it has to be a meaningful conversation—not a conversation around something they can find on the internet themselves.”
Ditch the RFP. Do This Instead.
The good news? Fixing this is low-cost and high-impact.
Here are four simple, powerful ways hotels can attract and convert more group business:
1. Make Your Website Work for Non-Planners
If your website is nothing more than a digital brochure with an RFP link, you’re missing out.
Instead:
- Add a clear, engaging FAQ section that answers common questions from non-professional planners.
- Explain industry terms like attrition and room blocks in plain language.
- Offer a simple, short contact form (name, email, and question) instead of an intimidating RFP.
There should be FAQs at the top, middle, and bottom of your site—especially for non-professional planners. Give them the basic terms and planning essentials so they don’t waste time or get overwhelmed.
2. Show, Don’t Just Tell
Non-planners don’t know what they don’t know—so help them visualize the experience.
- Create short video tours of meeting spaces and amenities.
- Add real event photos instead of staged, empty room shots.
- Feature video testimonials from past group clients.
Where is the social proof?
We obsess over TripAdvisor reviews, but hotels rarely showcase real group testimonials in video format. Get some highlights, some action, and make it easy for planners to trust you.
3. Personalize the Process
Would you book a big event with a faceless hotel sales team? Probably not.
Planners feel the same way.
- Introduce your sales team with bios and photos.
- Offer a “Meet Your Planner” video that explains the booking process in a friendly, approachable way.
- Make it easy to schedule a quick discovery call without committing to a full RFP.
4. Be a Consultant, Not a Gatekeeper
If a prospect does reach out, don’t interrogate them with generic questions.
Instead, guide them.
- Ask: “Have you planned a meeting like this before?” If not, walk them through the basics.
- Focus on solving problems, not just closing deals. Sometimes, that means referring them elsewhere—which builds trust and long-term loyalty.
Most hotel sellers are stuck in a short-term mindset. They’re focused on closing deals today, rather than building trust that leads to repeat business.
A consultative approach wins every time.
The Bottom Line
Hotels are losing easy group business simply because their process is too rigid, outdated, and unwelcoming to non-professional planners.
By simplifying the inquiry process, making information easily accessible, and approaching sales as a consultative experience, hotels can capture more bookings, build stronger relationships, and eliminate friction before prospects walk away.
The demand is already there. The question is: Are you making it easy enough for them to say yes?
