F
fuzzydogs
Guest
Virginia:
My fiancee & I are planning our wedding & reception. We have chosen a nice nationally-known hotel in VA that can provide a top-floor room with a view of downtown Washington DC for our reception. The room has a posted limit of 120 people. We want the view. The hotel has an inclusive price per person for the reception, which includes food, drinks, service charges and tip. This reception will take place October 2001.
I went & met with the head of catering at the hotel a couple weeks ago & explained to her we are planning a small reception of 75 or less. She said the room would be perfect, was available, and would mail a contract to me to sign & return with a deposit. We had a few other requests (like no hard liquor) that she said she would put on the contract & reduce the price. She also agreed to "lock in" a room rate for our guests. No problem...
We received the contract and we have problems with it. I called & tried to work it out with the person I'd met with before, and they are just being nasty to me now. I'd like to know if the following are just me being paranoid or if I have a legitimate beef with the contract & can negotiate my points.
1. The hotel is claiming they NEED the right to move us to a different room and do not need our permission to do so. We only chose this hotel & room BECAUSE of the view. We feel they should only have this right if there is a mechanical failure or something - and then it should have to be to a comparable room, which they don't have. Can we ask for a reduction in price if this happens - they already said what we're paying for is the view.
2. They are also now claiming I told them we would have at least 100 and are requiring us to guarantee a minimum of 90 people at $XX per person to use the room. I KNOW I told her 75 - I watched her write it down! They're claiming they told me a minimum of 90 since the room is in such demand - I specifically told them a max of 75 because we only plan on family & close friends.
3. They're saying they reserve the right to change the per person price - don't we have the right to "lock in" the prices they quoted me in writing? Can we request a statement about any change in per person price over a certain percentage requires our approval or we can cancel without any penalty?
4. The other thing is the room rate on the contract is HIGHER than what the hotel is advertising for the same rooms for the SAME weekend. The hotel claims the chain is raising the rates - then why can we make reservations at the lower rate if we go online? I don't want my family & friends to be gouged because of a "wedding" rate!
The hotel sent me a contract SIGNED by their catering department. If I make modifications, sign it, and send it back, are my modifications legally valid?
Thanks!
One Stressed Bride-to-be
My fiancee & I are planning our wedding & reception. We have chosen a nice nationally-known hotel in VA that can provide a top-floor room with a view of downtown Washington DC for our reception. The room has a posted limit of 120 people. We want the view. The hotel has an inclusive price per person for the reception, which includes food, drinks, service charges and tip. This reception will take place October 2001.
I went & met with the head of catering at the hotel a couple weeks ago & explained to her we are planning a small reception of 75 or less. She said the room would be perfect, was available, and would mail a contract to me to sign & return with a deposit. We had a few other requests (like no hard liquor) that she said she would put on the contract & reduce the price. She also agreed to "lock in" a room rate for our guests. No problem...
We received the contract and we have problems with it. I called & tried to work it out with the person I'd met with before, and they are just being nasty to me now. I'd like to know if the following are just me being paranoid or if I have a legitimate beef with the contract & can negotiate my points.
1. The hotel is claiming they NEED the right to move us to a different room and do not need our permission to do so. We only chose this hotel & room BECAUSE of the view. We feel they should only have this right if there is a mechanical failure or something - and then it should have to be to a comparable room, which they don't have. Can we ask for a reduction in price if this happens - they already said what we're paying for is the view.
2. They are also now claiming I told them we would have at least 100 and are requiring us to guarantee a minimum of 90 people at $XX per person to use the room. I KNOW I told her 75 - I watched her write it down! They're claiming they told me a minimum of 90 since the room is in such demand - I specifically told them a max of 75 because we only plan on family & close friends.
3. They're saying they reserve the right to change the per person price - don't we have the right to "lock in" the prices they quoted me in writing? Can we request a statement about any change in per person price over a certain percentage requires our approval or we can cancel without any penalty?
4. The other thing is the room rate on the contract is HIGHER than what the hotel is advertising for the same rooms for the SAME weekend. The hotel claims the chain is raising the rates - then why can we make reservations at the lower rate if we go online? I don't want my family & friends to be gouged because of a "wedding" rate!
The hotel sent me a contract SIGNED by their catering department. If I make modifications, sign it, and send it back, are my modifications legally valid?
Thanks!
One Stressed Bride-to-be