Hotel group booking contract template
A wedding party, a sports team, a conference: whenever a group needs ten or more rooms, the hotel holds a block and both sides take a risk. The hotel turns away other guests; the group promises to fill the rooms. A group booking contract spells out that bargain, from the rate and the cutoff date to what the group owes if half its attendees book elsewhere. This template is written for hotel sales teams and the organizers they work with.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Group
- Hotel
Hotel Group Booking Contract
This Group Booking Contract (the "Contract") is made on Contract date between Hotel name and address (the "Hotel") and Group organization, represented by Group contact name (the "Group"), for Event or group name.
1. Room block
The Hotel will hold the following rooms for the Group: Room block, arriving Arrival date and departing Departure date (the "Block"). Peak night: Rooms on peak night rooms.
2. Rates, taxes and fees
The group rate is Group rate per room per night, plus applicable taxes and these fees, such as resort or parking fees: Extra fees. The rate is available Shoulder nights at group rate nights before and after the main dates, if rooms are available. Complimentary room nights: Complimentary room policy, for example one per 40 paid room nights, credited to the Group's master account.
3. How rooms are booked
Rooms are booked by Booking method, for example a rooming list or a booking link for each guest. The cutoff date is Cutoff date. After the cutoff, rooms not reserved are released to general sale, and further requests are accepted at the group rate only if rooms remain. Names on a rooming list may be changed until Name change deadline before arrival.
4. Billing
The Group's master account will cover Charges on the master account. Individual guests pay for everything else, including any room charges not on the master account, at check-in with a card. Master account charges are payable by Master account payment terms.
5. Deposits
- A deposit of First deposit is due when this Contract is signed.
- A second deposit of Second deposit is due on Second deposit date.
- Deposits are applied to the master account at the end of the stay.
6. Attrition
The Group may reduce its total room nights by up to Attrition allowance percentage percent without charge. If the room nights actually used fall below that level, the Group pays for the shortfall between the allowed minimum and the room nights used, calculated as follows: Attrition charge basis, for example the group rate less the Hotel's average cost of servicing a room. Rooms the Hotel resells to other guests count toward the Group's pick-up.
7. Cancellation
If the Group cancels the whole Block by written notice, it pays the following share of the expected room revenue, as liquidated damages and not a penalty: Cancellation scale by date. Any amount the Hotel recovers by reselling the rooms will be credited, and deposits paid count toward the charge. Individual guests may cancel their own reservation up to Individual cancellation deadline before arrival without charge to the Group.
8. Meeting space and food
Meeting space, food and beverage, if any: Meeting space and catering. A banquet event order will confirm menus and setups, and any food and beverage minimum is stated there.
9. If the Hotel can't provide a room
If the Hotel can't honor a confirmed reservation for a Group guest, it will arrange a comparable room at a nearby hotel at no more than the group rate, pay for transport there and back, and count the room toward the Group's pick-up.
10. Events outside anyone's control
Neither party is liable for failing to perform because of events outside its reasonable control that make performance illegal or impossible, such as a natural disaster, government order, or the Hotel's closure. Either party may then cancel without liability on written notice, and the Hotel will refund deposits for services not provided.
11. Guests and responsibility
Group guests follow the Hotel's policies. The Group is responsible for damage caused by its events and activities, and each guest for damage to their own room. The Hotel is responsible for its own negligence. The Hotel will meet its accessibility obligations, and the Group will tell the Hotel in advance about guests' accessibility needs for the rooming list.
12. General
This Contract is governed by the laws of the state of State, is the whole agreement about the Block, and can be changed only in writing signed by both parties. The Group's contact is authorized to sign for the Group. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Group contact phone: Group contact phone Email: Group contact email Billing address: Group billing address
I have read the attrition terms in section 6 and the cancellation terms in section 7, and I am authorized to sign for the Group.
Group, by its authorized contact
Hotel, by its sales manager
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
The terms that matter in a group contract
Three numbers drive almost every dispute. The cutoff date is when unbooked rooms go back on general sale. The attrition allowance is how far the group can fall short of its block without paying for empty rooms. The cancellation scale is what the group owes if it cancels outright, rising as the date gets closer. Agree all three in writing before anyone sends a booking link to attendees.
Organizers should read the attrition clause as carefully as the rate. A great rate on a block you can't fill can cost more than a higher rate on a realistic one. Hotels, for their part, need the clause to be clear enough to invoice from.
What the template covers
- The block: rooms by night and type, arrival and departure, and the peak night.
- Rates and fees: the group rate, taxes, resort or parking fees, shoulder nights and complimentary rooms.
- Booking method: a rooming list or an individual booking link, the cutoff date and name-change deadlines.
- Billing: what goes on the master account and what each guest pays at check-in.
- Deposits: amounts and due dates, credited to the final bill.
- Attrition: the allowance, how a shortfall is charged, and credit for rooms the hotel resells.
- Cancellation: a scale by date, credit for resold rooms, and a deadline for individual guests to cancel.
- Meeting space, walks and the unexpected: food and beverage by banquet event order, relocation if the hotel oversells, and events beyond anyone's control.
Mistakes on both sides of the desk
- Blocking for the hoped-for turnout. Organizers should block for last year's real pick-up, not this year's dream attendance.
- No resale credit. If the hotel sells out anyway, the group shouldn't pay for rooms someone else paid for. Section 6 and section 7 credit resold rooms.
- Forgetting resort and parking fees. Attendees notice them at check-in; list them in the contract so the organizer can warn people.
- A vague walk clause. If the hotel overbooks, say exactly what it pays: a comparable room nearby, transport, and credit toward the block.
- Missing the cutoff reminder. Put the cutoff in every attendee email, and remind attendees a week before it.
How hotel sales teams send it in SignMaster
- 1
Load your standard terms
Choose Use this template. Fill in the hotel's name, your usual fees, attrition allowance and cancellation scale once, so each proposal starts from your house terms.
- 2
Build the proposal
For each group, complete the gray blanks: event name, block by night, dates, rate, cutoff, booking method, master account charges and deposits.
- 3
Send it to the organizer
Address it to the group's contact. They add the organization, billing address and their details, confirm they've read the attrition and cancellation terms and their authority to sign, and sign.
- 4
Set a decision date
Give the envelope a sign-by date that matches how long you'll hold the space as a courtesy. Reminders follow up automatically, and you see when the organizer has opened it.
- 5
Countersign and confirm
Your sales manager signs last. Both sides get the signed PDF with its certificate of completion, ready for the deposit invoice and the booking link.
Many groups, same season
Tournament weekends and graduation season bring dozens of team and family blocks with the same terms and different numbers. Bulk send sends each organizer their own contract from one spreadsheet: their name and email, plus columns named after the gray blanks, such as Event or group name, Room block, Arrival date and Cutoff date. Export as CSV UTF-8 from Excel first.
Questions? Answers.
What is attrition in a hotel group contract?
It's the amount a group can fall short of its room block without paying. If the contract allows 20 percent attrition on 100 room nights and the group uses 70, it pays for the 10 room nights below the 80-night minimum, on the formula in the contract.
What's the difference between the cutoff date and the cancellation deadline?
The cutoff is when unreserved rooms in the block go back on general sale. Cancellation applies if the group cancels the whole block, and the charge depends on how close to arrival it happens.
Who pays for rooms, the group or each guest?
Either, or a mix. The template lets you put some charges on the group's master account and have guests pay the rest at check-in, which is common for weddings and tournaments.
Can the organizer sign the group contract online?
Yes. They open the link from the email and sign on any device without an account. If someone else must approve, such as a school's business office, add them as another signer.