Room-nights, comp credits, and the attrition floor — priced before you sign
| Block Type | Typical Discount Off Public Rate | Comp Rooms | Attrition Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Courtesy block (5–9 rooms) | 0–10% | Rare | None — no contract |
| Contracted social/wedding (10–30 rooms) | 5–15% | 1 per 10 rooms booked | 80% floor common |
| Corporate block (10–50 rooms) | 5–20% | 1 per 40–50 room-nights | 70–80% floor |
| Convention / citywide (100+ rooms) | Negotiated, tiered | Negotiated + rebates | Per contract, often with review dates |
Typical 2025–2026 U.S. terms; every hotel negotiates. Peak-season and resort properties discount less and enforce attrition harder. Occupancy taxes above run 7–17% by city — guests pay them, but they shape whether guests book inside your block or chase a cheaper rate elsewhere.
A room block sounds simple — hold rooms, guests book them — but the contract turns it into a small financial commitment. This calculator prices the whole thing: what guests pay, what credits you earn, and where attrition damages start.
Room-nights = rooms × nights. Block value = room-nights × rate. Picked-up room-nights = room-nights × pickup %. Guest room charges = picked-up nights × rate, plus occupancy tax on those charges and any resort fee per picked-up room-night. Comp credits: under a per-10-rooms policy, comps = floor(rooms picked ÷ 10); under per-40/50-night policies, comps = floor(picked-up room-nights ÷ 40 or 50). Net = charges + tax + fees − (comps × rate). The attrition floor = room-nights × the floor percentage; if pickup lands below it, maximum exposure = shortfall × rate.
Enter your contracted rooms, nights, and group rate. Set pickup to what you honestly expect — wedding blocks historically fill 70–90%; overshoot and the attrition box will lull you. The comp policy select matches your contract language; if yours says "1 per 10 rooms booked," use the wedding default.
25 rooms for 2 nights at $169 = 50 room-nights, a block worth $8,450 at full pickup. Guests pick up 88%: 44 room-nights, or $7,436 in room charges. Add 12.5% occupancy tax ($929.50) and a $20 nightly resort fee ($880), and the hotel credits 2 comp room-nights (1 per 10 of the 22 rooms picked) worth $338. Net guest spend: 7,436 + 929.50 + 880 − 338 = $8,907.50. The 80% attrition floor is 40 room-nights; 44 clears it with room to spare.
Now the caution case. If guests drift and only 30 room-nights fill — 60% pickup — you're 10 nights below the floor. Maximum attrition damages: 10 × $169 = $1,690, reduced by whatever the hotel resells. That's the number that makes an undersized block or a courtesy block worth considering. When in doubt, contract for fewer rooms and ask the hotel to expand if demand shows up — they almost always can in a non-peak week.
You reserve a set number of rooms at a negotiated group rate, usually 5% to 15% off the publicly available rate. Guests book and pay for their own rooms under your block until a cutoff date, typically 2 to 4 weeks before the event. You sign a contract for 10 or more rooms; smaller courtesy blocks often need no contract at all.
Attrition is the minimum share of the block your guests must actually book, most commonly 80% of contracted room-nights. Pick up fewer and you owe damages on the shortfall — typically the group rate times the missed room-nights, reduced by whatever the hotel resold. If you booked 50 room-nights, an 80% clause means at least 40 must fill or you pay for the gap.
Corporate and social-event standards run 1 comp room-night per 40 to 50 room-nights actually picked up. Wedding contracts often use 1 comp per 10 rooms booked instead. A 25-room block with 88% pickup earns 2 comp room-nights on the 1-per-10 policy, worth $338 against a $169 group rate.
Most hotels start negotiating at 10 room-nights. Under that, ask for a courtesy block: the hotel holds rooms with no contract, no attrition, and a slightly smaller discount. Guests still get the convenience of booking under your name and you carry zero financial risk.
A courtesy block holds rooms without a contract: no attrition damages, rooms release at the cutoff date, discount is smaller. A contracted block locks a better rate and more rooms, but you guarantee a minimum pickup and can owe attrition damages if guests book elsewhere or book late.
For weddings, 3 to 9 months out is the normal window once your venue date is signed. City-wide events fill earlier — book as soon as dates are announced. Always confirm the cutoff date (when unclaimed rooms release back to the hotel) and set reminders, because guests reliably book late.