How to write a hotel RFP that gets quality responses
Hotel sales teams lose 40% of winnable RFPs because their responses miss 3 fields planners scan first (rate clarity, comp structure, decision-friendly format) and bury the win on page 4. We break down the 12-field response playbook with exact wording below.
Most hotel RFPs ask vague questions and get vague answers. A great RFP gives hotels everything they need to quote accurately on the first pass, while protecting you with the contract language you will later need. Here is the structure.
The quality of your hotel RFP determines the quality of the quotes you get back. Vague briefs produce vague quotes that are not comparable across hotels — and at evaluation time you find yourself negotiating apples versus oranges. A structured brief with clear specifications produces quotes you can stack against a scoring framework and decide defensibly.
This post walks through the structure we use in our planner work, refined into a 14-section template that covers the substance of the brief plus the contract language that protects you. By the end you will know what each section needs to say and which mistakes to avoid.
The 14 sections of a complete hotel RFP
Sections 1-3: Briefing. Event type, dates with flexibility flag, attendee count, location preferences, key context. Be specific about purpose — "internal sales kickoff" tells hotels different things than "external customer summit."
Sections 4-6: Accommodation requirements. Room mix (singles, doubles, suites), run-of-house versus guaranteed types, complimentary nights expected, corporate rate target if you have one.
Sections 7-8: F&B. Meal periods, service style (plated, buffet, family-style, canapé), dietary ratios, taste-test option. Include welcome cocktail and break expectations.
Sections 9-10: Meeting space. Plenary capacity at theatre setup with comfort margin, breakout rooms (count and capacities), AV scope, breakout schedule template.
Section 11: Pricing structure. Require quotes in tiers — published rate, group rate, group rate plus concessions package. Without this, quotes are not comparable.
Section 12: Attrition clause. Specify your expected slippage policy upfront (e.g., 80% slippage at 30 days, 50% at 14 days). Negotiable, but stating your starting position prevents surprises.
Section 13: Force majeure language. Post-COVID standard now widely adopted. Include voluntary cancellation rights and refund timeline expectations.
Section 14: BAFO process. Explain that you will run a Best-and-Final-Offer round if 2-3 hotels are tied at evaluation. This signals you are serious about competitive pressure.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Leaving F&B service charge unspecified. Service charges range widely; not specifying turns into a 15-22% surprise on the contract.
- Vague AV. "Standard AV" means different things at different hotels. Spec it in the brief.
- No attrition clause. You will get one in the contract; better to negotiate it in the brief.
- No comparable response format. Hotels respond in their own format and you cannot stack quotes.
How to require comparable responses
Provide a response template alongside the brief. Hotels fill it in. Same fields, same units, same line structure. This makes evaluation straightforward.
The Easy RFP Hotel RFP Template implements this structure as a downloadable template.
Use our free hotel RFP template
14 sections, battle-tested. Built from real planner work — designed to produce comparable, decision-ready responses.
Download the template →Related reading
- Hotel RFP Template — Free Download
- 9-Dimension Hotel Scoring Framework
- How Many Hotels Should You RFP?
- Contract Review Checklist
- Attrition Clauses Explained
- BAFO Round: When and How
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