In determining what type of hotel works best for a small group, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. Finding the right property is a matter of qualifying your client, and size is just one factor to consider.
Christy Lamagna, CMP, CMM, president of Strategic Meetings and Events, a meeting planning firm with offices in New York and San Francisco, says her clients are all over the map when it comes to the size of the hotels they prefer for small meetings.
For example, the company has a client in the medical supply field that likes to feel big and important. For its 180-person events, the client prefers properties where it’s the largest group in house.
“I have other clients with small meetings who must have a large place with all the amenities, a place that’s larger than life,” she says. “They want to experience that huge wow. It totally depends on the mindset of the client.”
Gary Schirmacher, CMP, senior vice president-Western region for Experient, a meeting planning firm headquartered in Twinsburg, Ohio, adds that both small and large hotels hold advantages for small meetings and that it’s a matter of weighing what is most important. While a small hotel offers exclusivity, larger hotels typically offer more amenities.
“A large hotel has more inventory, restaurant choices and more 24-hour services than their small counterparts,” he says, adding that even though there might be other meetings going on at the same time, larger hotels have gotten better about ensuring that small groups have their own private areas.
“A group could have a smaller property all to itself, but it has to have confidence in the staff. Make sure you assess the service levels if say one or two key people were out during your meeting,” he advises.
