In what may be an industry first, Destination Madison and nearly a dozen Madison, WI area hotels have collaborated on creating a single contract for meeting professionals needing room blocks across more than one brand property. The “One City. One Contract.” program eases the frustrations and complications that can arise when contracting with multiple properties for a large meeting or convention.
Working through Destination Madison, planners will sign one master contract that seamlessly stitches together multiple hotels, across multiple brands. The contract outlines terms like force majeure, indemnification, how cut-off dates are administered, and more. The hotels will issue a simple addendum to the contract that secures the client’s guest room block, negotiated rates and concessions. Each addendum is the same format and term language.
“Madison is recognized on many levels as being innovative, friendly, fun and quirky. ‘One City. One Contract.’ embodies that spirit,” said Destination Madison Vice President of Sales, John Leinen. “If we can collaborate and innovate together at the contract level, it’s easy to imagine other ways we can and will work with our meeting professionals to deliver great attendee experiences and services.”
According to Leinen, the path to “One City. One Contract.” was a relatively easy one. Hotel GM’s agreed that the concept was highly beneficial to ensure Madison excels as a competitive market. They also agreed that it was important for the contract to be designed from the planner’s perspective. Determining the contract details took several months, with the final version essentially being adapted from an array of existing client contracts. It is meant for use by groups needing two or more hotels when using Madison’s premier meeting and event venues – Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center and the Alliant Energy Center. The “One City. One Contract.” program ensures that terms mutually respect and protect each party’s interest. For example, both the attrition and cancellation fees are based on lost profit, not lost revenue as is often requested. Additionally, these fees will be refunded if the hotel is able to resell those lost rooms.
“As hoteliers, we understand that when it comes to landing large meetings and conventions, we are competing with other cities, not with each other,” said Skip Harless, General Manager of the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace. “We were happy to work together with Destination Madison on the ‘One City. One Contract.’ program. This gives us, collectively, a competitive advantage over other cities.”
“Today’s meeting attendees desire hotel options that meet their individual interests and expectations,” Leinen added. “With this hotel unity, it’s now easier for meeting professionals to provide attendees multiple options while saving the planner time and easing the stress that comes with contracting with multiple hotels.”
“Madison is recognized on many levels as being innovative, friendly, fun and quirky. ‘One City. One Contract.’ embodies that spirit,” said Destination Madison Vice President of Sales, John Leinen. “If we can collaborate and innovate together at the contract level, it’s easy to imagine other ways we can and will work with our meeting professionals to deliver great attendee experiences and services.”
According to Leinen, the path to “One City. One Contract.” was a relatively easy one. Hotel GM’s agreed that the concept was highly beneficial to ensure Madison excels as a competitive market. They also agreed that it was important for the contract to be designed from the planner’s perspective. Determining the contract details took several months, with the final version essentially being adapted from an array of existing client contracts. It is meant for use by groups needing two or more hotels when using Madison’s premier meeting and event venues – Monona Terrace Community and Convention Center and the Alliant Energy Center. The “One City. One Contract.” program ensures that terms mutually respect and protect each party’s interest. For example, both the attrition and cancellation fees are based on lost profit, not lost revenue as is often requested. Additionally, these fees will be refunded if the hotel is able to resell those lost rooms.
“As hoteliers, we understand that when it comes to landing large meetings and conventions, we are competing with other cities, not with each other,” said Skip Harless, General Manager of the Hilton Madison Monona Terrace. “We were happy to work together with Destination Madison on the ‘One City. One Contract.’ program. This gives us, collectively, a competitive advantage over other cities.”
“Today’s meeting attendees desire hotel options that meet their individual interests and expectations,” Leinen added. “With this hotel unity, it’s now easier for meeting professionals to provide attendees multiple options while saving the planner time and easing the stress that comes with contracting with multiple hotels.”
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