FAQ

1. What is the purpose of EliteMeetings.com?
2. What will I find at EliteMeetings.com?
3. What does it mean to be Elite Certified?
4. What is the role of the Elite Meetings Advisory Board?
5. What does it cost to use your site?
6. Do properties pay to be listed on your site?
7. How do I use the RFP tool?
8. Does using your RFP system affect my program's cost?
9. What is the Elite Meetings Alliance and who can attend?
10. When does your magazine come out? How can I get a free copy?
11. How does Elite Meetings International define the term "boutique?"
12. How do you define a city hotel?

1) What is the purpose of EliteMeetings.com?

EliteMeetings.com provides planners a complimentary, comprehensive, and peer-rated research tool for locating and submitting commission-free RFPs to North America's top properties.

2) What will I find at EliteMeetings.com?

Many things! The more than 800 properties on our site include full-color photos and hotel descriptions that place special emphasis on meeting-related amenities. A mapping feature allows planners to pinpoint venue locations. Extensive sidebars give at-a-glance details of meeting space, guest rooms, food & beverage averages, dining options, seasonal rates, hot dates, taxes, airport proximities, and business, on-site, and nearby amenities and activities.

Planners can use the search results to generate commission-free RFPs for multiple properties at once. EliteMeetings.com's intuitive, trackable RFP tool results in multiple responses—often within minutes or hours. When it's time to talk numbers, planners can negotiate directly with the hotel or resort, thereby capitalizing on their own relationships and negotiating skills to book meetings. Best of all, we take no commissions. You'll be guaranteed commission-free rates with no hidden fees. Of course, third-party planners may still request gross rates as usual.

EliteMeetings.com also includes a Community Forum, up-to-the-minute press releases and industry news, and hotel peer reviews to keep professional planners at the top of their game.

3) What does it mean to be Elite Certified?

Each of the 800+ properties on our Web site is considered "Elite Certified." This means that each one has been independently endorsed by the Elite Meetings Advisory Board (EMAB). Elite Certified status cannot be purchased and is never restricted by brand or affiliation. That means that planners can trust EliteMeetings.com to provide credible, peer-rated information for sourcing luxury meeting and incentive groups.

The top criteria the board considers include the arrival experience, accommodations, food & beverage, conference services, meeting facilities, recreational options, amenities, and most importantly, service. Elite Certified status is subject to annual review.

Planners may nominate properties for EMAB endorsement here.

4) What is the role of the Elite Meetings Advisory Board?

We established the Elite Meetings Advisory Board (EMAB) with the discerning meeting professional in mind. Comprised of 17 distinguished members, all key players in the industry, the EMAB conducts extensive research into North America’s top hotels and resorts in order to provide planning professionals with a credible, peer-rated tool to use when researching first-class properties for conferences, events, and incentive retreats.

5) What does it cost to use your site?

Not a penny. Use of the site for sourcing and submitting RFPs is completely free to planners. We take no commissions for ourselves. That means that planners who use the EliteMeetings.com online RFP system will enjoy rates with no commissions, hidden fees, or padded costs.

6) Do properties pay to be listed on your site?

In our effort to provide planners with the most comprehensive tool available for researching high-end properties for meetings and events, we include every hotel endorsed by the Elite Meetings Advisory Board (EMAB) on our site at no charge. Moreover, endorsement by the EMAB cannot be purchased. It is the result of an independent review process.

In order to provide our services to planners at no cost, we do accept marketing fees from some hotels and resorts listed on the site in return for increased exposure and the ability to upload additional information about the hotel. Properties who also participate in our publication enjoy additional online exposure as part of their marketing program.

7) How do I use the RFP tool?

Creating a Request for Proposal (RFP) is fast, easy, and intuitive. (An RFP is a document that generally contains the details of your meeting and is sent directly to a hotel to determine rates and availability.) The site includes a number of ways to begin the process. But no matter where you begin, the first step will always be to log in to the system.

You'll find a button to create an RFP on the Planner Dashboard under Planner Tools., The dashboard allows you to create, submit, and manage RFPs; access the online Community Forum; rate properties, etc.

Once you initiate an RFP, you'll be asked to fill in the details of your meeting, including dates, number of nights and rooms needed, required meeting space, and any other criteria specific to your program. You can even include your own attachments at the bottom of the RFP form. Once you've completed all the fields, click "Save this RFP" at the bottom of the page. After saving, you can search and add hotels on the following page, or send the RFP to a group in your saved "Lists." (Lists allow you to collect and organize groups of properties by location, amenities, favorites, etc.) You can save lists for later and use them as a starting point to create an RFP. As an EliteMeetings.com user, you can create unlimited lists. The RFP is sent directly to your specified hotels. You can expect responses within hours-if not minutes. After securing your venue, the system will notify your other RFP recipients that the meeting has been booked.

8) Does using your RFP system affect my program's cost?

Not at all. There is no cost to planners using our RFP system, nor do we accept commissions. You'll receive the same prices you'd receive if you sent individual RFPs yourself. We simply provide a robust consolidation tool that will save you time. In a world where "time is money," EliteMeetings.com can result in real savings. And because we step aside and let planners negotiate directly with the hotel, planners can be sure they are receiving the very best deal.

9) What is the Elite Meetings Alliance and who can attend?

The Elite Meetings Alliance (EMA) is a semiannual, three-day event centered around one-on-one meetings between representatives of Elite Certified hotels and resorts and prequalified planners. The EMA alternates between the East and West Coasts. Hoteliers from the corresponding regions and prequalified corporate and association planners—with business to book in the region—come together at an Elite Certified hotel to conduct business and forge lasting relationships. Along with one-on-one prescheduled meetings, the event includes training sessions, continuing education classes for Certified Meeting Professional credits, guest speakers, and fun networking events and post-meeting activities. For more information, please visit EliteMeetingsAlliance.com.

10) When does your magazine come out? How can I get a free copy?

Digital editions of the January 2009 publication can be downloaded free of charge on EliteMeetings.com; print editions can be ordered for $10.00 (plus shipping) from the Web site as well. The next edition will be released in July 2009. The current magazine can also be found on select Hudson newsstands in major cities across the country.

11) How does Elite Meetings International define the term "boutique?"

Elite Meetings International considers several factors in determining a hotel's boutique status. In terms of size, they must have 175 rooms or less. In terms of service, the hotel must have a staff-to-guest ratio that facilitates a highly personalized customer service experience. Elite Boutique properties possess a feeling of being independently owned and operated. Individuality in both branding and style is key. They may belong to a small chain of hotels. However, they must possess a unique identity—no cookie-cutter qualities allowed. We use broad criteria when factoring style into the mix. While many people think of the term "boutique" as suggesting an urban-chic design, we allowed for a variety of styles. Decor may be hip and sophisticated, indigenous to the local area, even historic in nature. But the thing they have in common is intimate, individualized, often themed accommodations that pay attention to the details and place an emphasis on personal comfort. The overall style must express personality and a sense of welcome.

12) How do you define a city hotel?

A city hotel is one that is found in the urban environs of any city, no matter how large or small. Whereas resorts may sprawl across many recreation-filled acres, city hotels reside in pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods, within walking distance of restaurants, retail outlets, cultural activities, and/or commercial enterprises. City hotels enjoy regular access to mass transportation options and reside in areas of greater population density than their resort counterparts.