Booking Hotel Rooms:
Confirming Bookings and Reservations

ABOVE: Piece of wedding cake on the beach at Jaguar Reef Resort in Belize. Don't forget to ask for a discount for your wedding party.

Once you've nailed down a rate and agreed to go with a certain hotel, the hotel will assign you either a group name, a confirmation number, or both. Most hotels won't require you to put money down to get the rate, but they will have a deadline past which the rate you have contracted for will expire. It is VERY important for you and your families to be aware of that date. Usually it is 3-5 days before the actual rentals. Again, if your family group or wedding is during a busy hotel time, it may be 10 or even 15 days in advance. MAKE SURE YOUR FAMILIES KNOW THE DEADLINE.

Also make sure everyone knows the confirmation number or group name that they should be using and emphasize to them that they need to USE this information at the beginning of their reservation. Again, it's no end frustrating (to the reservationist and to the guest) to take an entire reservation only to have to go and re-do it because the guest failed to mention a special rate. Some people will give all the information EXCEPT the name of the group or wedding party. Then when the clerk mentions the room rate they go ballistic because they're with "such and such party" and should get $$$ rate. Of course the clerk can't read their minds, but people tend to forget that!

One of the ways you can avoid having people miss the "block" dates is by making the reservations and guaranteeing them with your own credit card. If you do this, then your guests can change the method of payment to their own credit cards as they check in. This will guarantee the rooms up until the last minute, but be warned that with a guarantee you will have to remember to cancel unused rooms 24 hours in advance or they will be charged to your card.

Final advice: Most hotels in Belize will ask for a credit card to confirm your reservation. This is fine with reputable and well know hotels. If you are not sure about a hotel, ask. Belize has many websites and discussion forums since it is the only English-speaking country in Central America. Entering the hotel name in Google and searching either the web or news groups can usually reveal if someone had a bad, or good experience. It is also a good idea to ask to speak directly to the owner or manager - usually you can negotiate a better deal if you ask nicely.

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