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Hotel RFP Do’s and Don’ts: Lessons from Travel Managers Who Got It Right (and Wrong)

Introduction

Every corporate travel manager has war stories from hotel RFP season. Some pulled off record savings with smart negotiation strategies. Others spent months chasing unresponsive hotels, only to settle for mediocre results. The difference often comes down to knowing the do’s and don’ts of the process. With today’s technology, you don’t have to rely on guesswork anymore. By using an automated hotel rfp solution designed to optimize corporate sourcing programs, travel managers can avoid costly mistakes and replicate the wins of their peers. That’s the real value of a modern hotel sourcing tool like ReadyBid.

Why Hotel RFPs Still Go Wrong

Despite the availability of technology, many programs falter due to:

  • Poor data consolidation: Historical rates, traveler volumes, and office locations aren’t aligned.

  • Spreadsheet overload: Teams waste hours inputting and formatting hotel lists.

  • Ineffective follow-ups: Travel buyers chase responses manually for weeks.

  • Weak benchmarking: Without competitive data, negotiations lose leverage.

  • Limited internal buy-in: Finance, HR, and regional offices often pull in different directions.

The result? Bloated timelines, missed savings, and frustrated stakeholders.

The Do’s: Lessons From Those Who Got It Right1. Do Automate Where It Counts

Travel managers at companies like AmTrav and Rimini Street have praised ReadyBid for dramatically increasing productivity. By automating RFP distribution and contract finalization, they eliminated weeks of repetitive work.

2. Do Benchmark Against Market Rates

Hotels often anchor negotiations at inflated rates. Using ReadyBid’s hotel RFP optimization tool, managers compare proposals to live market data and secure more competitive deals.

3. Do Embrace Competitive Bidding

Properties like The Dominican Hotel in Brussels won new clients by participating in ReadyBid’s competitive bid model. Inviting unsolicited bids keeps incumbents honest and widens your options.

4. Do Centralize Stakeholder Access

With ReadyBid’s dynamic directories, managers can share real-time negotiated rates with travelers and regional teams. This reduces internal friction and drives compliance.

5. Do Align With Broader Procurement Goals

Hotel sourcing is one part of enterprise procurement. Integrating with corporate travel management and corporate hotel RFP platform strategies ensures alignment with finance and HR.

The Don’ts: Lessons From Painful Mistakes1. Don’t Rely on Email Chains Alone

Unstructured back-and-forth emails create versioning errors, lost attachments, and delayed approvals.

2. Don’t Stop at the First Offer

One of the biggest mistakes? Accepting initial proposals without countering. ReadyBid’s hotel RFP negotiation system supports unlimited rounds, so don’t leave money on the table.

3. Don’t Ignore Rate Auditing

Negotiated rates are meaningless if not properly loaded in GDS. CRL, a ReadyBid client, highlighted how automated auditing prevented costly leakage.

4. Don’t Forget the Traveler Experience

Cheaper isn’t always better. Ignoring traveler convenience leads to poor adoption and higher off-channel bookings.

5. Don’t Underestimate the Timeline

Starting late often forces rushed negotiations and weaker outcomes. ReadyBid helps prevent this by consolidating all data upfront and automating reminders.

Real-World Lessons

  • Adelman Travel: Emphasized how ReadyBid’s willingness to customize features boosted client satisfaction.

  • LEO Pharma: Reported stronger travel management performance by leveraging automation and rate auditing.

  • CRL: Found ReadyBid’s support “superior to any RFP tool used in 35+ years”.

These stories prove that the right approach-and platform-makes the difference between success and frustration.

Building a Do’s & Don’ts Checklist

Here’s a simple framework to guide your next RFP cycle:

Do’s:

  • Automate distribution, negotiations, and auditing

  • Benchmark against market rates

  • Use competitive bidding to expand options

  • Share live directories with stakeholders

  • Integrate with enterprise procurement systems

Don’ts:

  • Don’t manage RFPs with spreadsheets and email alone

  • Don’t accept the first offer without negotiation

  • Don’t ignore compliance and auditing

  • Don’t overlook the traveler experience

  • Don’t start sourcing too late

Recommended Resources

To go deeper, review these practical insights:

Conclusion

The most successful travel managers are those who learn from both wins and mistakes. The do’s and don’ts of hotel RFPs aren’t abstract-they’re lived experiences from professionals who’ve struggled with outdated processes and thrived with automation. ReadyBid makes it possible to avoid pitfalls and focus on what matters: stronger negotiations, better savings, and happier travelers.

Book a Demo today to see how ReadyBid helps you get it right every time.

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