ResourcesRFP template · 9 min read · reviewed 2026-09-07
Most meeting RFPs die in a pile of PDFs that each include something different. This template fixes the twelve things hotels quote differently before any hotel sees it, so what comes back is the price of the same meeting from each. Copy it, fill the brackets, send it to every hotel unchanged.
Fix these first
Each of these is a line hotels fill in differently when you leave it open. Decide it once, write it down, and every quote answers the same question.
First-choice dates and one or two alternatives. A hotel that is full on your first date can still quote the second, and a flexible date is your strongest negotiating lever.
Minimum guaranteed and expected maximum. Hotels price the guarantee, not the hope. Say which number catering should be quoted on.
Cabaret, boardroom, theatre or U-shape, for how many, with natural light or not. A room that fits 60 in theatre fits 36 in cabaret; name the layout so capacity is compared on the same basis.
How many, for how many people each, for what hours. Breakouts are the line most often quoted as an extra.
Arrival refreshments, mid-morning break, lunch (working, buffet or seated), afternoon break, dinner. Say which are in scope. A day delegate rate normally covers three breaks and lunch; say if you need less or more.
Proportion of vegetarian or vegan, allergen handling, table service or buffet. These change the catering price and are rarely in a headline rate.
Projector and screen, or LED wall; microphones; a technician on site or on call; hybrid streaming; dedicated bandwidth. AV is the biggest hidden line in most quotes.
Number of rooms per night, single or double occupancy, breakfast included or not, check-in and check-out times, and how many rooms you will guarantee versus hold on option.
Say whether you want room hire quoted as a line, waived against a catering minimum, or included in a per-person rate. Hotels in different countries default to different conventions; pick one so the totals compare.
Ask for every figure inclusive of VAT or sales tax, service charge, and any city, tourism or resort fee, in one currency. Otherwise the cheapest headline is often the dearest invoice.
State the free-cancellation window you need, the attrition allowance (how far the headcount can drop without penalty), and whether a deposit is acceptable and when.
One response date, one currency, one format: a per-person total and a total for the event on the numbers you gave. Ask hotels to flag anything they cannot include rather than quoting around it.
The template
Plain text so it survives every email client and procurement portal. Keep the numbering; hotels answer numbered briefs more completely.
MEETING BRIEF — [Company name] — [Meeting name] 1. Dates First choice: [dd Mon yyyy] to [dd Mon yyyy] ([n] day(s), [n] night(s)) Alternatives: [dates] / [dates] 2. People Guaranteed minimum: [n] Expected: [n] Quote catering on: [n] 3. Main room Layout: [cabaret / boardroom / theatre / U-shape] for [n] Hours: [08:30–17:30] on [dates]. Natural light: [required / preferred / not needed] 4. Breakout rooms [n] rooms for [n] people each, [hours], [dates] 5. Catering (per person, per day) [x] Arrival refreshments [x] Mid-morning break [x] Lunch: [working / buffet / seated] [x] Afternoon break [ ] Dinner on [date]: [private dining / restaurant], [n] people Dietary: [n]% vegetarian, [n] vegan, allergens to be handled. Service: [buffet / table] 6. AV and connectivity [Projector + screen / LED wall], [n] handheld + [n] lapel mics, [technician on site / on call], [hybrid streaming: yes/no], dedicated Wi-Fi for [n] devices 7. Bedrooms [n] rooms × [n] nights, [single / double] occupancy, breakfast [included / excluded] Guaranteed: [n] On option until [date]: [n] 8. Commercial basis Quote as: [day delegate rate per person / room hire + per-person catering / 24-hour rate] All figures INCLUSIVE of VAT or sales tax, service charge and any local or resort fees, in [GBP/EUR/USD]. Free cancellation until: [date]. Attrition allowance: [n]% until [date]. Deposit: [none / n% on signing]. 9. Response By [date] to [email]. Please give (a) the per-person total and (b) the total for the event on the numbers above, and list anything you cannot include rather than quoting around it.
Section 8 is the one most templates leave out. Without a stated commercial basis and inclusive figures, the quotes cannot be ranked. If you are not sure which basis to ask for, the day delegate rate guide explains the options and how each market defaults.
What goes wrong
Every clarification you give one hotel and not another produces a quote nobody else can match. Send one brief, and if a question comes back, send the answer to all of them.
You will get the rate the hotel wants to sell, for the inclusions it prefers. Fix the inclusions and ask for the price of those.
A projector, two microphones and a technician can be a quarter of the day rate. Quotes that leave AV as 'on request' look cheaper and are not.
A UK day delegate rate includes VAT; a German Tagungspauschale is gross per person; a US quote is room rental against a food-and-beverage minimum plus service charge and tax; Singapore and Dubai quote 'plus plus'. Ask for an inclusive total and compare that.
If the headcount can drop by a fifth, say so now. A hotel that learns it at contract will price the risk in, or refuse.
When the quotes come back
Price is one of four. A quote that is cheapest and incomplete is not the best value; a quote that is complete, priced fairly and from a hotel that honours its terms usually is.
We fix the brief into one package, invite comparable hotels in your city, and run a live reverse auction where prices can only fall. You award; finance gets a hashed savings proof. Our service is free for buyers; you pay only the hotel.