This is the third in our series on How to Improve Your Hotel’s Sales. To be the first to get Part 4, sign up here
Today, more than ever, securing high-value group business isn't just about having great meeting spaces—it's about knowing where to find the right leads. Whether you're managing a boutique property or overseeing multiple hotels, mastering the art of hotel lead generation for groups, meetings, and events can transform your revenue picture and keep your rooms filled with profitable business year-round.
Understanding where your best leads originate transforms your hotel online lead management from reactive to proactive. While your website and third-party platforms provide steady RFP flow, the highest-value leads often come from strategic relationships. Corporate travel managers control significant event budgets across multiple companies. A single strong relationship here can yield dozens of bookings annually.
Similarly, destination management companies need reliable venue partners for their clients' programs. Even apparent competitors can become lead sources when they're overbooked or when events don't match their property's strengths. Professional meeting planners represent another crucial source for banquet sales. These planners typically work with multiple clients and value venue partners who make their jobs easier. Respond to their RFPs within hours, not days. Provide detailed floor plans, capacity charts, and menu options upfront.
Let's explore each lead source that can help drive your hotel sales and marketing success.
1. Cvent - The Industry Powerhouse
Cvent stands as the undisputed leader in the event technology space, with their Supplier Network reaching over 92,000 event planners representing more than $19 billion in RFP value annually. As the industry's largest venue sourcing platform, Cvent offers unparalleled exposure to planners actively searching for venues worldwide.
What makes Cvent particularly valuable for hotel sales lead generation is their sophisticated lead scoring technology. Hotels can set custom filters—such as need dates, meeting size, or event type—to automatically highlight the most important leads. The platform's Response Automation feature allows sales teams to craft complete proposals in minutes using profile information and templates, dramatically reducing response time.
The platform also provides invaluable market intelligence, offering access to competitive rates and comp set analysis to help optimize pricing strategies. Hotels can add a custom button to their website that drives all RFP submissions directly to the Cvent Supplier Network, creating a centralized hotel RFP solution. With detailed analytics that help evaluate each RFP's potential value, Cvent enables hotels to prioritize responses strategically and maximize conversion rates.
For hotels serious about capturing group business, Cvent's combination of reach, technology, and data insights makes it an essential investment in any comprehensive lead generation strategy.
2. Hotel Engine - The Corporate Travel Specialist
Hotel Engine (formerly HotelEngine) has evolved into a comprehensive travel management platform serving over 750,000 properties worldwide. While primarily focused on corporate travel bookings, Hotel Engine generates significant opportunities for smaller meetings and extended stays through their business client base.
The platform offers unique advantages for hotels looking to capture corporate group business. Their Groups feature handles bookings from 5 to 5,000 rooms, making them valuable for both small meetings and large corporate events. What sets Hotel Engine apart is their Direct Bill feature, which eliminates credit card hassles at check-in and provides consolidated invoicing—a major selling point for corporate clients.
Hotels benefit from Hotel Engine's commitment to driving business without contracts or membership fees for properties. The platform saves corporate clients an average of 26% on hotel bookings, which means they're actively promoting hotel stays to cost-conscious business travelers. Their FlexPro feature allows penalty-free cancellations and modifications, reducing barriers to booking.
For hotel lead generation managers, Hotel Engine represents a growing source of corporate bookings, particularly for properties near business districts or convention centers. As they've recently expanded to include flights and car rentals, their user base continues to grow, bringing more potential group business to partner hotels.
3. Hubli - The Global Instant Booking Platform
Hubli (formerly Meetingsbooker.com) has positioned itself as a leading platform for simple meetings and group bookings, with over 200,000 meeting spaces across 120+ countries. Their technology focuses on automating the traditionally manual booking process while maintaining the personal touch that event planners value.
What distinguishes Hubli in the hotel online lead management space is their AI-powered bidding engine that drives price competition among venues competing for events. This creates a dynamic marketplace where hotels can actively compete for business based on availability and pricing strategy. The platform's Venue Connect API allows hotels to connect directly to their property management systems, enabling real-time availability and automated responses to higher-value RFPs.
Hubli's integration with major travel management companies and their Office Connect feature for internal meeting spaces positions them uniquely in the corporate market. Hotels partnering with Hubli gain access to enterprise clients who value streamlined booking processes, transparent pricing, and integrated contract management.
The platform's emphasis on both simplicity and sophistication makes it particularly attractive for hotels looking to capture small to medium-sized corporate meetings without the complexity of traditional RFP processes.
4. The Knot Worldwide - The Social Events Leader
The Knot Worldwide, which includes both The Knot and WeddingWire platforms, dominates the wedding and social events market. These sister platforms reach millions of engaged couples annually, making them essential for hotels with strong banquet sales capabilities.
The Knot attracts design-focused, style-forward couples who prioritize aesthetics and inspiration. These users often have larger budgets and seek venues that photograph well and offer unique experiences. The platform's strength lies in its visual presentation capabilities and extensive vendor network, allowing hotels to showcase their spaces alongside preferred vendors.
WeddingWire, while part of the same company, serves a slightly different audience. It typically ranks higher in Google searches for wedding venues and attracts more practical, budget-conscious couples. The platform offers a more comprehensive vendor dashboard with better analytics and lead tracking capabilities.
For hotels, the key to success on these platforms is understanding that while The Knot may drive more leads, they often require more qualification. Many venues find that a single booking can pay for the entire yearly membership. Hotels should test both platforms for 2-3 months, carefully tracking conversion rates and lead quality before deciding where to focus their investment.
Regular profile updates, fresh photography, and prompt response times are critical for success on both platforms.
5. HopSkip - The Intelligent Sourcing Platform
HopSkip has emerged as a game-changer for hotel RFP solutions, focusing on creating a more efficient and transparent sourcing process. Founded in 2019, the platform has rapidly grown by addressing the pain points both planners and hotels face in the traditional RFP process.
What sets HopSkip apart is their commitment to lead quality. Every RFP comes from subscribed planners with real budgets and decision-making power, eliminating the tire-kickers that plague other platforms. Hotels respond faster because they know the leads are qualified, and the platform provides competitive market and engagement metrics that help properties understand their position in the market.
HopSkip's platform offers unique features like the ability to create branded presentations with one click and message decision-makers directly. The transparency extends to budgeting, with planners able to see total costs upfront and hotels able to view competitive intelligence that helps them price competitively.
For hotels, HopSkip represents a more targeted approach to lead generation—fewer leads but higher quality, with better conversion rates and less wasted time on unqualified inquiries. The platform's focus on data and analytics helps hotels continuously improve their response strategies and win rates.
6. WeZoo - A Newcomer to the European Market
WeZoo is rapidly becoming one of Europe's largest marketplaces for meetings and events, offering unique opportunities for hotels looking to expand their international reach. Working in partnership with MeetingPackage, WeZoo provides instant booking capabilities that eliminate the traditional RFP back-and-forth.
The platform's strength lies in its integration capabilities and commission-free booking model for early adopters. Hotels can showcase dynamic pricing and instant availability, similar to how they sell transient rooms online. This approach appeals to the growing segment of meeting planners who want immediate confirmation and transparent pricing.
WeZoo's multi-day and multi-room booking capabilities make it particularly valuable for hotels hosting longer conferences or training programs. The platform's European focus provides access to a market that may be underserved by US-centric platforms, offering geographical diversification for hotel lead generation.
The seamless integration with MeetingPackage's channel manager allows hotels to manage their WeZoo presence alongside thousands of other distribution channels from a single venue profile, maximizing efficiency while expanding reach.
7. Hivr - The AI-Powered Event Solution
Hivr.ai represents the next generation of event booking platforms, leveraging artificial intelligence to match events with ideal venues. While newer to the market, Hivr's technology-first approach offers innovative solutions for both planners and hotels.
The platform uses AI to analyze event requirements and automatically match them with suitable venues based on multiple criteria including location, capacity, amenities, and budget. This intelligent matching reduces the time hotels spend responding to unsuitable RFPs and increases the quality of leads received.
For hotels, Hivr offers an opportunity to be early adopters of AI-driven lead generation technology. The platform's focus on reducing friction in the booking process appeals to tech-savvy corporate clients and younger meeting planners who expect consumer-grade booking experiences in their professional tools.
As AI technology continues to evolve, platforms like Hivr are likely to become increasingly sophisticated in their matching capabilities, making them valuable partners for forward-thinking hotels.
8. MeetingPackage - The Instant Booking Pioneer
MeetingPackage has revolutionized how meetings are booked by allowing instant confirmations for meeting spaces, similar to how travelers book hotel rooms online. This platform has become the most connected software provider in the meetings and events sector, integrating with numerous distribution channels and hotel systems.
What makes MeetingPackage particularly valuable for hotel sales and marketing is its focus on transparency and efficiency. Venues with listed prices are generally easier and quicker to book, as planners get an immediate grasp of affordability without endless inquiries. The platform's dynamic pricing capabilities allow hotels to adjust rates based on demand, maximizing revenue during peak periods while filling spaces during slower times.
MeetingPackage's white-label capabilities allow hotels to power instant booking on their own websites while maintaining brand consistency. The platform handles everything from initial inquiry through final payment, reducing administrative burden on hotel staff. Their integration with major platforms like Cvent means hotels can capture leads from multiple sources while managing everything through a single system.
For hotels looking to capture the growing segment of self-service meeting bookers, MeetingPackage offers a proven solution that reduces friction while maintaining control over pricing and availability.
9. Planned - The End-to-End Event Platform
Planned.com offers a unique approach to hotel lead generation by serving as a single vendor of record for all event-related purchases. This platform has raised $65 million in funding and focuses on simplifying the entire event planning process from sourcing to payment.
What distinguishes Planned is their white-glove service model combined with technology-driven efficiency. They handle contracting and payment on behalf of planners, removing two of the biggest pain points in event booking. For hotels, this means faster decisions and guaranteed payment terms—no more chasing down credit card authorizations or worrying about contract negotiations.
Planned's platform prioritizes preferred suppliers and pre-negotiated deals, making it valuable for hotels with existing corporate relationships. The transparency of their RFP process means hotels always know which other properties are being considered, allowing for more strategic pricing and positioning.
The platform's Series B funding indicates strong growth potential, and their focus on enterprise clients means hotels partnering with Planned gain access to high-value corporate events with streamlined booking and payment processes.
10. HelmsBriscoe - The Global Meeting Procurement Giant
HelmsBriscoe remains the world's largest meeting procurement company, having booked nearly $6 billion in room revenue over recent years. With over 1,500 Associates in 55 countries, HelmsBriscoe offers unparalleled global reach for hotels seeking group business.
What makes HelmsBriscoe unique is their consultant model. Their Associates work as independent contractors representing corporate and association clients, meaning each RFP comes with an advocate who has a vested interest in finding the right venue. This results in higher-quality leads and better conversion rates compared to self-service platforms.
Hotels partnering with HelmsBriscoe benefit from their collective buying power, which can secure exclusive rates and concessions that individual properties couldn't negotiate alone. There are no upfront costs for hotels—HelmsBriscoe is compensated through commissions on booked business.
The company's ResourceOne division offers full-service meeting management, meaning hotels can capture not just room revenue but also significant F&B and ancillary spending. For properties serious about group business, maintaining strong relationships with local HelmsBriscoe Associates is essential for sustained success.
11. Groups360 - The Instant Booking Revolution
Groups360 has transformed how smaller meetings are booked with GroupSync, the hospitality industry's first truly integrated platform for instant group bookings. With $50 million in investment from major brands including Marriott, Accor, Hilton, and IHG, Groups360 has the backing and technology to reshape group bookings.
The platform's key innovation is direct integration with hotel reservation and property management systems, offering real-time rates and availability for over 25,000 properties globally. This eliminates the delay and uncertainty of traditional RFP processes for simple meetings, allowing instant booking for 10-25 rooms and meeting spaces up to 50 people.
GroupSync Commerce enables hotels to capture group business visiting their website, while GroupSync Marketing allows properties to showcase what makes them unique through custom content upgrades and targeted incentives. The platform's housing tools help hotels manage room blocks more effectively while creating upselling opportunities.
For hotel lead generation managers, Groups360 represents the future of small meeting bookings—instant, transparent, and efficient. Properties that embrace this technology can capture business that might otherwise go to competitors with faster response times.
12. Your Hotel Website - The Direct Booking Foundation
Your hotel's website remains one of the most powerful and cost-effective lead generation tools available. Inbound leads through your hotel website consistently outperform third-party platforms in conversion rates, with some properties reporting close rates exceeding 30% for direct RFP submissions.
The key to website success lies in optimization. Smart RFP forms that capture essential information without overwhelming visitors are crucial. These forms should be progressive, asking for basic details first and then gathering more specific requirements as the visitor engages. Integration with your CRM ensures no lead falls through the cracks.
SEO optimization targeting keywords like "meeting venues [your city]" and "conference hotels near [landmark]" drives organic traffic from planners in the research phase. Virtual tours and interactive floor plans allow planners to self-qualify before submitting RFPs, improving lead quality.
Direct booking incentives—such as complimentary upgrades, welcome receptions, or discounted AV packages—give planners a reason to book directly rather than through third-party platforms. Mobile optimization is non-negotiable, as many planners research venues on smartphones during site visits or between meetings.
For the best ROI on hotel online lead management, invest in your website's functionality and user experience before spending on additional lead sources.
13. Email Marketing - The Nurture Engine
Email marketing remains a cornerstone of successful hotel lead generation, offering the highest ROI of any digital marketing channel when executed properly. Building and nurturing a database of past clients, prospects, and partners creates a sustainable source of repeat and referral business.
Successful email campaigns for group business go beyond promotional blasts. Showcase recent events with photography and testimonials to demonstrate your capabilities. Share seasonal menus or new catering options to re-engage past clients. Provide value through content like "10 Tips for Successful Hybrid Meetings" or "2025 Corporate Event Trends."
Segmentation is critical for email success. Corporate planners have different needs than wedding planners, and association clients require different messaging than corporate travel managers. Personalized follow-ups after site visits, automated nurture campaigns for warm leads, and targeted campaigns based on booking history all drive higher engagement and conversion.
Marketing automation platforms allow sophisticated triggering based on behavior—sending meeting package information to someone who visited your meetings page multiple times, or following up with special offers to planners who haven't booked in six months.
Regular email communication keeps your property top-of-mind when planners are ready to book, making it an essential component of any comprehensive lead generation strategy.
14. Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) - Local Partnership Power
CVBs play a vital role in helping hotels attract group business by marketing the destination as a whole. These organizations drive bookings through citywide events, conventions, and targeted marketing campaigns that individual hotels couldn't execute alone.
Successful CVB partnerships require active engagement. Keep your CVB updated on renovations, new amenities, and special promotions. Participate in familiarization tours and CVB-hosted events. Respond quickly—ideally within hours—to CVB-generated leads, as these often involve competitive bid situations.
CVBs provide valuable services including destination marketing materials, lead distribution for citywide events, tourism data and visitor trend analysis, and staff training programs. Many CVBs also offer cooperative marketing opportunities that allow hotels to stretch their marketing budgets further.
To maximize these relationships, assign a dedicated team member as your CVB liaison. Share success stories and testimonials that the CVB can use in their marketing. Offer special rates or value-adds for CVB-referred business. Partner on bid presentations for major conventions.
Remember that CVBs often use platforms like Simpleview CRM to manage their hotel partnerships and lead distribution. Understanding how your CVB's technology works helps you respond more effectively to opportunities.
15. Destination Management Companies (DMCs) - Event Execution Partners
DMCs are private businesses that help event planners with local services including accommodations, transportation, activities, and complete event production. Building strong relationships with DMCs provides access to high-value corporate programs and incentive travel business.
DMCs value hotel partners who understand their business model and can deliver consistent execution. They need venues that can handle complex programs, provide dedicated event support, offer competitive commissionable rates, and maintain flexibility for last-minute changes.
To attract DMC business, develop comprehensive partnership packages that include room rates, meeting space, and F&B minimums. Provide DMCs with high-quality sales materials they can include in their proposals. Offer familiarization trips specifically for DMC partners to experience your property.
The key to DMC partnerships is reliability. These companies stake their reputations on flawless execution, so they repeatedly use venues they trust. Once you've proven yourself with successful events, DMCs become a consistent source of high-value group business, often booking multiple programs annually.
Consider joining DMC industry associations or attending trade shows where DMCs gather. Building personal relationships with local and national DMC representatives pays dividends over time.
Maximizing Your Lead Generation Success
Success with these lead sources requires more than just signing up for platforms. Here are essential best practices for maximizing your hotel sales lead generation:
Speed Matters: In today's competitive market, the first responder often wins the business. That is why Event Temple has built the AI Sales Suite. Ensure rapid response times across all channels. Aim to respond within one hour during business hours.
Personalization is Key: Generic responses kill conversions. Take time to understand each lead's unique needs and tailor your proposals accordingly. Reference specific requirements mentioned in their RFP and explain how your property uniquely meets their needs.
Track Everything: Monitor conversion rates, average deal size, and time-to-close for each lead source. Use this data to optimize your investment and focus resources on the highest-performing channels.
Build Relationships: Focus on creating long-term partnerships that generate repeat business and referrals. This is especially important with DMCs, corporate planners, and CVBs who can provide sustained business over time.
Stay Visible: Regularly update your profiles on all platforms, showcase recent events with fresh photography, and gather new reviews and testimonials. Maintain consistent branding and messaging across all lead sources.
The Technology Foundation
When your hotel begins capturing more leads from these diverse sources, you'll need robust tools to manage them effectively. That's where a hotel sales CRM like Event Temple becomes essential. When our customers sell more and get more leads, they need a CRM like Event Temple to boost their revenue through better lead management, faster response times, and improved conversion tracking.
A proper hotel RFP solution should integrate with your major lead sources, automate follow-up sequences, track performance metrics by source, and enable team collaboration on complex proposals. Without these tools, even the best lead sources won't deliver their full potential.
Conclusion
The most successful hotels don't rely on a single lead source. They build a diversified portfolio that captures opportunities across multiple channels while maintaining the flexibility to shift resources based on performance. Start by auditing your current lead sources and identifying gaps in your strategy.
Remember that the hospitality industry continues to evolve, but one thing remains constant: hotels that master lead generation and relationship management will always have a competitive advantage. By leveraging the right combination of technology platforms, strategic partnerships, and direct marketing efforts, you can create a sustainable pipeline of group business that drives revenue and keeps your event spaces filled throughout the year.
Start strengthening your lead sources today, and watch your group business—and revenue—soar.
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