Weddingbee boards

We had great experiences with Hilton and Marriott both.  No charge for blocking the rooms and great communication (particularly from the Hilton).

Wyndham has a wedding package that you maybe interested in...

We initially blocked rooms at Doubletree Club (part of Hilton) for their rates. We later found a good rate at the Marriott, too. This does not go without connections and negotiations!

But I like about the Marriott is that they give you Event Rewarders.. so I will get 3 Marriott Reward Points for whatever my guests spend on the block of rooms! And my guests will ALSO get marriott rewards points for what they pay as well! 

And, as mentioned, there were no CCs needed to hold the block of rooms, no penalty for not filling up a block, and free room upgrade for us. =)

Another Marriott block bride here! I'm not really sure if any one chain is better than the other...so much depends on your geographic location (which affects the price), the management, etc. For us we went with the Marriott in my hometown b/c the manager is the DIL of my mom's friend, who recommended our reception location and was able to haggle down the price for us (it's an athletic club and he is a long time member). Since he did us that favor, we only chose to block rooms off at one hotel and that was the Marriott =). She was able to offer us a great rate and we're currently trying to figure out the details of our suite...we might be able to get it for lower! I think the definite plus here was not having to use CCs or put down a deposit, and no penalties! The process was actually much more painless than I thought it'd be and we have our own event coordinator contact who will ensure details like OOT bags and day after brunches can be arranged without any hassle.

Embassy Suites - which is part of the Hilton chain. Hilton sets you up with a web site and password so you can manage your block - see who has reserved for which nights, how many rooms are remaining in your block, etc. We like Embassy becasue we have some larger families and all of their rooms are suites which sleep up to 6 people (2 queens and a sofa sleeper). They also include a fully cooked breakfast and manager's reception in the evening and they gave us a great rate.

We used Country Inn and Suites b/c it was MUCH closer than other options. Its wasn't super glamerous but wasn't bad either, very clean just not stylish. They were really easy to work with.

Earning points for your event and block at Marriott is called "Rewarding Events" and its available to everyone!  Here's a link about it:

http://www.marriott.com/meetings/rewards/travel.mi

Our actually hotel for OOT is the Residence Inn (part of Marriott) - and it comes with full kitchen, hot breakfast, free wifi, free parking, airport shuttle, and happy hour on Monday-Thursdays.  We haven't signed a contract yet, so I'm not sure if we get our own webpage. I know that the Doubletree does have that.. but I know we get a booking code/group code for our guests. 

Also, it really is hard to pinpoint which is the best chain - it really depends on what you are looking for: comfort, price, location, decor, etc. But, I know you can definitely shop around and negotiate. i.e. X hotel offered me a rate of $XX, can you match that? It works really well!

I've reserved a block of rooms at our local Hampton Inn (which is a Hilton property). Hampton Inn's are usually pretty nice without breaking the bank for guests. The rooms are, in my opinion, family friendly with a "nicer" hotel feeling. Beds are terrific and they are top notch in the cleanliness department. I am also reserving a block at our brand new Holiday Inn Express-opening at the end of the summer and our wedding is in October. The new ones are pretty nice and will offer guests a choice if they have a preference. The rates at Holiday Inn Express are a bit less expensive than Hampton Inn also.