Hospitality Contracts for Meetings, Events or Room Blocks

The Local Agreement Hotel Program proudly announces our partnerships with the below hotels.

To maximize the effectiveness of the Agreement Hotel Program, please follow the below steps:

   1. Contact Hotels in the Local Agreement Hotel Program.

• For easy access and quick quotes to compare prices, use the Mini-Bid Form.
• Pro tip: Contact the Hotels prior to finalizing your date; often times if your dates are flexible, you can receive better prices and offers.

• If your contract includes food and beverage, ensure you have the necessary approvals if exceeding the UC Maximum Meal Expenses.

• If you're using a Hotel that belongs to the local agreement program, you can execute the contract yourself. Once finalized and approved by your department, you can email the signed contract to the Hotel and HospitalityContracts@ucsd.edu. Once the Hotel returns a countersigned copy to you the contract is fully executed. 
  • You can ONLY execute contracts for yourself when using Hotels in the Local Agreement Hotel Program, as all terms are pre negotiated and approved by RRSS.
•  If you're using a Hotel not in the program, Hospitality Contracts will review and sign the contract on your behalf.
  • Email three (3) documents, the completed RRSS Hospitality Contract Form, Vendor Contract, and Signed UCSD Addendum, to HospitalityContracts@ucsd.edu.
  • We will provide a copy of the UCSD addendum that can be used for hotels, catering, bar services, audiovisual services (only if they are affiliated with the hotel), and event venues. A signed UCSD addendum is required for each event. The vendor may keep a copy of the signed addendum for their records, and the department may retain the addendum template for future use. We will send an updated copy if there are any updates to the addendum.
  • For non-federal funded contracts that exceed $100,000 and federal-funded contracts that exceed $50,000, submit two additional documents:
    • Sole Source & Price Reasonableness Justification Form (SSPR) https://blink.ucsd.edu/buy-pay/responsible/bids/sole-source-justification.html https://blink.ucsd.edu/_files/buying-tab/sspr-justification-form
    • Three competitive bids https://blink.ucsd.edu/buy-pay/responsible/bids/index.html

     4. Issue a deposit payment to the Hotel if the contract requires one.

• Pro tip: you are encouraged to use a Travel and Entertainment Card (T&E) for deposit and final balance payments. Don't have a T&E Card? Visit the Travel and Entertainment Card page for more information. 
• If you decide not to use a T&E Card, payments can be processed through Concur. Be sure to select the correct event type to ensure your request is processed timely. Visit the Concur: Event Examples page for guidelines.

   5. Issue the final balance payment to the Hotel once the event is over. 

• Pro tip: you are encouraged to use a T&E Card for deposit and final balance payments. Don't have a T&E Card? Visit the Travel and Entertainment Card page for more information. 
• If you decide not to use a T&E Card, payments can be processed through Concur. Be sure to select the correct event type to ensure your request is processed timely. Visit the Concur: Event Examples page for guidelines.

12-Step Checklist for Hosting Off-campus Group Events

Hospitality Contracts has created a 12-step checklist for campus clients hosting off-campus events. Given the complexity of planning off-campus events, the guidance checklist is a valuable tool for simplifying and streamlining the process. Use the 12-Step Checklist for Hosting Off-campus Events to guide you from the initial planning phases to vendor payments and reconciliation.

10-Step Checklist for Hosting On-campus Group Events

Hospitality Contracts has created a 10-Step Checklist for Hosting On-campus Events. We understand that organizing events on campus can be complex and overwhelming, with many moving pieces. This checklist, designed to simplify the on-campus event planning process, will bring a new level of efficiency and organization to your events, benefiting all campus departments. 

How do I pay a hotel deposit? 

• You are encouraged to use a T&E Card for deposit and final balance payments. Don't have a T&E Card? Visit Travel and Entertainment Card for more information. If you decide not to use a Travel card, payments can be processed through MyPayments. Be sure to select the correct event type to ensure your request is processed timely. Visit Concur: Event Example for guidelines.

• Note that if you contracting for a room block only with one of the Agreement Hotels (i.e. no meeting or event), you will not be required to pay a deposit.  This may not be the case if you use a non-Agreement Hotel.

What can I use my Travel & Entertainment Card for? 

• You are encouraged to use a T&E Card for deposit and final balance payments. Don't have a T&E Card? Visit Travel and Entertainment Card for more information. If you decide not to use a Travel card, payments can be processed through MyPayments. Be sure to select the correct event type to ensure your request is processed timely. Visit Concur: Event Example for guidelines.

I'm trying to book individual business travel, is this the same thing? 

• No. For individual or personal travel, visit Paying Local Hotel for Inbound Traveler.

I thought only Procurement could sign contracts on behalf of the University?

• You are correct in that only Procurement should be signing contracts on behalf of the University.  Group/event contracts with Agreement Hotels are an exception though, since all of the terms are pre-negotiated and approved by IPPS.  For any questions about terms, please don’t hesitate to reach out to HospitalityContracts@ucsd.edu.

What if the hotel I want to use isn’t part of the Program?

• If you’re looking to book a local hotel for a meeting, event, or room block, it’s highly encouraged to use one of the Agreement Hotels.  However, if you chose to use a different hotel, or if your event is not local, you will need to submit your contract to HospitalityContracts@ucsd.edu along with the completed Hospitality Contract Form at least two weeks prior to your event.

I have questions about the contract I signed with an Agreement Hotel, who can I ask?

• For any questions about terms, please don’t hesitate to reach out to HospitalityContracts@ucsd.edu.

What Is Mini-Bid Form?

• The Mini-Bid Form is a new resource for campus to help quickly and easily get comparable quotes/pricing from Agreement Hotels.  All of the Agreement Hotels are familiar with this form, and will respond to your request as quickly as possible with a price quote based on the event information you provided.

What are some of the definitions of common hospitality terms that I should be familiar with?

• Attrition: Defined as the minimum obligation of the reserved total number of room nights that must be booked. This is typically associated with hotel room block contracts.  For example, if a hotel room block is for a total of 50 guest rooms and the contract has 90% attrition, this means the group is required to fill at least 45 guest rooms (90% of 50 guest rooms). With this example, if 40 guest rooms are booked, the Department is contractually obligated to pay the hotel for 5 rooms.

• Cancellation Charges: Defined as the amount of money the Department will owe to the hotel or supplier if the event is cancelled after executing the contract. Typically contracts will define various timeframe's and amounts owed depending on when the cancellation occurs.
• Food & Beverage Minimum: This is the minimum obligation the supplier must receive on food and beverage expenditures, and does not include other costs associated with the venue. Keep in mind, the actual F&B spend often times exceeds the minimum amount.  The total F&B amount is taxable (tax rate is currently 7.75% in San Diego and La Jolla) and will typically incur a service charge fee (commonly between 20-24%).
• Service Charge: Most contracts containing food and beverage, or some form of service, will have a service charge noted as a percentage. Typically the service charge is taxable.
• Courtesy Block: Some hotels will offer a courtesy block, meaning the hotel is blocking the rooms without any obligation for the rooms to be utilized. While completing this form is still required for courtesy block contracts, please be sure to make note on the form if you believe the contract is a courtesy block to ensure Procurement can review accordingly.