The most important element in a successful military reunion is the hospitality room – for it is here where friendships are made and that special brotherhood is renewed. The best hospitality room is a lockable meeting room where the group can provide its own beverages (including alcohol) and snacks, and self-serve all. The room should be available to the group on a complimentary 24/7 basis for the length of the reunion.
When AFR seeks hotel partners for our reunion-friendly hotel network we select hotels that allow groups to provide their own alcohol and snacks in meeting space. Not all hotels allow this though, especially with the alcohol. They may suggest using a suite, but suites are small and too confining for even a small group. Hotels don’t always understand that the entire group wants to gather in the hospitality room during free time, and the group will likely disturb other hotel guests, who then complain to management. Our reunion-friendly hotels usually provide a meeting room for hospitality, as long as alcohol remains inside.
Each state has its own peculiar ABC laws, and some mandate that alcohol can only be provided by the hotel. But the law never dictates that a hotel make a profit on the sale of alcohol. For larger groups that require mass consumption (and a lot of man-hours and trips to Walmart) we often negotiate for alcohol and snacks to be sold in bulk to the group at the hotel’s cost plus a small handling/storage fee. Groups should then be allowed to self-serve but for hotels worried about liability, the group can either sign a waiver of liability (provided by AFR) or secure an event insurance policy that costs a couple hundred dollars (links provided by AFR).
When we think of military reunion-friendly hotels, we think first and foremost of hotels that accommodate the hospitality needs of our reunion clients. In any given city across our nation, there may only be a couple of hotels that are willing to allow alcohol in their meeting space and truly appreciate military reunion business. AFR has booked reunions in more than 150 cities over the past 30-plus years, rather than spend countless hours researching and speaking to hotels about your requirements, let AFR guide your group to a reunion-friendly hotel that understands this basic reunion requirement to ensure a great time is had by all!
Call or email Charley at 757-625-6401 or charley@afri.com to get a proposal.