Hotel room blocks in Toronto: attrition and how to negotiate

Conferences & Conventions Weddings

A room block is a set of hotel rooms held at a negotiated rate for your attendees until a cut-off date. It is the part of a conference or wedding contract that most often costs money nobody planned for, because a contracted block comes with an attrition clause. This guide explains how blocks work in Toronto, how to size and negotiate one, and what to check before you sign.

Courtesy block or contracted block

	Courtesy block	Contracted block
Commitment	None. Unbooked rooms go back to the hotel at the cut-off date.	You commit to a pickup level, usually measured in room nights.
Attrition	None	Yes. If pickup falls below the agreed percentage, you pay the difference.
Size	Smaller; hotels may refuse in busy weeks	As large as you need
Rate	Often a modest discount	Usually a sharper rate and extras such as complimentary rooms
Best for	Weddings, small conferences, uncertain attendance	Conferences with a reliable history of attendance

Start by asking two or three hotels for a courtesy block. Move to a contracted block only if you need more rooms or a better rate than courtesy blocks can offer.

How attrition works, with numbers

Attrition is the percentage of the block you must fill. It is usually measured on cumulative room nights across the block, not night by night. Here is a typical example with an 80 percent attrition clause:

Two pairs of hands exchanging a pen over a blank agreement

Item	Figure
Block	50 rooms for 2 nights at a $289 group rate
Committed room nights	100
Required pickup at 80%	80 room nights
Actual pickup	62 room nights
Shortfall	18 room nights
Attrition charge	18 × $289 = $5,202 plus applicable tax

Some hotels charge attrition at the full rate; others deduct the costs they avoid or credit rooms they resell. Ask which applies and get it in writing. The attrition entry in the encyclopedia has the clause language to look for.

Sizing the block

Use history, not hope. If 60 attendees booked last year, do not commit to 100.
Count who actually needs a room: out-of-town attendees, speakers, staff and exhibitors. Local attendees usually drive home.
Expect leakage. Some attendees will book through travel sites, loyalty programs or a cheaper hotel nearby. Ask that bookings at the same hotel outside your block count toward your pickup.
Watch the shoulder nights. Speakers and exhibitors often arrive the night before; include those nights deliberately rather than hoping.

What to negotiate

Wall clock above a backstage cue desk with a blank schedule

The attrition percentage. In our experience 80 percent is a common opening position and there is often room to move.
Review dates. One or more dates when you may reduce the block without penalty if pickup is behind.
The cut-off date. Usually several weeks before arrival. Ask whether the rate holds for late bookings if rooms remain.
Complimentary rooms. Many hotels offer a complimentary room for a set number of paid room nights. Ask the ratio.
Shoulder-night rates at the group rate for early arrivals and late departures.
Resale credit for rooms the hotel resells if you fall short.
Staff and speaker upgrades, wifi and parking for attendees.
Linking to the meeting contract. If the hotel is also your meeting venue, the room block and the food and beverage minimum are often negotiated together; a strong block can lower the meeting space cost.

Taxes on Toronto hotel rooms

Hotel rooms in Toronto carry 13 percent HST and the City of Toronto’s Municipal Accommodation Tax, which returned to 6 percent on August 1, 2026 after a temporary increase to 8.5 percent. HST also applies to the accommodation tax. Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham and other GTA municipalities set their own accommodation taxes. Quote attendees the all-in nightly cost, not the base rate.

Downtown, airport or suburbs

Downtown Toronto blocks are hardest to get during large conventions, major concerts and sports events, and on September weekends. If downtown hotels refuse a courtesy block, two good alternatives are an airport-area hotel with a shuttle (see conference centres near Pearson) or a suburban conference hotel such as the Hilton Toronto/Markham Suites, which has 502 suites and its own conference centre. For weddings in the Distillery District, King West or Yorkville, a midtown or airport block with a shuttle is often more realistic than one within walking distance.

Coordinator from behind walking a path lined with cones toward a tent

Managing the block once it is signed

Get the booking link or code before invitations or registration open, and put it on the event page.
Ask the hotel for a weekly pickup report.
Remind attendees who have registered but not booked two to three weeks before the cut-off.
Release rooms at the review date if pickup is behind.
Keep the block confirmation, the sales manager’s name and the code with the event contracts. When an attendee calls the week before saying the hotel has no record of the rate, you will want them within reach.

Questions to ask before you sign

Is this a courtesy or contracted block, and what is the attrition percentage?
Is attrition measured per night or across the whole block?
Do bookings outside the link count toward pickup?
What are the review dates and the cut-off date?
What is the complimentary room ratio?
Will the rate apply after the cut-off if rooms remain?
What is the all-in nightly cost with HST and accommodation tax?

Not legal advice: have someone who reads hotel contracts review anything with a large attrition exposure. For the wider contract checklist, see the Academy lesson on contracts and liability, and the room block entry in the encyclopedia.