Best Hotel RFP Software Tools for Streamlined Event Housing Management [2024]

The entire event production process can be quite the process, but adding on the need to house event attendees is an important component of a successful event. Between finding the right hotels, managing room blocks and communicating with various parties (plus a million other tasks), there are many moving parts to lock in the right accommodations. 

Fortunately, technology makes the process easier– specifically hotel RFP software tools! And with more in-person events reemerging, the need to nail down this aspect of planning is more important than ever before.

Don’t sweat it. We’ll walk you through everything you need to know about hotel RFP software, so you can begin to streamline event housing management. 

What are Hotel RFP Software Tools? 

Hotel RFP software tools are digital platforms that help event producers and/or housing companies source and secure hotel accommodations and meeting spaces for their events. They allow users to send requests for proposals (RFPs) to numerous hotels simultaneously.

A variety of individuals and organizations use hotel RFP software tools, including:

• Event Producers and Managers: These professionals use RFP tools to find suitable accommodations and meeting spaces for events and then organize and manage those through the software.
• Sports Tournament Organizers: Sports tournaments involve many moving parts, and one critical aspect is securing suitable accommodations for teams, officials and other event attendees. RFP software makes it easier to compare pricing, amenities, site locations and more.
• Corporations: Big businesses organizing large meetings, conferences, or other corporate events can use this software to efficiently find and book accommodations.
• Non-profit Organizations and Associations: These entities plan a plethora of events including fundraising campaigns, awareness programs and meetings that require venue bookings and lodging arrangements made through RFP tools.
• Educational Institutions: Colleges, universities and educational entities often host seminars, workshops and international conferences. They frequently use RFP tools to secure conference halls and accommodations for attendees.
• Travel Management Companies: These businesses use RFP software to expedite their contracting process and streamline their booking process, making it more efficient and effective.
• Hospitality Industry: Hoteliers and venue providers use RFP tools to respond to inquiries and proposals, manage their inventory of rooms and spaces and improve their operations.

Overall, these tools streamline the process of securing accommodations and meeting spaces, making it much easier to lock in top-tier accommodations for your event. 

Key Features of Hotel RFP Platforms

Hotel RFP platforms all vary: some simply allow you to send and respond to RFPs. Others provide a full suite of event housing management tools, from revenue analysis to event website creation to hotel block monitoring. 

When searching for the best platform, we suggest choosing a full-service RFP software tool that streamlines all of the event production–not only the RFP aspect. Here are some features to keep an eye out for. 

Various Hotel Options 

A large hotel database is vital for a good RFP tool. It should include hotels of all kinds, from affordable to luxury and small boutiques to large chains.

This wide selection helps event producers and housing companies compare hotels based on factors like location, cost, facilities and special services. This is important for events with specific needs, like large halls, special AV systems or outdoor spaces.

Plus, your event attendees' needs must also be prioritized. You should provide a variety of options they can choose from based on their budget, proximity to the event venue, specific amenities and more.

With many hotel options, event producers view everything available and are enabled to make smart choices to fit their event requirements and budget. A wide variety of hotels ensures that any type of event, from festivals to sporting events, can find the perfect hotel fit.

Easy Access for Hotels & Event Producers 

For hotels, this software is a real game-changer. It makes it simple for them to keep an eye on new requests and respond to them quickly. Hotels get to see all the deals from event organizers in one place and can immediately jump on opportunities, which ultimately leads to more business.

For event organizers, it's like having a personal assistant. It helps them browse through different hotels, send their event details, and check hotel responses easily. 

Customization Opportunities 

Users personalize their proposals to specify their needs, like room types and numbers, event dates, meeting spaces, setup styles and extra services. Some even offer customizable templates available to match your branding.

Need to find the top hotels? Adjust the search to suit what your attendees are looking for, like the place, cost, room types and sizes. And when you're inputting those details, you can change the data fields to make sure you're collecting the important details for your event.

Don't want to miss out on important updates? You can set custom alerts for things like changes to your proposal, replies from hotels or upcoming deadlines. And, you can make your own reports that give you a clear idea of trends, costs, and how well you're doing.

Having these options means that every time you use the software, it's designed to meet the specific needs of your event and attendees. It also makes sure that each proposal you send has its own unique touch, reflecting the special vision and needs of your event.

Simple Communication Tools

RFP software platforms pack handy tools that make chatting with everyone involved in the event a piece of cake.

Even better, everything is in one place. You can have all your chats with different people right there in the software, so you won't need to jump between different apps. Some tools even let you look at hotel responses side-by-side, so you can quickly spot who's offering the best deal.

Best Hotel RFP Software Tools

Here’s a list of the best RFP software to find hotels and venues for your event. Remember, some RFP platforms keep it simple by allowing an easy exchange of RFPs, while others provide an end-to-end housing management solution. Let's dive in.

1. EventPipe

EventPipe is a modern event housing management solution that completely streamlines the RFP process for a range of events, from youth sports tournaments to corporate conventions and music festivals. 

The platform connects event producers and housing companies with the thousands of hotels in its network. You can use filters to find the room type and amenities you need for your event. You’re also able to specify any commissions or rebates that you expect to be a part of your proposal, as well as other concessions like comp rooms. If you’re contracting comp rooms, EventPipe makes it simple to keep track of how many you’ve earned to ensure you’re getting the credit you contracted for.

Hotels can use the portal to view and respond to your requests. You can also compare proposals side by side to choose the best hotels for your event and future participants and negotiate better terms for your attendees.

Of course, EventPipe’s software doesn’t stop at RFPs. This end-to-end platform helps you quickly launch customized booking websites, manage room blocks and sub-blocks, automate reporting and invoicing and access additional revenue opportunities–all from one place. 

Key Features: 

• Find hotels based on preferred dates, room types and concession
• Review and accept all proposals through one platform
• Track the attendance and pick-up rates of your events through the data reporting feature
• Incorporate a reservation management link on your event website to make it easy for your guests to find and book
• Capture attendee booking history and streamline the process for booking the following year
• Hotel partners can view all pick-up and reservation data in real-time in a hotel-facing portal
• Use the group block feature to book multiple hotels and room types

Best for: Youth sports tournaments, corporate events, trade shows, music festivals, and more

2. Cvent

Cvent is known more for its attendee and event management. But you can use it to find venues and suppliers for an event. If you need a hotel for your conference, exhibit, roundtable or networking event, Cvent could help.

Cvent’s RFP Showcase allows you to post events and receive up to seven bidders. Those who oversee a Convention and Visitor Bureau can use this feature to look for group business opportunities and notify qualified venues to make their bids.

Cvent’s other features allow you to manage other aspects of your event, including registration, marketing, check-in and badging, budgeting and lead capture, among other tasks.

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Key Features: 

• Choose from over 300,000 hotels in the network
• Post RFP using RFP Showcase and let hotels submit their bids
• Get travel and meeting data reports

Best for: Very large online, hybrid, and in-person events

3. Amadeus

Amadeus offers Amadeus MeetingBroker, which allows event planners to submit inquiries to venues online. This platform automatically routes inquiries to each venue and its sales representatives so your RFP can get evaluated by the right people. 

You can also integrate this specific service with the others available on Amadeus to add more functionality.

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Key Features: 

• Get RFPs to the right venue and sales representatives
• Ensure that you receive a response based on your goals and requirements
• Submit requests through a hotel’s Facebook page
• Integrate MeetingBooker with other Amadeus apps to add more features

Best for: Professional events

4. Venuesuite

Venuesuite is a tool that helps hotels and other venue owners get more clients. It does this by letting interested parties book venues directly from their websites and letting them manage all reservations and inquiries from one location.

Those who use Venuesuite can follow up on proposals, check their messages and get paid all from within the platform.

This tool has a modern, professional look to integrate with any website seamlessly. It also allows users to book any venue at any time of the day. Available spaces get updated so only those not booked on a particular day get shown to potential clients.

Key Features: 

• Let customers book rooms using a booking widget.
• Manage all reservations using the Venuesuite Planboard.
• Respond to inquiries using any device.
• Create invoices in one click.

Best for: Smaller meetings

5. RFP 360

RFP360 allows users to issue requests based on templates that it provides. This helps simplify the RFP request process. If you’re working with a team, you can delegate tasks, set deadlines and talk to your stakeholders.

There’s also a feature that lets you compare responses side-by-side. You can also generate reports showing your progress, including RFP status updates. You’ll know where you are right away, thanks to the real-time project overview.

It’s possible to invite hotels and venues to respond in RFP360 so you can manage responses from within the app. This will also allow you to track their progress more easily.

Key Features: 

• See your progress in real-time
• Assign tasks to team members
• Respond to messages from within the platform
• Generate reports for monitoring

Best for: Finding vendors & service providers

6. SpeedRFP

SpeedRFP is a club-based RFP system with a built-in messaging system. You can use it to submit RFPs with a few clicks. It will help you submit proposals and keep track of them.

You can use it for organizing meetings, weddings and other social events. Hotel salespeople also use the platform to manage all the requests they receive. SpeedRFP works on any device as long as it’s connected to the internet.

With this tool, event planners only need to create an RFP once before submitting it to hotels and venues as long as they’re on a SpeedRFP-enabled website. You can save the RFP you created as a template for future use.

Key Features:

• Connect with hotels using the built-in messaging system
• Lets you invite hotels and venues to respond through the app
• Create an RFP once before sending it to all hotels and venues in the network
• Save the RFPs you created as templates for future inquiries
• Add SpeedRFP to websites to communicate faster with potential clients

Best for: Meetings & corporate events

Use the Best Hotel RFP Software Tool

There are many RFP software on the market, but it's key to find one that works best for your event and workflow. 

If you’re looking for a simplified, modern, seamless RFP experience, EventPipe is the right choice. Easily select from tens of thousands of hotels using dozens of filters and then request your desired nights, room types, concessions and comp rooms.

Plus, as an end-to-end event housing solution, you can also create customizable booking sites, manage reservations, and create additional revenue streams–all in one easy-to-use interface.