If you decide not to move forward with a hotel proposal, declining it lets the hotel know your plans have changed and officially closes things out. This keeps your event organized, avoids confusion, and helps hotels understand why the proposal didn't move forward.
When to Decline a Proposal
It's most effective to decline a proposal once you're confident it's not the right option for your event.
Common reasons include:
Pricing doesn't align with your budget, even after negotiating
Dates or availability no longer work
Event needs have changed significantly
You've decided to move forward with a different hotel
Before declining over price, keep in mind that a lot is negotiable with hotels, especially pricing and fees. If your nightly rate goal is $225 and a proposal comes back at $600 a night, that's a clear sign to decline. But if it comes back at $350, it's worth reaching out before ruling it out; you never know what's possible until you ask!
Our AI negotiation tool can help you draft that outreach, and our negotiation tips article has more ideas on what's worth pushing on.
Declining a proposal signals that you won't be moving ahead with contracting for the particular venue.
How to Decline a Proposal
To decline a proposal, select "Decline proposal" directly from the proposal view.
You'll be prompted to choose a cancellation reason from a list.
This information is shared directly with the hotel and helps provide context or feedback on why the proposal isn't moving forward.
Once you've selected a reason, select "Decline" to confirm.
Note: Declining a proposal is final and can't be undone.
What Happens After You Decline
After a proposal is declined:
The hotel is notified of your decision and the selected reason
The proposal is marked as declined on your proposal page
The proposal is moved to the Archived section of your Requests & Books
No further action is required on your end
If you're still exploring other options, you can continue reviewing or requesting proposals from additional hotels.
TL;DR
Before declining over price, remember pricing and fees are often negotiable, use the AI negotiation tool or negotiation tips article first
Use "Decline proposal" when you're not moving forward with a hotel option
Choose a cancellation reason to share context with the hotel, then confirm
Once declined, the action is final and can't be undone