Hotel Meeting AV Pricing Tips

It has always amazed me how hotels are able to command extraordinary fees for the provision of ordinary audiovisual equipment. As the operator of conference center in a major U.S. city, Metro Meeting Centers - Boston, we follow the industry standard and have "built-in" our a/v equipment to be easy-to-access/operate and there is never an charge additional fee or surcharge for using this equipment.

Let's look at the math:

To buy a data projector, say 3000 plus lumens (that means bright - like the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree bright) for $3,000.00 and put it on cart that costs $99.00. Next, wheel it into a meeting room of approximately 2500 square feet (30-50 guests) and rent it for the meeting.

OK, name a price. Well, if you rented it 10 times to cover the cost that would be $300 per rental, not unreasonable.

Here is the catch - in most hotels, the average data projector rental can be approximately $400 to $800 daily; and don’t forget the service charge (which can be as much as 22%), so the real range can be $500 to nearly $1000 daily. If you are really fortunate, the screen is sometimes included (read as - usually isn't included).

This is simply one of many pricing tricks in the hotel game of “here’s a room rate that appears below market, we look forward to hosting your group and maximizing our profitability by charging for audio visual and food & beverage at remarkably high rates. We recognize that once you are here, your options are limited”.

Now what happens when something goes wrong, and (if you plan enough meetings) something will go wrong...

Where is the hotel a/v tech and how long before they reach you? You know, for nearly $1000.00 per day, I would be tempted to insist that the projector come with an a/v tech attached by leash to the equipment.

Therefore, if you find yourself needing to put a meeting into a hotel, here are three a/v tips:

1. Negotiate the price of the data projector and get the screen included.
2. Ask a pager to reach a tech if there is a problem.
3. Ask for the newest and brightest projector available (more lumens are the key, 2800 for a 2000 sq.ft room is good to go).

If all fails simply, bring your own. You may need a long extension cord, but you'll save a lot of money.

-David