A knock at the door, and an amenity is delivered right to your hotel room.
That's just one form of room drop. There are many, both inside and outside the room.
Inside room drops include items placed in the room before the guest arrives and checks in as well as those placed in the rooms in the evening when attendees are attending receptions and dinners. Some meetings have drops every night, others on the first or final night only. Outside room drops include newspapers, show dailies and other promotional materials. They can be laid at the threshold or hung in a plastic bag on a door knob.
As an attendee, I love room drops. They usually include memorabilia from the destination, local snacks and other promotional products. The content and quality of the swag can vary greatly, as it often depends on what is donated or sponsored.
What I don’t like is when people enter my room when I have a Do Not Disturb sign on the door – even for an amenity. I recommend having cards with instructions on where they can pick up their amenities that can be slipped under the door for such rooms. The room number should be written on the card for control purposes.
Avoid large items that would be difficult to take back on a plane – such as the straw cowboy hat I received once in Dallas.
Some meetings only place the amenities in the rooms of "regular" members and not in the rooms of associate (supplier) members. Other meetings limit them to VIPs.
If you are going to have a room drop, plan ahead. Indicate you will be having a room drop in your RFP. Negotiate the cost in your contract. Deliveries can cost over $5 per room, if you don’t negotiate a better rate up front.
Written by Patti Shock.