2025 is going to be big. More events. More attendees. More cities. And definitely more pressure to make everything run smoothly—especially when it comes to hotels. Whether you're planning conferences, festivals, weddings, or group retreats, booking group travel is one of those things that can be simple… but usually isn’t. Spreadsheets, email chains, and missed cut-off dates? That era is over. Here’s what you actually need to know to win the group travel game in 2025—and how to make your hotel booking process a whole lot smarter.

1. Start Sooner Than You Think

Booking late = fewer options, higher rates, and limited flexibility. The earlier you start, the more leverage you have.

📅 Pro tip: Most hotel contracts open 12–18 months in advance. If your event has a fixed date, don’t wait. Launchpad lets you build and send RFPs in minutes—so you can get ahead and stay there.

2. Ditch the Spreadsheet Circus

In 2025, there’s no excuse for managing hotel blocks in a file called “FinalFinal_REAL_RoomList_v7.xlsx”.

You need one place to track rooms, cut-off dates, attendee bookings, hotel responses, contracts, and conversations.
That’s Launchpad—your dashboard, inbox, and deal room, all in one.

3. Make Hotels Want to Work With You

Hotels prioritize RFPs that are clear, well-organized, and easy to respond to. If you’re sending vague requests with missing details, they’re more likely to ghost you (see: Post 1).

Crewfare Launchpad standardizes and simplifies your RFPs so hotels can bid fast—and accurately.

4. Don’t Just Book—Earn

Most planners don’t realize that hotel blocks can be monetized. Crewfare helps turn your room block into a revenue stream, so every booking your attendees make contributes back to your bottom line.

You’re doing the work. You should benefit from the upside.

5. Use Tools That Do More Than Track

2025 is not the year to piece together solutions. You need a platform that can:

• Source hotels around your venue
• Compare bids side-by-side
• Handle messaging and negotiations
• Track contracts and room pickups in real-time
  

Launchpad does all of it—without the learning curve of legacy tools.

Welcome to the New Era of Group Travel

This isn’t just about tech. It’s about time. Your time. Your team’s time. Your attendees’ experience.

“Launchpad has been a tremendous asset for us to ensure that our hotels are responding to RFPs on a timely basis.”
— Hotel Partner, Q1 2025

With 30,000+ hotels already using Launchpad, you’re not just stepping into a better process.

You’re joining a smarter network—built for where group travel is headed next.

Crewfare Launchpad BETA is live.
2025 planners, this one’s for you.