This is a fast-paced and comprehensive presentation that recounts the experiences of two large corporations that chose divergent paths when it came to securing hotel rooms for their critical personnel in a deployment. This is not an abstract session. Instead, attendees will learn the exact steps taken with regard to housing by these two large corporations and we’ll discuss what worked and what didn’t. There are more than 60 negotiable terms in a hotel’s group booking contract and this session will equip attendees with specific creative and unique ways to craft those contracts to their organization’s best advantage to fit the unique aspects of a crisis management booking. Attendees are encouraged to share their war stories as this is meant to be interactive session. Everyone who attends will leave the session having learned something that they can use in their jobs immediately.
If time allows, this session will also cover best practices for guaranteeing hotel rooms in advance on a contingency basis.
- How to ensure hotel availability without having to purchase rooms.
- Specific hotel contract clauses to minimize both cost and risk.
- Managing housing-related logistics, invoices and tracking personnel during deployments.
About Michelle Lowther

Having spent 16 years in hotel sales and operations, Michelle Lowther created an innovative, patent-pending method for securing guaranteed rooms for organizations’ critical personnel in the event of a crisis. She has managed deployments since 2006 from a 50-person recovery for a smaller company up to management of hotel rooms for thousands of employees responding to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident in the Gulf of Mexico. She has a 100% success rate in securing deployment housing for her clients. Michelle’s many years in the hotel industry make her a strong advocate for her clients. Her expertise in business continuity housing and hotel contracting makes her a sought-after resource and a popular speaker. Michelle is based in Katy, TX.