When travel goes sideways, meeting planners feel the heat, and so do hotels.
And according to John MacMullen, Senior Director of Business Development at Benchmark Resorts & Hotels by Pyramid Global Hospitality, the key to weathering disruptions is less about luck and more about planning like a pro.
“Travel delays are going to happen. We should just prepare for it,” says John.
And he’s not just talking about hurricanes and blizzards. Mechanical issues, airlift limitations, and even government shutdowns can derail your event.
The question isn’t if—it’s when.
Welcome to the reality of event planning when disruption is the default. But that doesn’t mean your strategy has to be reactive.
How Hotel Contingency Plans Keep Your Event on Track
When the Skies Are Moody, Your Planning Can’t Be
Hospitality insiders know: off-season often means hurricanes in the Caribbean.
Winter means snow delays in the Midwest.
“If you’re planning anything in the Northeast, Upper Midwest, Pacific Northwest in the wintertime—have a weather-related contingency plan,” says John. “Same goes for the Southeast or Caribbean in the summer.”
This precaution isn’t just about weather, either. It’s about transportation infrastructure, flight volume, and whether your destination has a backup plan in case your attendees don’t arrive as scheduled.
“I was on an island where you had two flights in from Miami a day… one of the flights had a mechanical issue. So that’s half the group not there on the arrival day.”
That’s not a metaphor. That’s a logistical disaster unless you’ve built that possibility into your plan.
Communication Is Your Crisis Insurance
Let’s be clear: hotels aren’t looking to profit from your problems.
According to John, “Hotels don’t make their bottom lines off of charging groups for attrition or for rooms they’re not using.”
But what they do need is early, honest intel from planners.
“Communicate upfront with your conference services team… ‘Hey, we have weather that may be coming into the area that’s going to affect 25% of our attendeeship flying into the conference.’”
That heads-up can make or break the guest experience. Hotels can:
Adjust check-in staffing for late arrivals.
Extend food and beverage outlet hours.
Attempt to resell unused rooms locally to reduce attrition impact.
The takeaway? Don’t wait until your keynote speaker is grounded in Chicago to let the hotel know. Bring them into the conversation before the clouds roll in.
Weathering Force Majeure: It’s Not Just Legalese
Ah yes, force majeure.The clause everyone skips during contracting and scrambles to interpret when things go south.
John isn’t an attorney (and says so), but he’s dealt with his share of weather-induced cancellations.
“No hotel wants to be in a force majeure situation with a group. If the group has to cancel…it could have been their best meeting of the year. Or their incentive trip, something that was a career highlight.”
When force majeure kicks in, everyone loses.
So the smarter play is to shift dates rather than cancel outright.
“The first thing you’re dialoguing with your hotel team is: how do we move the dates? Can we rebook this at a different time period on the calendar?”
The good news? Most hotels are flexible—especially if you’re clear about your needs early on.
Ask Better Questions, Get Better Plans
The standard banquet order checklist? Not enough anymore.
You need a “What if?” strategy session baked into your planning meetings.
John’s advice is straightforward: “After you’ve contracted your hotel, your resort, and you’re in that planning stage… ask that same question with your hotel planning team: ‘Hypothetically, if X happens, what do you do? What is Y?’”
In other words, don’t wait for disaster to build your contingency plan. Get curious early. Get the hotel’s plan in writing. And make sure it’s more than a shrug and a smile. A comprehensive contingency plan is crucial for effectively handling unexpected disruptions.
A Cautionary Tale
John gets candid about one internal trip his own company once planned. The flaw? Only two flights heading to the destination, one of which got canceled. That’s 50% of the team stuck at the gate.
“We did not have [that] in the playbook when we were putting that conference together.”
The group that made it had a great time. The rest? Not so much. Lesson learned: always evaluate airlift options to your destination. Look beyond just your arrival airport:
Are there secondary airports nearby?
Is ground transportation a feasible Plan B?
Can you re-route travelers if a major hub shuts down?
Build a Battle Plan, Not Just a Banquet Order
Weather is unpredictable. Flight delays happen.
But a strong meeting planner doesn’t just react—they strategize.
Whether it’s a snowstorm in Detroit or a hurricane in St. Thomas, John MacMullen wants you to remember one thing:
“Go through the battle plan with your planning team well ahead of time.”
It’s not about paranoia. It’s about preparation. And in today’s hospitality landscape, your best defense is proactive communication and flexible planning.
