chgoeditor

There are a lot of factors that go into, but the fact that you're not offering them any additional F&B revenue works to your disadvantage. If they offer you a chunk of rooms now, it could be to their disadvantage if another group comes in wanting your rooms & planning to spend a lot on meeting space/food.

I'm surprised that isn't a huge tourist weekend in DC, but it's been a while since I've lived there. You also have to remember that a lot of couples take advantage of 3-day weekends to hold weddings, so that's probably competing against you. You should also check to make sure there aren't any large conventions in town (even within a few days of your event).

It's no secret...you're trying to reduce your risk by locking down as far in advance, but since you don't offer a lot of upside to the hotel, they hope that something better will come along. You could wait until 6 months out, but of course, you then run the risk that better groups will have snapped up space & rates will be higher (or you'll have to settle for a less-than-ideal hotel). On the flip side, if a bigger group hasn't booked space by that point, the hotels may start to get nervous.

You might be better off looking at hotels that have no or little space.

Re. negotiating amenities: Again, it's all about the bottom line for the hotels, plus how desperate they are. If the tourist season sucked and they're anxious for the rooms, they may bend over backward to offer better rates and amenities. But at this point it's unlikely you'll get extra amenities thrown in...unless you're willing to accept a higher room rate.

It would help to know: What kind of group is this? Any activities you were planning to hold offsite that could be moved onsite? Will all of the guests' time be booked or are they likely to be spending money at the hotel bar, restaurants, etc.? Who's paying the room tab? That info might help us give you some negotiating suggestions.