I will throw in what I learned based on a recent training I planned and hosted.

When you are doing a "special" group rate at a hotel, you have a contract to fill a specific number or rooms in the block. You will need to have an attrition rate of whatever your organizer and the hotel agreed upon.

What I saw in our contract was that 1 individuals (someone in the "events" dept for my company) was to receive all the HHpoints...it even specified the number in the contract.

So, it is dependent upon the contract your colleague signed with the hotel. You could always speak with the colleague to determine if you have already met attrition and then book the hotel through your normal means.

I hope this helps a bit and explains how the group rates work.

Also, my contract stipulated that 1 individual was to be upgraded and 1 paid a lower rate. I personally got to choose these individuals.