What is a day delegate rate (DDR)?
A day delegate rate (DDR) is a price per person that a hotel or conference venue charges for a day meeting, bundling the meeting room, basic audiovisual equipment, refreshments and lunch into one figure. The organiser multiplies the DDR by the number of delegates to get the cost of the day.
What does a day delegate rate include?
A DDR covers the essentials of a full meeting day. Inclusions vary by venue, but a typical package contains:
- Hire of the main meeting room for the day, usually around eight hours
- Basic audiovisual equipment: projector or screen, flipchart, Wi-Fi
- Water, notepads and pens on the tables
- Arrival coffee, a mid-morning and an afternoon break
- Lunch, as a buffet, a working lunch or a set menu
Usually not included: extra AV and technicians, breakout rooms, dinner, drinks after the meeting, parking and overnight rooms. Many venues also set a minimum number of delegates for the DDR and charge room hire separately below it.
DDR example
A company books a one-day workshop for 40 delegates at a DDR of €75. The quote for the day is 40 × €75 = €3,000. If the group adds a breakout room for the afternoon or a dinner in the hotel restaurant, those are added to the quote at their own prices.
DDR vs 24-hour delegate rate
A 24-hour delegate rate (also called a residential or overnight delegate rate) adds a bedroom, dinner and breakfast to the DDR, for delegates who stay overnight at a multi-day conference. In North America, the equivalent all-in meeting price is often called a complete meeting package (CMP).
How does a DDR differ from other pricing structures for events and meetings?
The main difference is that a DDR is all-inclusive. Other pricing models charge separately for venue hire, catering and equipment. The DDR puts these costs into a single, transparent rate per person, which makes the budget predictable for organisers and makes venues easier to compare. For the hotel, it sells meeting space and food and beverage together and keeps quotes quick to prepare. Revenue managers usually vary the DDR by day of the week and season, as they do with room rates.
DDR enquiries and delegate questions
Meeting business is often won on speed: an organiser who asks three venues for a DDR quote tends to book with the first complete, clear answer. These enquiries arrive by email, through the website chat and on WhatsApp, and they compete with every other guest message for the team's attention. In chatlyn's guest messaging inbox, they arrive in one place and can be assigned to the person who handles events, with internal notes so nobody quotes twice. On the website chat, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and newly created Booking.com inboxes, the AI answers the first questions (meeting room sizes, parking, how to get there) from the information the hotel has given it and hands the quote request to your team; on email, it drafts replies for the team to send.
On the day, a QR code on the welcome sign opens a WhatsApp chat where delegates ask for the Wi-Fi password, lunch times or a taxi without queuing at reception. See how general managers use chatlyn, and find more ways to grow meetings and events income in our hotel revenue generating ideas.
FAQs
What does DDR stand for in hotels?
DDR stands for day delegate rate: the price per person a hotel charges for a day meeting, including the room, basic AV, refreshments and lunch.
What is included in a day delegate rate?
Usually the meeting room for the day, a projector or screen, Wi-Fi, stationery, water, arrival coffee, two coffee breaks and lunch. Breakout rooms, dinner and overnight rooms are normally extra.
How is a day delegate rate calculated?
The venue quotes a rate per person, and the organiser multiplies it by the number of delegates. For example, 40 delegates at €75 each cost €3,000 for the day.
What is the difference between a DDR and a 24-hour rate?
A DDR covers a day meeting only. A 24-hour delegate rate adds an overnight room, dinner and breakfast for delegates attending a conference of more than one day.
