There are a lot of people to please when it comes to pulling off a successful off-site meeting.

Your boss depends upon you to find a perfect hotel that falls within budget and makes people feel important and safe. You have to plan menus that make people thank you after every banquet meal for choosing healthy and delicious dining events while keeping the costs down as much as possible. Your guests anticipate the time they spend at your meeting to be worthwhile and time well spent while taking home new ideas and knowledge to make them want to do their job better.

Then there's the need to choose a location that is convenient for everyone to get to and upon arrival your guests are pleased to be there. You want the hotel's management to recognize your VIPs by face and name and make absolute sure everyone in your group is made to feel welcome by both the hotel and your organization. After all, time spent away from home is not always that great for some people, so you better raise the bar and think outside of the box to create a memorable and exciting meeting for all those who attend.

With all that in mind, here are five top hotel contract negotiation tips to include in every hotel contract before you sign the agreement.

1. Site inspection

Request a complimentary room for one night's stay at the hotel before signing the contract to be absolutely sure where you spend your budget is exactly what you are looking for in a hotel — this is crucial.

Would you ever consider saying "I do" before meeting your spouse to be? Think about how much money you are spending to create this experience, and then remind yourself why it is imperative to never sign a hotel contract without first putting your toes under the covers.

Remember "don't judge a book by its cover"? Use this relied-upon quote and always visit the hotel to make sure the location, quality, service and cuisine is what you anticipate receiving and then there are no surprises.

2. Rebooking clause

Under the cancellation clause, always ask the hotel to modify the contract and add this sentence in this section of the hotel contract: "If, in the unforeseen circumstance we cancel the meeting and pay cancellation fees, we are allowed to use those fees toward another meeting to take place within one year from the dates of the originally scheduled meeting."

Most hotels will agree to this request, and if not, renegotiate the term again so at least some percentage of the money you paid in cancellation fees can be used toward another meeting at the hotel.

3. Re-sell clause

Under the attrition clause, always ask the hotel to modify the contract and add this sentence in this section of the hotel contract: "If there are rooms not needed after the cut-off date the hotel will do everything possible to resell the rooms we do not need. If the hotel is sold out, we will owe no attrition."

Hotels can't double dip. In other words, they can't accept payment for your unused guest rooms and also take payment for other guests who may want the rooms you don't need. Therefore, you have to closely work with your conference services manager to monitor the hotel's occupancy against your room pickup for your group's financial commitment.

4. No renovation/construction

Add this clause into every hotel contract: "Hotel guarantees that no renovation or construction will be taking place during the dates of the scheduled meeting."

Nothing is worse than arriving at a hotel to find the front façade or lobby or any other area of the hotel going through renovations or construction when hotels are adding on. In today's market, hotels globally are spending billions of dollars upgrading technology, soft goods and exteriors. Chances are during the dates of a meeting you wish to hold may fall over the same dates the hotel in the midst of change.

If it’s minimally invasive, sometimes hotels will offer special pricing and concessions to have your business during this time of change. It just depends up on what level of disturbance you and your guests will notice or experience that determines whether you could meet at that hotel at that time.

5. No relocation

Add this clause into every hotel contract: "If the hotel is sold out, none of our guests will be relocated to another hotel."

Nothing is worse than any of your guests arriving at the hotel — and it always happens to the last guest who arrives late — only to be told the hotel is sold out and they are relocating you to another hotel. Not to your group members! This is important, and it will save you in case the hotel is sold out.

Some hotels will not agree to this request, with an explanation that there is always the possibility a room can flood or a previous guest severely damaged a room or when a room could be deemed unsuitable for renting. A hotel does reserve the right to abide by this option.

In this rare case, ask for this:

• complimentary accommodations that count toward your contracted room block at a comparable hotel as close to the host hotel as possible
• complimentary round trip transfers to and from the other hotel until the host hotel is able to bring the displaced guest back to the contracted hotel
• upon return to the contracted hotel, an upgraded accommodation and a call/note/amenity from the general manager apologizing for the inconvenience