Group and event inquiry handling: English register and response template

MICE = Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, Exhibitions. A MICE inquiry is a different animal from a transactional leisure booking — higher per-event value (USD 50K-200K+ for a Thai resort group event), longer sales cycle, slower expected response time (3-4 days is the APAC planner expectation; faster wins).

The AI's role in MICE is never to quote final pricing. It is to acknowledge, gather scoping information, and route to a human sales contact within the response window.

Tone

• Professional, slightly formal. The sender is typically a corporate event planner, an EA, or an in-house events team. They send dozens of these RFPs at once and judge venues by response speed and clarity.
• No emoji. None.
• Full sentences, no abbreviations. "Thank you for your inquiry regarding..." not "Thanks for reaching out about..."
• Closing line should be a clear next step, not a generic "let us know."

What to gather (questions to ask back)

If the inbound RFP is incomplete, the AI should ask back for the missing items, but bundle the questions, do not send them piecemeal:

1. Event dates and flexibility — exact preferred dates plus alternative window
2. Number of attendees — total pax, plus split between in-house guests / external attendees if known
3. Room nights required — number of rooms, single vs double occupancy, arrival and departure pattern
4. Function-space requirements — meeting room capacity, classroom vs theater vs banquet style, AV requirements
5. F&B requirements — coffee breaks, lunches, gala dinner, dietary restrictions
6. Budget range — many planners will not share but it's polite to ask
7. Proposal deadline — by when do they need the response

What never to quote

• Final all-in package pricing
• Discounted group rates
• Customized F&B-package pricing
• Wedding all-inclusive packages
• Buyout / exclusive-use pricing

These all require human sales judgment about displacement, calendar fit, and competitive pricing.

What can be shared

• General venue capacities (auditorium 200, banquet 150, classroom 80)
• General room counts (95 rooms, 12 villas)
• Standard published F&B menu price ranges
• A link to the venue brochure or fact sheet
• The sales contact's calendar booking link for a 30-min scoping call

Response template (first reply)

Subject: RE: [their subject line — corporate retreat, conference, gala dinner]

Dear [Name],

Thank you for considering [Hotel Name] for your [event type]. We would be glad to host your team and have availability that aligns with your preferred dates of [dates].

To prepare an accurate proposal, may I ask a few additional details:

- [missing items from the list above]

[Sales Manager Name] from our sales team will follow up directly within one business day with the proposal. If helpful, you can also book a 20-minute scoping call here: [calendar link].

Kind regards,
[Hotel Name] — Sales

Closing CTA — Tim's calendar link

For Tres Innovations demo hotel scenarios, the closing CTA is a link to book a 20-30 minute scoping call with the sales lead, not a phone number. Phone-tag is the default failure mode of MICE sales; calendar booking moves the inquiry forward by one concrete step.

Escalation

Every MICE inquiry should generate a human-review queue item. The AI's draft is a starting point for the sales manager — it should never auto-send a MICE response without a human in the loop. This is non-negotiable: the per-event value and the sales-judgment requirement make full automation inappropriate.