Hotel Sourcing Companies vs. Software: Which is Best?

You've got a client brief, a ticking clock, and a venue wish list that feels impossible to fulfill. Sound familiar?

If you're an event planner, you've probably found yourself in this exact scenario: searching for the perfect hotel that checks every box while the deadline looms. And here's where the real dilemma kicks in—do you hire a hotel sourcing company to handle it all, or do you adopt sourcing software that promises to streamline the entire process?

Spoiler alert: you don't actually have to choose between the two. Let's unpack why Hopskip is changing the game by giving you the best of both worlds, the speed and control of software with the sourcing intelligence you need.

What is "Venue Sourcing" (And Why It Matters)

Let's get on the same page first. When we talk about "hotel sourcing" for corporate events, we're talking about the full journey: identifying properties, evaluating options, negotiating terms, managing room blocks, and navigating those contract details that make your eyes glaze over.

One industry guide nailed it perfectly: hotel sourcing is "the art of searching, finding, comparing, negotiating, and contracting a hotel (or venue)." It's a beast with a dozen different names: venue searching, hotel contracting, event sourcing—but at the end of the day, it's all about finding the right space at the right price with the right terms.

Why the distinction between "hotel sourcing" and "venue sourcing" matters: You might think you're just finding a venue, but what you're really doing is sourcing a hotel + event space + room block + catering + contract terms. That complexity is exactly why this decision matters so much.

The Traditional Route: Hotel Sourcing Companies

When you work with a sourcing agency or specialist, you're essentially hiring expert human horsepower. These folks know the hotel market inside and out, they've got negotiation chops, relationship leverage, and they can navigate contract fine print in their sleep.

Companies like Maritz tout their value proposition clearly: buying power, experienced teams, and deep relationships that bring more to the table than anyone researching solo could achieve.

Why planners still love this model:

• Delegate the heavy lifting: Someone else handles the hotel research, quote gathering, and contract details
• Leverage relationships and nuance: Hotel reps often respond more favorably to specialists they know and trust
• Especially valuable for complex events: Large-scale meetings, unusual destinations, or high-stakes programs benefit from expert guidance

But here's where it gets tricky:

• Cost: Agency services often come with fees—either upfront or baked into higher room rates and commissions
• Transparency gaps: You might lose visibility into the sourcing process or feel disconnected from decision-making
• Speed and scalability issues: If you're managing multiple events or smaller room blocks, the traditional agency model can slow you down

The bottom line? Hotel sourcing companies bring serious expertise, but for many modern planners who want more control, transparency, and speed, the traditional approach can feel heavy and opaque.

The Modern Solution: Sourcing Software

Enter the tech revolution. Sourcing platforms are designed to standardize, accelerate, and add transparency to the entire venue search and booking process.

According to Cvent's 2026 Global Planner Sourcing Report, a whopping 96% of planners now use online RFP tools, and nearly 40% report that these tools dramatically improve analytics and speed up decision-making. That's not a trend—that's the new baseline.

What makes software so appealing:

• Faster sourcing: Cast a wider net, compare hotels side-by-side, audit true costs, track responses in real time
• Total transparency: Standardized proposal formats mean fewer hidden variables and easier comparisons
• Data-driven insights: Benchmark pricing, analyze contract terms, track cost savings, and review hotel performance across multiple events
• Include your contacts: Add in your personal hotel and industry contacts to suggest hotels and venues so you get the best deal for your needs.
• Built to scale: Whether you're planning 5 events or 50, software doesn't slow down proportionally

Where software alone falls short:

• Relationships still matter: Software doesn't negotiate on your behalf or leverage personal connections.
• Generic solutions miss nuances: Some platforms are built for generic meeting spaces and lack the specificity needed for complex room blocks or destination-specific needs.
• Learning curves exist: Implementation and team adoption can take time before you see ROI.

Here's the reality: software gives you incredible tools, visibility, and speed. But without some level of sourcing expertise, you might still be leaving value—and savings—on the table.

How to Decide: Agency vs Software? Ask Yourself These 5 Questions

When you're weighing whether to go the traditional agency route, adopt software, or combine both approaches, ask yourself:

1. How complex is this event?

• Hosting a high-stakes national sales meeting or heading to an unusual destination? Agency support might be worth the investment.
• Planning a regional meeting or routine annual gathering? Software probably has you covered.

2. What's your budget—and your cost-savings target?

• Agencies may cost more upfront but could deliver negotiation muscle that saves money in the long run.
• Software enables aggressive cost comparisons and helps you target savings more precisely, while also offering data to prove your cost savings value to clients and stakeholders.

3. How many events are you sourcing this year?

• High event volume? Software pays for itself quickly.
• Just a few high-impact meetings? Human expertise might make more sense.

4. How much control do you need over the process?

• If you want to see every contract clause, compare every proposal side-by-side, and present polished data to stakeholders immediately, software wins.
• If you prefer delegating the process to focus on higher-level strategy, an agency might fit better.

5. Can you combine both approaches?

• Yes! Many savvy planners adopt a hybrid model: software for initial sourcing and comparison, then human review for negotiation and contract finalization.

The key is choosing the approach that aligns with your planning style, budget reality, event complexity, and stakeholder expectations.

Why Hopskip Gives You the Best of Both Worlds (Without the Trade-Offs)

Now here's where things get interesting. What if you didn't have to choose between a sourcing company or software? What if you could have both?

That's exactly what Hopskip delivers. It's built specifically for event planners who want speed, clarity, and independence—with sourcing-specific intelligence and relationships baked right in.

Here's how Hopskip stands apart:

✅ Purpose-built for hotel and venue sourcing: Access 150,000+ global hotels with an 87% RFP response rate and 80% RFP-to-booking conversion. Cut your sourcing time in half compared to traditional methods.

✅ You stay in control: Compare proposals side-by-side in a clean interface, auto-generate branded stakeholder presentations, track your cost savings in real time, and demonstrate your value to leadership.

✅ Your relationships stay yours: Hopskip puts you front and center—you're not handing off control to a black-box agency. You maintain direct connections with hotels while leveraging platform intelligence.

✅ Financial wins that actually matter: Fewer wasted hours, better property matches, qualified leads, transparent pricing, and side-by-side cost comparisons mean real dollars saved.

✅ Trusted by planners and hotels alike: Hopskip understands the unique pain points of event planning—spreadsheet fatigue, mismatched proposal formats, hidden fee surprises. The platform solves these exact frustrations.

In other words: Hopskip gives you software-powered efficiency plus sourcing expertise and domain focus. That's why for most event planners, Hopskip is the clear winner in the "hotel sourcing company vs software" debate.

Real Planner Pain Points (And How Hopskip Actually Solves Them)

Let's get real. You've almost certainly experienced at least one of these scenarios:

Pain Point #1: Proposal Chaos

The Problem: You send RFPs to 12 hotels. Each one sends back a proposal in a completely different format. You spend hours copying and pasting into a massive spreadsheet, trying to make sense of it all while your eyes glaze over.

The Hopskip Fix: One unified platform where comparisons are standardized, you get formatted side-by-side views instantly, and branded presentation decks are ready for stakeholders with one click.

Pain Point #2: Hidden Fee Surprises

The Problem: You're deep into contract negotiations when you suddenly discover attrition penalties, resort fee surcharges, or murky cancellation clauses that weren't obvious upfront. Your budget just exploded.

The Hopskip Fix: Full cost breakdowns are visible from the start. Compare hotels transparently, track contract terms clearly, focus your negotiation energy on actual risk items. No more nasty surprises.

Pain Point #3: Stakeholder Presentation Scramble

The Problem: You need to deliver a clear rationale for why you selected Property X over Property Y, but all you have is 10 email threads, 20 different PDFs, and no clean dashboard to make sense of it.

The Hopskip Fix: Generate branded reports in one click. Track metrics automatically. Build your recommendation story quickly and confidently with data that actually makes sense.

Pain Point #4: Time Drain

The Problem: You're juggling back-to-back events and the sourcing process keeps ballooning into days of work. Your calendar is a disaster and you're drowning in follow-ups.

The Hopskip Fix: Sourcing time is cut by an average of 50%, according to Hopskip data. Get faster responses from qualified hotels, automate repetitive tasks, and reclaim your time.

By directly addressing these pain points with platform solutions, Hopskip aligns perfectly with how modern planners actually work: tight deadlines, multiple stakeholders, high expectations for value and transparency.

The Verdict: Which Approach Actually Wins?

So, what's the answer? Hotel sourcing company or software?

The short version: It depends on your specific event needs, budget constraints, sourcing volume, and risk tolerance.

But here's the real truth: For the majority of proactive, modern event planners who want to scale their work, streamline their processes, and maintain control over outcomes, software built specifically for hotel and venue sourcing is the smarter path forward.

And among software-first approaches, Hopskip stands out—designed by planners, for planners, and built specifically around the unique needs of hotel-venue sourcing (not generic event tech that tries to do everything poorly).

If you want a solution that gives you speed, clarity, demonstrable value, and keeps you firmly in the driver's seat, Hopskip is the clear winner.

Ready to see how Hopskip could transform your next sourcing project? We'd love to show you how planners are cutting sourcing time in half, improving stakeholder deliverables, and tracking real cost savings.

Book a call with a member of our sales team, or get started for free today.