The Hawthorne Inn Banquet & Catering Policies
• FOOD
All food items must be supplied and prepared by the hotel and may not be removed from the premises, even if there is food left over from the event. It is a violation of the Health Code for leftover banquet food to be taken off site by guests.
All food, beverages, room rental and services are subject to the customary 20% Service Charge and applicable State Sales Tax. Wedding and specialty cakes may be provided by a non-hotel source. The hotel will not be responsible for set up or maintenance of specialty cakes.
Menu selections are due 30 days prior to the arrival date. Menus can be customized to suit your needs.
If menu selections are not provided to the catering department, a selection will be assigned by the hotel catering department to the event. Menu prices will be confirmed 90 days to your event date, as published menu pricing is subject to change.
• BEVERAGE
The Hawthorne Inn is responsible for the administration of the sale and service of all alcoholic beverages in accordance with the North Carolina State Legislative Commission’s regulations. It is our policy that all alcoholic beverages be supplied and served by the hotel. Bartender fees are $25.00 for the first hour and $15.00 for each additional hour per bartender. Proper identification may be required for all guests that consume alcohol. It is not permitted to bring in alcohol of any kind that has not been purchased by the hotel. All beverage items are subject to the customary 20% Service Charge and applicable State Sales Tax.
• GUARANTEE POLICY
For all functions, the hotel must have a specified attendance four (4) working days prior to the event. This number will be considered a guarantee, not subject to reduction, and charges will be made accordingly. We will charge for the guarantee or the number served, whichever is greater. If no guarantee is received by this office in the time required, we will consider the number of guests initially indicated on the banquet event order as the guarantee. The hotel cannot be responsible for service of more than five percent over the guarantee.
• ROOM AND RENTAL
Function rooms are assigned according to the anticipated number of guests. If there are fluctuations in the number of attendees, or should more appropriate space become available, the hotel reserves the right to accordingly reassign the banquet function room. Client will begin function at designated time per the banquet event contract and agrees to have guests vacate the assigned areas at the closing time indicated per this contract. Failure to comply with these times will be subject to additional labor and/or rental charges. Additional rental may apply if group attendance falls below the estimated attendance at the time of booking. Any extended usage is subject to availability.
• BILLING
All charges are to be paid in advance unless previous billing arrangements have been approved. Direct billing applications must be received no later than 30 days prior to your event and are subject to the approval of our accounting department. Social events are not eligible for direct billing. All non-direct billing accounts require a valid credit card and deposit at time of contract. Full payment is required four (4) business days before the event.
For social events, 50% of the final estimated bill will be due 30 days prior to the event. The remaining balance must be paid four (4)days prior to the event.
For all non-direct bill events, the Hawthorne Inn must have a credit card on file for use in the event of any overages. This card will be pre-authorized for a predetermined amount to ensure the funds are available. If the guest does not want the credit card charged for overages, he or she must pay the balance due, in cash, before the end of the event. Otherwise, the card will be charged. If the guest then brings in another form of payment at a later date, the charge will be reversed.
• CONTRACT CANCELLATION
If the banquet event contract is terminated within 60 days of the function date, a cancellation fee of 50 percent of projected revenue (including food and beverage) will be charged. The total projected revenue will be paid by the organization if contract is terminated within 30 days of the function date. The expected attendance on the contract will be used to determine the expected revenue. Cancellation of an event must be made verbally and in writing to either the Catering Sales Manager or Conference Services Manager. All deposits are non-refundable.
• LIABILITY
The Hawthorne reserves the right to inspect and control all private functions. Liability for damage to the premises will be charged accordingly. You will be responsible for any damages to any part of the hotel during the time period for your event and for any persons under your control or contractors hired for the event. Loud, lewd or vulgar behavior is not permitted. The hotel may require the client to contract additional security at their expense. The Hawthorne Inn reserves the right to cancel any function if management determines that there has been misrepresentation in the booking.
Patrons are fully responsible for any injury to any and all guests attending a contracted function as well as vendors contracted by the patron except those caused by negligence of The Hawthorne Inn.
The hotel cannot assume responsibility for personal property and equipment brought on the premises as well as equipment, materials or personal property left in the hotel prior to, during, or following any function.
• DECORATIONS
The hotel will not permit the affixing of anything to the walls, floor or ceiling with push pins, nails, staples, carpet tape or other substance. Prohibited decorations include candles with open flame, confetti, bird seed, rice and glitter. Please consult the Catering office for assistance in displaying of all materials. Linen color will depend upon availability.
• STORAGE AND OTHER CHARGES
A labor charge will be assessed for unloading vehicles and moving items to storage and meeting rooms. On-site storage facilities are limited. Materials should not be delivered to the hotel earlier than three days prior to the function date. Advance notice is required for large quantities of materials being delivered or any items weighing over 100 pounds total weight. A storage fee will be assessed based on quantity of item and length of storage. More than three boxes, and/or delivery more than 3 days prior to event will each incur a charge of $5.00 per box, per day.
We are happy to assist you with your copying and faxing needs. Please note the following associated charges:
Copies 10¢ per page
Fax $3.00 for up to 5 pages; $1.00 for each additional page
International Fax $10.00 for up to 5 pages; $1.00 for each additional page
For social events, the hotel staff is happy to assist with certain preparations, including placing pre-assembled favors at each table setting and lighting candles. Services not provided by the hotel include: installing chair covers, assembling and/or placing centerpieces provided by the guest, and arranging and/or distributing placecards. In certain circumstances, the catering staff may agree to provide one or more of these services at an additional cost.
There is a charge of $25 per exhibit table, per day. This fee includes a 6 ft table, tablecloth and 2 chairs. The tables can be skirted for an additional $10 per table per day.
• STATE TAX
Please note that the State Sales Tax is calculated on the total charges incurred, including the banquet service charge and room rental. State law requires this because it is a service charge and not a gratuity.
• MEAL TIMES
Meal service must be scheduled prior to 2:00p.m. to be considered a lunch event. If the client delays an event for more than 30 minutes past the contracted start time or meal service time , the hotel will not be responsible for the quality of the food or preparing additional food replacement. Buffets service will end at the original contracted meal period end of service time. The client will be responsible for additional labor associated with the delay and overtime on banquet servers will be charged if the function has gone over the contracted time.
• FUNCTION SET-UP
Meeting room set-up requirements must be finalized 48 hours prior to scheduled time of the function. Any changes after this time will be assessed a fee based on the extent of the set up change and the labor required. The hotel also reserves the right to charge a service fee for any changes made to the meeting room during the course of the event. Social events on Saturday and Sunday will be set two hours prior to the event start time.
I understand and agree to the above policies:
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Signature of Client or responsible party
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Event Name Date of Arrival
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On-site Contact Contact Phone Number for During the Event: