Booking outside the block -- when attendees rent hotel rooms at cheaper rates than the planner has arranged -- directly contributes to the increase in meeting attrition. Groups that always filled their room blocks are no longer able to meet their commitments, and they incur thousands of dollars in attrition damages to an "official" meeting hotel when contracted rooms go unoccupied.When attrition is an issue, many groups wish to compare their records with the hotel's to make certain that all their attendees are properly counted in the room block. This is not out of distrust; it's a responsible business practice. Unfortunately, hotels often resist. They raise privacy concerns as the reason for denying the group's request. Hotels claim that the law prevents them from divulging guest records.This claim is simply not accurate. While hotels should not disclose guest information without a good business reason, there are no laws preventing disclosure for purposes of comparing rooming lists. In litigation, room occupancy information would certainly be revealed if a group's attorney requested it. To ensure that hotel and group guest lists are compared in a manner fair to all parties, consider these guidelines:Agree that all guests will be counted in block. During contract negotiations, planner and hotel should agree that all attendees will be counted in the room block for attrition purposes. This agreement should be written into the event contract. Be sure that all attendees are included irrespective of rate paid or method of booking.Inspect records at hotel. The planner should agree to complete the rooming list inspection a the hotel, in the presence of a hotel salesperson. This protects the privacy concerns of hotel guests by ensuring that the guest records will not be lost or disseminated to unauthorized persons.Restrict access to information. Hotels have a duty not to disclose guest information for improper purposes. Thus the planner should agree in writing not to share guest names from the rooming list with anyone other than necessary group officials. Anything else would threaten hotel guests' privacy expectations, and possibly harm the guests' relationships with both the hotel and the group.These simple rules go a long way toward protecting everyone's interests. The group can verify its attrition obligation, and the hotel can resolve questions while protecting its guests. By taking these reasonable steps all parties may avoid costly litigation.