Out of Town Hockey Tournament Packages: What to Expect

When a tournament like CAN/AM Hockey lists an "Out of Town Package" as a condition of acceptance, that phrase carries real weight. It means your team has been accepted — but your families are required to book through designated hotel room blocks, and that requirement isn't optional. Miss it, and you risk your team's spot.

The CAN/AM model is straightforward: room blocks are pre-negotiated at area hotels, and families book directly on the tournament's website. You're not going through the team manager or a travel agency. Each family handles their own reservation, pays their own bill, and picks from whatever properties are still available. If you wait two weeks after the acceptance email, the good rooms will be gone.

Why Room Blocks Exist (and Why You Can't Skip Them)

Tournaments negotiate room blocks to guarantee the event gets hosted in that city. Hotels give the organizer a discounted rate in exchange for a minimum number of rooms booked. If enough families bypass the block and book on Expedia instead, the tournament can lose its hotel contract — or face financial penalties that come out of future event budgets.

This is why acceptance is conditional. It's not a formality. USA Hockey's tournament sanctioning guidelines allow organizers to set housing requirements as part of their event structure, and major invitationals use this regularly to protect their relationships with host facilities.

What the Booking Process Actually Looks Like

For tournaments that run their housing through their own website — like CAN/AM does — the process usually works like this: you get an acceptance email with a link, you click through to a hotel selection page, you pick your property and dates, and you pay a deposit (typically $50–$100 per night) at time of booking. The balance is charged at checkout.

Room block rates at major hockey tournaments usually run $109–$179/night depending on the market and hotel tier. A Marriott Courtyard near a rink in Lake Placid or Buffalo is going to cost more than a Hampton Inn outside of a mid-size city. Budget accordingly — a 3-night trip for two adults and two kids can easily hit $500+ in hotel costs alone before you factor in food and gas.

Picking the Right Hotel From the Block

Not all hotels in a room block are equal. Look for proximity to the rink first — after a 6:30 AM game followed by a 1 PM game, a 25-minute drive feels very different from a 5-minute one. If the tournament is at multiple rinks (which CAN/AM events often are), ask the team manager which facility your team is assigned to before you book.

Second priority: pool. I know it sounds like a minor thing, but a pool keeps kids busy between games and lets parents decompress. On a two-game Saturday with four hours between whistles, that pool is worth an extra $20/night.

Third: breakfast inclusion. A hotel offering free hot breakfast saves $15–$25 per person per morning. Over three days with a family of four, that's real money.

Girls Teams: Same Rules Apply

With girls hockey growing faster than any other segment — the PWHL has put elite women's hockey in front of a completely new audience, and youth registrations are reflecting that — more girls teams are traveling to invitationals that carry these same out-of-town requirements. The booking process is identical, but girls tournament schedules sometimes compress into two days instead of three, so double-check your checkout date against your last possible game time before confirming your reservation.

If you're looking for girls-specific events that include travel components, the girls tournaments directory on Tourney Hunter breaks out options by division and age group.

What Happens If You Book Outside the Block

Some families try to book a cheaper nearby hotel and hope nobody notices. Some tournaments don't enforce it. Others will pull your team's registration if compliance isn't confirmed by a deadline. Read the acceptance letter carefully — if it says housing is a condition of acceptance, treat it that way.

A few tournaments require teams to submit confirmation numbers as proof of booking. If you're the team manager, collect those from families and send them to the tournament coordinator before the deadline. Don't assume everyone booked just because they said they did.

Finding Tournaments With Clear Housing Policies

Before you commit to any out-of-town event, it helps to know what you're signing up for. Tournaments that are upfront about room block requirements in their listing materials are easier to plan around than ones that surprise you post-acceptance.

When you're searching for events — especially if you're targeting winter tournaments where travel logistics are already complicated by weather — Tourney Hunter lets you filter by state and age group so you can compare events side-by-side before submitting an application.

The room block isn't the enemy. It's how tournaments stay financially viable and keep quality venues. Book early, pick smart, and read the fine print before you hit submit.