A Guide to Visit Indy Housing
Meet the Team Behind Visit Indy Housing
Planning a meeting or convention means juggling countless details, and hotel accommodations are often one of the biggest. That's where Visit Indy Housing comes in.
Your One-Stop Shop for Group Accommodations
Unlike many destination marketing organizations, Visit Indy has a dedicated, in-house Housing team that serves as a one-stop shop for managing hotel accommodations in Indianapolis. Acting as the liaison between meeting planners, participating hotels, and attendees, the team simplifies the reservation process while providing personalized support from start to finish.
Whether an event welcomes a few thousand attendees or more than 65,000, the Housing team creates customized booking websites, manages room blocks, answers attendee questions, and provides planners with real-time reporting. Attendees can book online 24/7 or connect with a local team member by phone or email for assistance.
What truly sets Visit Indy Housing apart is its people. Rather than working with a national call center or third-party vendor, planners partner with Indianapolis-based hospitality professionals who know the city's hotels firsthand. Several team members began their careers in hotels, giving them valuable insight into both the planner's needs and the hotel's perspective. When plans change, help is just a phone call away and the team can even provide on-site support when needed.
Better yet, there is no direct cost for meeting planners to use Visit Indy Housing's services, as the program is funded by participating hotels. Combined with the team's local expertise and relationships, it's a valuable resource that saves planners time while creating a seamless experience for attendees.
A Partner Throughout the Planning Process
Once hotel contracts are finalized, the Housing team builds a customized reservation website, establishes room block details and deadlines, and coordinates attendee communications before opening reservations. Throughout the process, planners can monitor reservations and room block performance through an online dashboard while the Housing team manages attendee questions, reservation updates, and communication with participating hotels.
The team supports a wide range of events, including association meetings, sporting events, youth competitions, religious conferences, marathons, and some of Indianapolis' largest conventions. While every event is different, planners are encouraged to begin the housing process at least six months in advance, with eight months to a year being ideal for larger citywide events.
Built on Experience and Relationships
At the heart of Visit Indy Housing's success are strong relationships with Indianapolis hotels and years of hospitality experience. Those partnerships help the team anticipate challenges, solve problems quickly, and continually improve the housing experience. Longtime clients like the National FFA Convention & Expo have seen that evolution firsthand, from paper reservation forms to today's streamlined digital process.
For meeting planners, Visit Indy Housing is more than a reservation service it's a trusted local partner dedicated to making every event as seamless as possible.
Meet The Team
Originally from Kent, England, Annie moved to Sheffield to earn her degree in International Tourism Management before becoming an honorary Hoosier in 2008. She joined Visit Indy in 2014 after working for Marriott hotels, where she started at the front desk before transitioning into group housing. Annie says her favorite part of working at Visit Indy is the people. The team's collaboration and shared passion for Indianapolis have made the city feel like home, and she enjoys helping planners and attendees experience the Hoosier Hospitality that first welcomed her. Outside of work, Annie enjoys reading, hiking Indiana's trails, discovering local coffee shops, cheering on Indianapolis sports teams, and spending time with her family.
Kellsey has been part of the Visit Indy team for more than a decade after beginning her hospitality career with Hilton Hotels. A lifelong Indianapolis resident and Indiana University graduate, she appreciates being part of an organization that plays such an important role in showcasing the city. She enjoys working alongside a collaborative team and helping bring exciting events to Indianapolis while sharing everything the city has to offer. When she's not at work, Kellsey enjoys spending time with her son and pets, gardening, reading, and following the WNBA.
Originally from the Dominican Republic, she moved to the United States in 2016 and became a U.S. citizen in 2024. She joined Visit Indy in 2019 and enjoys showcasing everything Indianapolis has to offer while helping create memorable visitor experiences Outside of work, she is a proud mom to two daughters, Mila and Nora. She enjoys exploring local coffee shops, cheering on her favorite sports teams, trying her hand at gardening, and spending time with family and friends.
