Bermuda’s hotels are pushing through a rough holiday party season, with the bad economy putting the brakes on annual office celebrations.The Fairmont Southampton saw a 40-percent decline in office party bookings this December, while its sister hotel, Hamilton Princess, waved goodbye to the larger galas they have hosted in the past.A party of 200 people or more can potentially bring a hotel $50,000 on the high end and $24,000 on the low end.“We expected our numbers to go down but that [drop] was more significant than we originally thought,” said Shelley Meszoly, director of sales at Fairmont Southampton. “It’s because of the economy; there are a number of companies that just didn’t do anything this year.”The general manager of Tucker’s Point echoed her statement saying that while they saw a “marginal” increase in party bookings this year over last, sales were still lower than their 2009 numbers.“It’s part of the reality of the economy,” said general manager Brian Young. “We certainly saw the organisations that had functions with us wanting to be value conscious and we were very appreciative of the functions we did have.”While some companies decided to cancel their holiday functions because of the cost, others may not have wanted to be perceived as being capricious during a time of economic hardship.This year, local bank Capital G, which usually holds a gala for their high-net wealth clients, decided to take the money they would have spent on an event space and donated $20,000 to The Salvation Army.“The days of parties with 300 plus people are gone,” explained Hal Browne, director of catering for the Hamilton Princess, who said the hotel’s holiday party business was up slightly compared to the previous year but was comprised of many more smaller events and less of the larger groups that they used to see.Mr Browne also said that this year the Hamilton hotel didn’t see the numbers of Government office holiday parties that have come in groups of 20 and 30 in years prior. The Government of Bermuda is the largest employer in Bermuda.“I’m not sure if it was an edict that came down or what but all the Government groups were under lock and key this year,” he said.Companies that did hold functions wanted value for their money, says Ms Meszoly.“We worked with the groups that did book with us to give them the best service and make it as economic as possible for them,” she said.In a further effort to show value to prospective party throwers, both Fairmonts hosted a “Snowball Party” for the second year where smaller companies shared one ballroom or restaurant with their own section, with a hotel-sponsored band and decor and have an affordable Christmas party for their staff.“The Snowball Party was created from a very successful ‘Christmas Party Package’ concept that has been happening in our Fairmont Hotels in the Canadian Rockies for a long period of time,” said Ms Meszoly. “It is tailored to groups of 50 or less. It’s great for smaller companies that can get the same feeling as a large gala for their employees without the additional cost of a band and decorations.”Some companies took advantage of the deal but both hotels saw a decline in numbers.Fairmont Southampton saw a 30-percent decline this year, with 160 people participating from nine companies, down from approximately 230 people from 25 companies the year prior.The Fairmont Hamilton saw a decline of more than 50 percent, with 175 attendees this year, down from 378 in 2010, and 520 in 2009.“We credit the decline on the local economy and companies choosing to not do anything this year,” explained Ms Meszoly.Ms Meszoly is still optimistic saying that they are hosting several of office parties in January, an increase of a couple events over last year, adding that even though numbers were down this year, they are still pushing for business.“The sales effort is ongoing to capture as much business that’s out there,” she said.Mr Browne also added cautiously: “December is an important month for us so we have to hold out for New Year’s Eve and see where we come out.”