• Some facilities are strictly limited to use by members of the Hotchkiss community, which includes current students, current faculty and staff, retired faculty and staff, and parents of current students. Alumni may use those facilities for select events only.

• No ladders, hoses, fans, risers, or speakers are available for public use. School tables, chairs, music, sound and lighting systems, audio and video recording equipment, and school vehicles are generally not available for use with any facility, except when that equipment is part of the normal furnishings of a venue, such as the piano in the Chapel or other “on-site” equipment. On-site equipment requires a School-authorized operator, and sometimes additional fees for their time. Moving any furniture from the general area in which it is located is prohibited.

• Tents must comply with local building and fire codes. Please contact Tim Schilling, director of grounds, regarding these permits, as well as any electrical or code concerns. He can be reached at 860-435-3605 or tschilli@hotchkiss.org.

• No smoking is permitted anywhere on the Hotchkiss campus.

• The School will not do any extra mowing, cleaning, insect spraying, or other preparation over and above the normal scheduling of such activities

• All events must end before 11:30 p.m. as a courtesy to resident faculty families and the surrounding community.

• Do not assume you have the use of a facility unless you have specifically reserved it with the senior events manager’s office, and the event has been logged in the facilities use calendar.

• Any media participation in an event, including taping or filming, must be approved by the Business Office and the Communications Office. Use of the School’s name or images must be approved by the Business Office.
• The School has the sole right to assess the security needs of an event, the cost of which will be assumed by the event host.

• The Chapel is available for wedding rentals for both the Hotchkiss immediate community and the public.

• The School is not responsible for meeting any external vendors.

• Guests are not permitted to use any of the indoor athletic facilities, but are welcome to use the golf course (for a fee), outdoor tennis courts, platform tennis courts, or outdoor track.

• Use of the climbing wall is allowed only when a certified instructor is present.

• No throwing of rice, birdseed, rose petals, etc. will be permitted indoors.

• For the Hotchkiss community, wedding receptions and larger events are restricted to the following locations: Dining Hall, Goodbody Terrace, Monahan Event Space, Harris House Lawn (for tent set-ups), Fairfield Farm, and the Boathouse.

• Due to ongoing campus activity, including construction or refurbishing of the campus and its facilities, there will be no more than three weddings or personal events per summer. Availability for weddings runs from the last week of June through the last week of July. No weddings or personal events will be allowed when School is in session, as it is too disruptive to the educational atmosphere.

• Hotchkiss will not donate its facilities to non-profit groups or causes without the approval of the head of school or chief financial officer. The School will occasionally allow ticket sales for performances or presentations by outside groups which may be of interest to the Hotchkiss community for their educational value.

• Dorm rentals are only available when school is not in session and must be associated with a school-sponsored event.* Rentals can take place from the last week of June through the last week of July. Due to other summer activities, such as Summer Portals and construction or refurbishing of the campus and its facilities, there will be no more than three dorm rentals per summer.

• Rates to the sponsoring department are as follows:
  • $50 per person per night
  • $75 per person per night for Redlich, Flinn and Edelman (limited to one rental per summer)
  • Linens are not included. Please contact Joe O’Connor at joconnor@hotchkiss.org to set up rentals with E&R Laundry.

• *School-sponsored events are defined as programming that is directly related to an employee’s work within the School (i.e., College Symposium, Eight Schools Programs, etc.). Employees may request dorm rentals for larger, personal events (i.e., weddings, family reunions etc.); however, these will be handled on a case-by-case basis and will fall under the three-event-per-summer count.

• All catering must be provided by the School’s in-house food service, Sodexo, and will be done on a commercial, market basis for both the public and the Hotchkiss community. Contact Michael Webster at 860-435-3754or mwebster@hotchkiss.org. In the event the School’s food service is not available, using an outside caterer will be at the School’s discretion; however, the use of the Main Dining Hall kitchen, the Monahan Event Space kitchen, and the Fairfield Farm kitchen* is limited to use by Sodexo only.

*Outside caterers at Fairfield Farm will be considered on a case-by-case basis, provided that the farm kitchen is not being used.

• The School reserves the right to forbid the serving of alcohol during a non-school event held while school is in session. When alcohol is allowed, the COI must explicitly indicate that alcohol is not an excepted coverage item. Special insurance coverage for a wedding or other event can be purchased from www.wedsafe.com

• We are unable to accept credit cards, so please pay by check. The agreement outlining the specific details of the rental must be completed and returned as soon as possible, with a 50 percent deposit of the total fees due to the senior events manager, or use of the facility will not be guaranteed. This deposit is refundable up to 30 days prior to the event. If the event is canceled between 16 and 29 days prior to the scheduled event, we will refund 75 percent of the total fees paid. If the event is cancelled within 15 days before the event, we will refund 50 percent of the total fees paid. No exceptions.

• Most facilities require the Responsible Party to present the School with a current public liability insurance certificate. This Certificate of Insurance (COI) shall be in the amount of not less than $1,000,000 with respect to injuries to any one person, not less than $1,000,000 with respect to any one accident, and not less than $1,000,000 with respect to property damage. A COI normally can be written in connection with an individual’s homeowner’s or personal liability policy naming The Hotchkiss School as an Additional Insured FOR ALL DAYS OF THE EVENT. Current employees can generally execute a Waiver of Liability in lieu of a Certificate of Insurance for certain events, unless it involves a commercial use.

• There will be a charge to the responsible party for any damage that has occurred during use regardless of who actually causes the damage. Deposits will be assessed and collected in advance.

• All liability insurance certificates are due one week prior to the event, and the outstanding balance is due one week after the event.