i_am_kane

Kind of a long title, but it's late and that's all I could come up with.

After I choose a hotel, give them my c.c. info, and get a confirmed response, I always send the "loser" hotels a nice note with my regrets. Yes, they are in the business of giving room rates daily and frequently, but I feel the need for closure and to be polite.

I have received, in turn, the nicest compliments from hoteliers (especially the Italians), and it makes me feel as though I did the right thing.

Does anyone else do this?

kopp

Absolutely. Always.

And I almost always get a nice note in return.

It's right and proper to do so. Good for you!

Do unto others..

i_am_kane

kopp,

There really are nice people in this world of ours...

I'm glad you responded before I hit the hay for the night!

TexasAggie

I do the same and tell them I hope to be able to stay at the establishment on another visit

StCirq

Yes, I email or fax them and say thanks but sorry, and almost always get a nice reply back. You never know...you might want to go there in the future and they might remember you. At least that's the way it is in the business that I run...you remember stuff about potential clients as much as you remember stuff about the current ones.

Seamus

Yes, but only if there has been some of quasi personal interaction (e.g., exchange of emails) and not merely a software driven online reservation.

cigalechanta

Yes, I've ben protesting for years here about those who book into a few places and have not made up their mind which one until posters contribute their opinions. The sad thing is everyone's experience is NOT going to be the same.

LoveItaly

Yes I always have kane. I also always call and cancel a restaurant reservation if for some reason I cannot keep it (not just when on a trip but at home also). Evidently a lot of people do not as when I have had to cancel I always get such a warm thank you for notifying the restaurant.

machin

I would hope everyone does. It's only good manners and reflects on our country.

cruiseluv

I think it's very nice that you do that. However, in my case I don't. Sometimes I ask for rates from multiple hotels. I am not making a reservation in these hotels, nor are they reserving a room for me. Obviously, I don't think it hurts to send "regrets" ( although it's not like you were invited to anything), however, I don't think it's necessary to do so.

I also cance a restaurant reservation if I decide not to go. Howevr, that's different, as they were reserving a table for me. In the case of asking a hotel for their rates, they are not reserving anything for you.

chiarachiara

Yes - I also do that. I do it as soon as I made up my mind so the room could become available to somebody else. I also receive nice responses.

I also cancel on Venere as soon as I decided where to stay and not only a week or less ahead of the dates - although you only need to cancel 2 days in advance. I do not want to "occupy" a room if somebody else could use it.

Marianna

Yes, I do the same. I also let owners of apartments or villas which we have inquired about if we decided not to rent the place. It's the right thing to do. I also do not reserve multiple hotels and wait to decide which one I want.

Padraig

I see two approaches implicit in this discussion:
- asking a few hotels for information on rates & availablity, and then choosing one
- booking rooms in a number of hotels to keep options open, then choosing to honour one booking.

In the first case, I don't think it necessary to notify the hotel. It does no harm, though.

In the second case, you should notify the hotel, apologise for messing them about, and make a personal resolution never to do such a thing again. The hotel might have refused other clients to honour your booking and end up with an unsold room. Another potential client (perhaps me) might have failed to get a room because of such behaviour.

There is a hotel in Brittany I use from time to time. They will not accept a booking without a credit card number and giving a clear warning that the room will be charged for if I do not show up. It is not because they are mean-spirited, because they are not; it is because they have been messed about so much that they need to protect their interests.

CRAZY4TRAVEL

I agree with Padraig. I never hold duplicate space with a hotel and then choose which one I'll take. I think that working in the travel industry for many years, I've been conscious of the changes when it comes to holding reservations without payment or guarantee. Smaller establishments need to protect their bottom line and as a result can no longer trust people with courtesy holds.

I always narrow my choices down to a short list and then check availability with my first choice...if it's sold out I move down the list. I rarely find a hotel that will hold space without a credit card..except perhaps some of the larger chain hotels which I rarely book outside of North America.

I think it's nice that some people send notes if they've checked availability and rates with several hotels. Not necessary in my opinion but nice. I guess as a travel agent I give rates to people day in and day out. I would be floored and not entirely pleased if someone called up and said "thank you for your time but we've booked with the travel agency across the street". I would politely say thank you for the call in hopes of gaining their business at another time but inside I would be saying something much different (&%!#%!%)

Viajero2

I do and always tell them the reason I selected another hotel. Just recently I receive a note back from a Hotel Manager in Barcelona with an alternate proposal. The proposal will not work with this (business) trip, but it is a great lodging alternative for a future family trip and I let him know that.

ira

Hi C4,

> I would be floored and not entirely pleased if someone called up and said "thank you for your time but we've booked with the travel agency across the street".<

Mind explaining why, if someone goes to the trouble of letting you know that you didn't meet their needs that instead of asking how you might improve your operation, you get angry at them for calling?

nona1

1) I think it's pretty bad behaviour to reserve several hotels then faff them about.

2) It's never occurred to me to contact a hotel to say 'no thanks' if I go eleswhere, if they've just given me prices etc. If I'd entered into a big discussion with them and taken up their time, they'd gone off and researched something for me or really gone beyond a basic enquiry then yes, I would. but otherwise? No. It's not necessary and just means you are taking up even more of their time as a non-customer. Imagine how many emails they'll get swamped with if everyone did this. It would take them forever to go through them to find the real 'live' enquiries and deal with them.

If I were shopping for a new pair of shoes and looking in several shops I wouldn't buy a pair and then go back to every other shop to tell them what I'd done. Seems odd and totally unnecessary to me.

Sher

I never book a duplicate reservation.

But sometimes when I send an inquiry about an apartment we would like to rent, I usually tell them I will notify them when we decide. I never ask them to hold a place until we decide. If the apartment is available, then I am lucky. If it is taken, then I waited too long

Sometimes I receive an email asking if we still want a certain apartment. I think this is because many times we rent from small places and this is the way of reminding us they are there. I always send them an email thanking them but telling them we are not using the room even though I really didn't reserve.

i_am_kane

Thanks everyone...this is such a positive, inspiring post about our Fodors community!

I my case, depending upon the previous correspondence with the hotel, as some others have posted, I also will tell them that perhaps we wil be able to stay at their hotel on a future visit.

In addition, I believe what I write conveys good manners and reflects on my country.

chiarachiara

I just want to clarify - I do not make a habit of double bookings. But it happened twice that we considered date changes but first have to check what is available as far as Hotel rooms are concerned. This never takes more than two to three days and then I immediately cancelled the Hotels we were not going to use.