Do you reconfirm?
 

Greetings! For our trip to Austria, Germany and France in September/October I have now booked all our accommodation. Having received email confirmations, I'm assuming it is still sensible to reconfirm reservations before we leave home. Any thoughts one way or the other?

I don't as a rule re-confirm and I usually make all reservations by e-mail (and I take the confirmation e-mails with me in case there is a problem.

However, if you do decide to re-confirm I would do it in a timely fashion so in case there <b> is </b> a problem you have given yourself enough time to make suitable alternative arrangements.

I usually re-confirm as I am the one who has made the arrangements for our &quot;group&quot;. If there is a problem I want to be able to take care of it before we get there. I also take my confirmation e-mails with me as a written record of dates and rates.

I don't re-confirm but do as the previous posters suggest and always take my email confirmations with me as proof.

A couple of years ago we reserved a B&amp;B in Clifden Ireland a few months in advance. I was armed with my very tidy notebook of email confirmations when we arrived, only to be told we must not have made our final confirmation. Alas, she had no room for us. Well, I had proof of confirmation with me, but she still had no room, so no use in arguing. She sent us up the road to her very nice friend. Since then, if the reservations were made more than a few weeks in advance, I reconfirm!

I always reconfirm, since I make my reservations about 6 mos. in advance. Also, during that interim, I canceled a credit card and didn't realize the hotel would 'check' the card just prior to my arrival. Since it was closed, they canceled the reservation.
However, they sent us to a nice family-run hotel and paid the cab fare to get us there, so everything was repaired 'tout suite'...

I have to add (and agree with the above)that taking those e-mail confirmations with me is no guarantee that there may not be a disagreement at the other end once you actually arrive. Of course, re-confirming (by e-mail) probably doesn't guarantee it, either, but what else can you do?

Reconfirming might not guarantee you <i>have</i> a room, but it might give an opportunity to find out you <i>don't</i> have a room (as it would have in my case!)

I, too, reconfirm.

There is no downside of letting them know that you will still be arriving on a particular date and reminding them of any special needs/requests.

Even though I have my e-mail confirmation, I always re-confirm not only my hotels but the airline tickets. I have heard too many stories of no rooms even with original confirmations. One year I forgot to re-confirm the airline tickets until the morning we were to leave. When I called the airline, I was stunned to hear that my daughter's reservation had been cancelled. Fortunately I had called early enough in the day and they didn't charge me to put her back in. But later in the day another airline cancelled a flight and put their passengers on our flight. If I hadn't realize our problem until we arrived at the airport, we would have had a real problem. I think they realized that it was a mistake on their part because they didn't charge me.

I always reconfirm.

I usually have (or find) some reason to e-mail the hotel in the weeks before our arrival, such as recommendationns for transportation from airport, requests for certain rooms, etc.

At least the hotel should have no doubt that we will be arriving.

Byrd

Reconfirm. If you book ahead, you want to ensure that booking. If you don't mind hunting for a place once you get to your destination, then you're fine. But, then, if you don't mind doing so, you wouldn't have made a reservation in the first place. :-)

And, yes, take a trip file along w/ all correspondence &amp; confirmations. I like a plastic, flap over, bungee clasp legal size file. ($4 @ Walmart) It's a bit long, but not bulky and still fit in my daypack for the flights.

I always reconfirm. Since I book all rooms online, I just forward the original confirmation e-mail to the hotel with a new message just asking them if the room is still available. I usually do this 2-3 weeks prior to our trip. It doesn't take much time and I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Tracy

I always reconfirm reservations especially if they were made months in advance. I bring the email confirmations with me on the trip too.

We tend to make our own arrangements 6 months or more in advance, ao we also always reconfirm about 30 days prior to departure. And we take copies of documentation with us. The extra confirmation costs nothing and is often reassuring to the other party as well.

Just wanted to say that I really appreciate this even though I am not the OP. I made all my reservations at least 6 months in advance, and was wondering if re-confirming would be a good idea. Now I know it is.

Thanks from one who was lurking!

Maybe it's me, but I feel a cultural difference between what I see as the American way of arranging and confirming (or, maybe it's just the 'elaine' way) vs 'the European' way (a phrase I usually avoid).
I have noticed that when I send faxes or emails to arrange hotels, I do, eventually get a reply confirming the reservation and credit card. On the other hand, when I send follow up requests for, say, restaurant reservations, or requesting a room overlooking the garden, or just requesting a reconfirmation, I seldom receive a reply unless I really persist and keep insisting on one.
The eventual reply is usually couched in polite terms but its meaning is really 'we got all of your requests, we're doing what you asked, if there's a problem we'll let you know, what part don't you understand?'

It's possible that we/I am too skeptical about people doing their jobs properly, and too compulsive about confirming and reconfirming, and on the other side they are more relaxed (as usual) and mystified by my worry and doubt. Doesn't mean I'll stop, but I do think there's a culture gap there.

I'm one who never reconfirms hotel rooms. Of course, I take a copy of my email confirmation, but I think the whole point of a confirmation is to have a confirmation, and I just don't have time to spend reconfirming things that are confirmed. So, it is a cost to me as I just have too many other things to do. Every hotel I've made a reservation in has asked for a credit card or deposit, so there is something in consideration.

I just go with the flow a little more and don't worry about those kinds of things, figure I'll deal with them if they happen. I have never not had a room I've reserved in all the years I've been traveling, not even once. I have never reserved a hotel room 6 months in advance, though, so maybe I would if I did that kind of thing. I only reserve 2-3 months ahead.

I do reconfirm some airline tickets as I know the flights are so full nowadays, I don't want to get bumped by priority. Also, it's a chance to get any last minute changes. Some airline tickets I've had did not want you to reconfirm, though (I think they don't want the phone calls), and had printed right on the ticket -- no need to call to reconfirm. Missing a flight or getting bumped is real crucial to me, so I do reconfirm airline tickets.

If a hotel doesn't have a room, I agree that the emails can't make them give you one, but if there was any doubt, at least the details are in writing and I figure they might try a little harder. As I said, I've never had a hotel tell me my reservation didn't exist or they didn't have a room for me.

First of all, I recognize that we are merely sharing opinions here, and what works for one, may not work for others.

Recently, an Italian innkeeper remarked that at first she was bothered by people re-confirming reservation. Now, she's pleased with the ones who do, since she can be sure she won't have no shows to deal with. A deposit only covers one night's rent. A no-show could cost her several empty nights, that she may have been able to re-book.

Some years back, we arrived late in the day to a hotel that &quot;forget&quot; about our confirmed reservation that were made 2 months prior. We survived and managed to relocate in mere hours. But it got rather exciting and a bit aggravating since the other lodgings were already filling up. (When traveling overseas, we often carry phone numbers to several back-up hotels, just in case.)

The mere five minutes we spend taking whatever reasonable precautions we choose to take ahead of time minimizes the time we risk sorting out what could otherwise become last-minute problems that could take much longsr to rectify. The result is more time for sightseeing, or eating, or resting, or whatever. Anything that saves me potential aggravation is OK with me.

After several decades and scores of domestic and foreign trips, we believe that the Boy Scouts have it right: &quot;Be Prepared!&quot;

I only reconfirm a reservation if I'm asked to. (I try not to do what's unnecessary.)

I don't think that I've a hotel that has wanted me to reconfirm my reservation.

I'll try to get something in writing (if I book via an e-mail). If I've booked through a website, there's always a confirmation anyway.

I do reconfirm my restaurant confirmations when asked.

I'm diligent about canceling reservations (even when I've not provided a credit card number) as I know that I'm holding on to something someone else may need.

I generally don't reconfirm hotels but did for recent France trip because I'd made the reservations months in advance and first-time-to-Europe relatives were with us, and I wanted things to go smoothly.

Since I had made reservations for hotel in 3 countries a few months in advance, I did reconfirm because you just never know if your info might disappear after such a long time. I talso just put my mind at ease since I always have my son with me and this time we also had my parents.

I never thought to reconfirm. But I am only in charge of myself or one other (not a group) and have only made the reservations a month or so prior to the trip.

I always book far in advance via e-mail and always re-confirm 2-4 weeks prior to departure. I also bring copies of all e-mail correspondence. I also have OCD.

For me it wouldn't even be a question, I always reconfirm everything I can. Planes, hotels, trains, whatever.

You don't have to call it &quot;reconfirm&quot;, just e-mail a friendly note thanking them for advance reservation and add a question, like &quot;what is the best way to get there&quot;.

I am a reconfirmer!

In the last 2 days I have been exchanging frantic (on her side) messages with dear Margherita, known to many on this board, who co-owns (with sister Elena) Al Poggiolo apartments in Montepulciano.

My colleague, wife, baby and parents failed to show up Sunday to take up their two-week rental of 2 apartments at Al Poggiolo.

It seems they had received a map of Montepulciano but had not (inexplicably) received the detailed driving instructions Margherita sent.

They decided, I guess, to wing it.

On arrival in Montepulciano they could not find the apartments and lacked the phone number enclosed with the driving instructions...They spent the night at a hotel, having failed to locate their destination.

So yes I would re-confirm, if only to re-confirm all the logistics (rather than the reservation itself).

Thanks everyone! Looks like thoughts are divided on this one. I've got the time and would prefer not to worry about the chance of a mix-up. I'm sure I can come up with enough &quot;excuses&quot; to send another email closer to our departure date. Cheers!

After reading and responding to this post I started thinking about our one hotel reservation for an upcoming trip that wasn't made through some sort of reservation service...so I e-mailed the hotel in the Loire Valley to re-confirm.

You can imagine my surprise when a same-day response started out with, &quot;We are sorry but we do not have a reservation under your name for the [particular date].&quot;

We eventually straightened this out but I would now revise my original repsonse about re-confirming to add that it certainly couldn;t hurt to do so and is probably a wise thing TO do.

How I loathe this practice. It implies that it is the buyer's responsibility to cover the vendor's negligence in honouring a contract. If the vendor does not wish to enter a contract more than x months in advance, that is their right, but if that is their policy, it is their duty to inform their buyers. Further, if a vendor feels a one night deposit doesn't sufficiently cover their costs in the event of cancellation, then it is their responsibility, not mine, to devise a more suitable policy (say, x per cent of the entire cost of the reservation, in the event of multiple night reservations).

Bad business practice is not a suitable remedy for other bad business practices. And now that I'm on a roll, may I be allowed to yell from the rooftops, that the very term 'reconfirm' is misleading, since it is only necessary if one was informed, FALSELY, that one was ever confirmed in the first place!!! If vendor finds the contract is no longer in his or her interest (as in the event he or she gets the opportunity to sell out their entire hotel to a convention crowd, for example) then naturally they may desire to terminate the contract, just as I would if my plans changed. However, in that instance I would like to be freed to seek another vendor of my choice, not be coerced into accepting an alternative of the VENDOR'S choosing.

Sigh. I can rant all I like, but when it comes to small local enterprises, I know who will win, fairly or no. So I have come to issue 'helpful' emails informing them of our time of arrival, etc., a week or so before we leave. I don't call it 'reconfirming' since I can't repeat anything that was never done in the first place, but at least it gives the vendor an opportunity to confess in advance. Even then, it is no guarantee. I've read reports here of people being told they were confirmed right up until they arrived at the church, so to speak. Then they were told the equivalent of, &quot;I can't marry you, but you're going to just loooove my cousin Vinnie.....&quot;

Note that I am rarely concerned about the status of my reservations with chain hotels, which are generally better managed (a major point in their favour IMO, for all their lack of soul and character).

Regarding Elaine's mention of what cultural differences about reconfirming reservations or inquiries, it's happened to me too. I find that the staff are always prompt in confirming my reservation. However, I sometimes have problems in getting replies if I send them either reconfirmation emails or miscellaneous inquiries. I do have to be persistent and once or twice have been told that they are very busy with the current reservations so they couldn't reply promptly.

We just returned from 2 1/2 weeks in England and Scotland and did not reconfirm any of our reservations. None of them required a credit card # to secure. We did print out and take with us all responses--on a trip to Amsterdam we were once charged more for the room than the agreed upon rate so we learned a lesson from that experience. This time we failed to print out some maps/directions to a few places--big mistake in remote countryside locations.

I once stopped reconfirming airline reservations and ended up losing a whole day of a trip because a connecting flight had been cancelled (three months prior) and the airline had not let us know. Now I religiously reconfirm. I don't care what they say on the ticket. I never again want to lose a whole day of a European trip!