swood

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?

Intrepid1

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.

Margie

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.

PJI

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

allisonm

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!

Travelnut

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'...

Intrepid1

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?

Travelnut

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!)

Dick

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.

Ann1

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.

Byrd

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

mdmomof7

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.

tcreath

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

francophile03

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

shutterbug

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.

Chele60

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!

elaine

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.

Christina

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.

shutterbug

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;

111op

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.