Hotel de Varenne Communications
 

Hi. I have been trying to communicate with this hotel via email for a couple of days with no success. I know some of you have stayed here in the past. The website looks nice and the location is good. However, this communication problem is starting to worry me. Does it indicate other problems? I'm certainly not an experienced Paris traveler. Only been once before. So maybe some of you can give me clues on the best way to communicate with them. I don't speak french so if that is required I will definately have to move on to some other hotel.

TIA

I've had no problems communicating with them and receiving very prompt responses in the past. French is not required. The staff speaks very good English. Puzzling...

Did you check you email junk box? Sometimes messages get blocked.

Thanks.

Maribel do you go through the website? I've done that twice with no response. (I will be sure to watch my junk email box for the next day or two though). Today, I did find an email address and sent something directly that way.

Yes, I've always gone directly through the website.

I sent a message to them through their website as well as emailing directly to the address I found on their website yesterday afternoon. Still no reply. I have been checking my junk mail folder. I'll give them until this afternoon. Then, sadly, I will have to move on to another hotel.

I haven't corresponded with them, but sometimes when that kind of thing happens, the hotel has changed personnel or someone is out sick or on vacation a couple days (the person who usually answers emails). Or maybe they are actually having computer problems. A couple days isn't very long, but most hotels that do respond seem to do it within two days for me (from France). No harm it checking another hotel, after all, that will take you another couple days probably to get a reply and rate quote or whatever, so by then you'll have more time to see if Varenne will respond.

As an example, I have stayed in one hotel consistently almost every time I've been in Paris for about 15 years and they would always respond immediately to my emails and answer my requests for a certain room, etc. Suddenly this year, when I emailed, they responded that I had to book a room on their website, not by direct email (which I had always done before, not using a standard form online, as I like to discuss things and the room I want). It wasn't a rate matter so much, as I always get the standard posted rate, it's just they wouldn't make a reservation by a personal email. I don't know what that is about, but I think they had a change in mgt. in the last couple years and while I still like it okay, it's not the same.

Thanks. I wasn't inquiring to make a reservation yet. I had a question about their rooms. Still haven't heard from them. I have emailed a couple of others over the past week and got responses from them quickly. In some case, within an hour. The longest response time being when I emailed late in the afternoon or early evening and I've had responses when I got up the next morning.

Maybe I will hear from them at some point, who knows. Now I'm feeling like it's not a good sign, even if I do eventually hear from them.

As Christina suggests, maybe they're just having computer problems. The Hotel de Varenne is an extremely well run property with Jean Marc Pommier at the helm. It gets very nice reviews on Trip Advisor and other booking sites.

It's August. Maybe they are all on vacation and forgot to leave someone behind the desk. As stated on your other thread, we liked the hotel. Hope they get back to you.

((H))

Assuming that the info you need about their rooms is not on the website, it may just be that they do not have what you are looking for or cannot accommodate your request and are just not bothering to answer you to tell you that?? Since the answer would just confirm that they are not the hotel for you?? Just trying to brainstorm what might cause them not to take the time to answer, esp in light of August being vacation time.

You may be right about moving on to the hotels whose staff are being responsive

You could phone them and ask your question if you're really interested in the hotel.

Still no response. It's been a week since my first email to them. Followed by several more over a couple of days. None replied to. I suppose there is some reasonable reason for this, but it doesn't help me now.

Pick UP the PHONE

My impression is hotel clerks don't have much time to answer emails, and someone who sends several without even having booked a room may fall under some characterization of being too high-maintenance (for their tastes)...

Sally... phone rates to France are so low now compared to 20 years ago they are laughably cheap.

As Dukey said... pick up your phone and dial!

Haha! High maintenance? Well, the other hotels didn't consider someone asking a question about their hotel too high maintenance to answer. If they consider a simple room question a high maintenance person then I REALLY don't need to stay there. I seriously doubt that's the problem. I also seriously doubt most people book their rooms before asking whatever question they may have about the accomodations.

Sorry to have bothered you all with this.

My comments are more on an impression about small French hotels than my own personal view of your efforts... But actually, I've never emailed a hotel in France with questions other than to make the reservation - I just go with whatever descriptions the website has, photos, any reviews.. Didn't mean to add to your irritations over it all...

I will be staying at Hotel Varenne in Sept. and emailed with questions prior to booking the room. Received prompt and courteous response to all inquiries including the latest on Aug. 1 (I did notice a different name on the Aug. response so possibly they are away and someone is filling in??).

I assume you are using this address: [email protected]


This will be our first stay at this hotel which I chose based on high marks from reviewers and quiet location....also like the courtyard area with tables. The hotel was completely booked for a few of the days that I requested but a room became available so I grabbed it.

It seems that some hotels do not respond if they have no rooms available but I did not find this to be true of Hotel Varenne.

Who knows, it could be a glitch, but repeated emails seem odd without answer. Sometimes there is a strange reason for things like this, such as you have the wrong email address or your computer actually did not send them (check your out box). They have an email address on their website, assume you used that (the wanadoo.fr one).

I have never just asked a hotel a question about rooms in an email, either. I have definitely asked questions about rooms, but I was not just fishing around and also made it very clear the exact dates I wanted to make a reservation, that was part of the email. For example, I need a room in Paris for the dates of .... I would like a room with a double bed (140 cm) with shower or bath. COuld you please tell me the rooms available for those dates, with descriptions and prices... or something like that. If I wanted to know about a view or something, I would have asked that in the email.

Maybe the OP did that, included the dates of intended stay. I make sure I ask everything up-front so once I get a response, I can book right away, if I want.

It depends what the question was and the rest of the email, but we are all speculating here. It could be some weird email/computer issue. I do admit I've had some hotels in France and elsewehre in Europe not respond to questions about rooms, I think reservation clerks just sometimes don't really care about being helpful, they just want to make a reservation the easiest way, not answer questions about rooms. My questions may have to do with room size, if a room overlooks the street or interior, etc., and the size of a bed.