I have email 3 hotels in Italy and none of them have responded. I send my message in both English and Italian..Is it that they are so busy they don't need the business? I would think with the US dollar being worthless..they would be looking for more bookings?

Look...What has happened to the once most powerful currency? Why won't hotels respond?

It's still powerful and guess what, that TELEPHONE on your desk will actually reach Italy.

I doubt it has anything to do with currency. Your spam blocker may have not allowed their replies to reach you. Check your junk box.

If a hotel doesn't have room it won't answer your email. I just try another. Where are you going and when? It could well be they're fully booked with Europeans...

Whenever I email hotels I give them a couple days to respond. Sometimes only 1 person speaks english and they may only work certain days. I know you said you also sent in Italian, but maybe they just saw the english and are waiting for someone to help you in english.

Or it may be run by a family who only have 1 family member who knows how to use email.

I also found the response time for emails slower than fax or telephone in Europe, especially Italy. For some reason they seem to have taken up email slower than other places like North America. (just my experience).

If you dont want to call, give them a few days to respond and if they dont either call or fax, or keep looking for a hotel that will respond to email.

I highly doubt its because they dont want your business or they dont want your currency.

Pick up the phone.

I'm guessing phone or fax would get quicker replies?

How long's it been on the emails? I would allow at least several days and not expect an immediate response.

Certain e-mail accounts block e-mails they think are spam long before they even reach your spam account. Try using gmail or hotmail.

Sì, conosco che cosa un telefono è!! Ho pensato appena che il email fosse più facile per loro. Ho desiderato sapere se altri avessero lo stesso anello di esperienze… anello

ciao

Il email non e più facile in Italia.

I know for some it's expensive but I always call the hotel first to check on availability for specific rooms at specific times of the year. For the first introduction, I never rely on email. If you ever get to know a hotel manager in Europe, bring up the subject of email and see what ensues.

Once I fax my credit card information, they always confirm the reservation by email. I've never had a problem. One might think that writing in Italian might be helpful. It can be once you made the initial contact. But as a first-time inquiry by email, it's iffy. And god forbid you use one of those free internet translators.

Funny, I've booked a number of hotels in Italy using email or their web-site forms followed up by email (and fax for CC info) with no problems. And arrival, departure, number and type of rooms hardly need translation.

When an Italian hotel doesn't answer my e-mails, I look for another hotel.

PS: I live in Italy.

If an Italian hotel isn't answering your e-mails now, it means they are unlikely to answer them later, closer to your departure date, or from the road. So find a hotel with whom you can communicate.

Are you trying to reserve for this summer or early fall? Even with the economy down, the popular places are likely all booked. And if booked, they don't necessarily respond. You might start trying other hotels.

I always make hotel reservations by email; that way, I have something in writing. The few times that I've had problems with replies from the hotels is when I used my comcast account - the hotels even told me that they had problems with their emails to me being bounced. So I just use a different email account, which has never been a problem, and I always get a reply.

In the past, I've always made my requests in English, because I wanted to make sure that I understood the reply (which tends to be in English if the request is in English). More recently, as my Italian skills have increased, I've emailed in Italian, but I don't think that's necessary; I also have an Italian friend who checks the responses, to make sure that I haven't misunderstood anything!

"When an Italian hotel doesn't answer my e-mails, I look for another hotel."

zeppole, I am totally with you.

If a hotel has on their website to email for reservations and then does not return my email, then I always have more choices.

Example: I emailed a Trastevere b&b after hearing all the great comments both here and Trip Advisor. Did not hear anything for a week. Still haven't.

So, after seeing a few posts on this board about another place, I emailed Hotel San Francesco one evening, and when I awoke, I had my reservation.

If I wanted to stay at a particular hotel, and they said I have to call, I have no problem with that. But when they say to email for availability and/or reservations, and then don't return my email, then I'm afraid they don't get my business.

To answer the OP question - I think it's a cultural thing. Some national personalities embrace technologies, and some don't.

The French have been pretty good at internet - they pioneered the Minitel information system in the '80s.

Germany and UK - sort of middling.

Italy - didn't see the millennium clock roll over.

Re. The French and the internet. I have a vague recollection of reading a year or two ago that France had a fairly low rate of internet usage mainly because of Minitel already filling the void. Not sure what the figures look like today.

Besides the cultural aspects already mentioned (i.e. Italians DO have email...but they don't check it as often as Americans...and...what is a very, very slow response to YOU, may be very speedy in Italy ;- )...

I suspect it is your ISP - my Italian friends (and some French as well) cannot email me at my regular, comcast.net email address!! All email from the normal Italian ISPs is blocked (!!) and no amounts of calls to comcast seem to be able to fix it for me...I use gmail for emailing everyone in Italy and it seems to work.