I wrote emails to two Paris hotels for our Fall trip. I wrote from their websites about 2 weeks ago. I haven't heard anything yet. I was asking for October so maybe it's a bit early.

About how long should I wait to pursue these requests further?..

Thanks.

I think you're unlikely to hear from them if you've been waiting for two weeks. Why not follow up with a phone call? Phone during the middle of the day in Paris to optimize your chance of reaching someone who speaks English.

Maybe I am impatient, but when I planned our recent trip to Switzerland, I didn't wait 48 hrs after an email to resend, and the one I didn't hear right back from I emailed. However, another answered me FOUR weeks after my initial email with an "are you still interested in rooms...." - I didn't reply, b/c the answer was no...all I could think of is if it took them this long to answer, how slow must the service be there? Email again or fax and if they don't respond, find somewhere else unless you want to make the phone call.

I usually wait for two days. If it's a place that I really wish to stay at then I resend an email. Could it be that your emails are not getting through to their systems? Maybe they're counted as spam. It happens. You should fax them next if you like.

Sometimes I do hear back from hotels weeks after I sent my inquiry. I don't bother with those as it appears that my inquiry wasn't so important to reply to immediately.

Most hotels don't want to book for the New Year until the calendar has rolled over, but once that's happened, you should get a prompt response.

I'd give them one more chance by e-mailing them again, but I've never written an e-mail to a hotel that wasn't responded to within 48 hours.

It's possible your e-mail didn't get there (it's not like a phone call you know went through) but if you don't hear from them again in two days, I'd move on.

Jules

I think some hotels may have e-mail and a website because it seems the thing to do, but they're really not comfortable with it. It might be better to contact them by fax (putting your e-mail address in the fax) or by phone.

In the instances I've planned a trip a full year in advance and a hotel wasn't able, or willing, to book that far out, they have e-mailed back and told me so.

I agree that if it is a place you <b>really want </b> to stay in try calling them on the phone. Faxing would be an alternative but it is a lot easier to ignore an e-mail <b>and </b> a fax than it is a ringing phone.

If they don;t receive all three that's disappointing; if they ignore all three then they obviously aren't open or don't deserve your business.

Many Paris hotels with a Web site have no access to their own site, and no access to their own e-mail without visiting an Internet caf&eacute; or going to some employee's home to sign on. France is many years behind the times with respect to e-mail and the Web and just because a hotel has a site and an e-mail address doesn't mean that anyone ever actually reads the e-mail.

Any responsible hotel will answer e-mail within one business day. If you don't get an answer that quickly, you can assume that the hotel has no clue about e-mail. This may or may not reflect on the hotel in other ways, but it does imply that you certainly won't have any kind of Internet access at the hotel (if that's important to you).

IMO any business which has a website with a built-in e-mail and then doesn't answer the traffic promptly is foolish, at best. Why bother if you aren't going to allow it to generate interest and possible revenue for you?

wow - a hotel that advertises a web site and email and then ignores them? what else are they pretending they have or offer that they really don't?
I've made many reservations over the years in France through mostly fax, next email, and last phone - but I wouldn't stay in one that listed email and never answered it, that's enought to make me question the owners brain in general.

This board is magic. All I had to do was post that I didn't hear and lo and behold, I did get an email today.

One hotel in the 7th hasn't responded but I have decided to stay in the 4th anyway..so everything worked out. I thank you.