How to call Priorguest.cim in Dublin?
 

Help!

I while ago I discovered the Priorguest.com website and they had really good rates, and I posted the question on whether they are reliable? one person said he/she has friend who used it and they seemed to be fairly good.

Well I booked a hotel in Cancouver, canada 3 days ago through PriorGuest.com, paid them in full in advance, and received an email from them on the same day, giving me the booking number, saying that I can reference it when I arrive at the hotel.

I called the hotel today (3 days later) and I was told that there is no booking in my name. I want to call Priorguest and their listed phone number is 00 353 (0) 1 4100 578
I do know that the country code for UK is 44, but I tried different combinations and just couldn't get through to them. Does anyone know what numbers I have to dial from Canada/US? is it +44 plus the full 00 353 ...? do I skip the first 2 00?, what about the (0) in the middle?

Help!

Why are you posting this on the UK board?

Dublin is NOT in the UK.

Hi John - Dublin is in Ireland, not UK - so 44 is wrong.

This link might help
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldcloc...ing.html?p2=78

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Got it! sorry - my mistake. It;'s the 00 in front that got me confused! so I should have dialed +353 1 4100 578.

I did and I got through and the agent would check the reservation for me and get back to me next Monday.

Thanks for your help.

You should always read what you sign up to. From the site:
" The full amount of the reservation is charged to your credit card and you will see Net Affinity, Dublin appear on your credit card statement. The reservation is sent directly to the hotel informing them that a booking has been made with the reservation number issued to you. We do not pass any other information about you to them until 3 days before date of arrival when we supply your name and contact details."

So the hotel does not yet have your name.

As I mentioned in my initial post: I received an email from PriorGuest, with the booking number, and the email explicitely said that I could reference the booking number when I called the hotel (actually there are 2 numbers: the Reservation Code, and the Item Confirmation Reference).

When I called the hotel I gave them BOTH numbers to check and they said there is no such booking. They also offered to check any reservation under my name. And of course there isn't one either.

Hello Johnmango. I am looking for info about prioguest and I saw your post. I would like to book a hotel via prioguest also for a trip in May 2009. Did they contact you yet, as in your post you said that they would contact you this monday. Do you think that they are serious ? Thank you.

I booked the hotel through them last Tuesday April 7, paid in full and received an email from them giving me 2 numbers (file number and booking reference), and said when I contact the hotel I could use the booking reference.

3 days later on Friday (April 10) I called the hotel, and reservation couldn't find the booking (under the booking reference number), or my name.

I called Priorguest right away and talked to the agent, who told me that they would get this sorted out, and since it was Friday, that he would call me on Monday.

Monday April 13 the agent sent me an email saying that they would release my name to the hotel as soon as possible (their website said they won't release the name until 2 days prior to arrival).

I called the hotel again on Tuesday (one week after booking through Prior Guest) and they still couldn't find my booking (either by the booking reference number or under my name). I also got transferred to the hotel sales office and they couldn't find my booking either.

Since I do not check in till April 27, I will wait till Friday April 10 and call the hotel one more time. If I still cannot find my booking I will call Priorguest and tell them that I will ask my credit card company to reverse the charge, since obviously they have not done the booking for me.

If the hotel cannot find the booking using all 3 methods: booking reference, file number and my name, how else would I assume? I would assume that they have not done the booking for me. I do not want to wait till 2 days prior to departure and find out that there is no hotel booked.

I called the hotel again today and they finally have my reservation.

I am not questioning whether Priorguest is authentic - I just do not like their practice of "releasing the name of the guest 2 days prior to arrival". In their confirmation email they should have said ".. the booking is being processed and will be finalysed in xx days, or xx days after your booking with us you may contact the hotel directly quoting the booking reference number" etc. etc.

Hello Johnmango,
After reading your post, I wonder if I should book through Priorguest or not. Their rates are interesting but if I have to call hotel then priorguest also like you, finally it will be expensive also. I will think more about it. Thank you very much and have a nice trip. If you want to go to visit Paris I can tell you which hotels you should book ;-).

There is another site that I can recommande you, booking.com. I booked a hotel in vienna in March and I paid only 35 E/night in a 3 stars-hotel (breakfast included). Booking.com does not take your money, you have just to give your credit card number to guarantee your reservation, and they do not charge your cancellation fees until 48-h before your arrival. It is pity that this time I cannot find an interesing rate for Skiathos, the island that I want to visit in May.

The Starwood website listed the Sheraton Wall Center Hotel at $135 + tax = $156 Canadian. The Priorguest website's rate is $125 Canadian all inclusive, so it is a very good rate. With the $30 I save I can have a rental car for the day.

I was worried because I have never used Priorguest before; but if it is reputable and real, then I wouldn't worry about being cheated. I do always verify by calling the hotel directly to make sure booking has been made.

I wrote to Priorguest to ask about the history of "3 days before arrival", the first reply email told me that it is their policy, the second after a few days said that however I can call the hotel and give them my reservation number and talk about GTA. Finally I did book my hotel with 1800hotels.com, the price was a little bit cheaper but the most important thing is that I have found a lot of good comments about 1800hotels.com. The price on alpharooms.com was also interesting.

I received another response from Priorguest - they did follow through by calling the hotel, and found out that the Sheraton Hotel in Vancouver put my reservation under the hotel's own reservation number. So essentially the "booking Reference" and the "Booking ID" given by Priorguest would not work (that is - the hotel would not be able to locate the booking).

I had suggested to them to improve their booking procedure, or at least release the name earlier than 2-3 days prior to arrival.

Hello Johnmango,
As I told you yesterday, I finally booked a hotel in Greece with 1800hotels.com, (196 E for 4 nights with 1800hotels.com compared with 212 E with Priorguest and 260 E with hotels.com or 400 E with booking.com). I booked it Tuesday 14/04, my credit card is charged today so I wrote to the hotel to check my reservation and just have an answer of the hotel that they have received my reservation. 1800hotels is really good with me. I think that Priorguest is good also but they could be better as you said. Have a nice holiday!

Thanks. I checked out the 1800hotels.com, and they appaer to have fairly good price on hotels in some cities (Vancouver, canada), but similar prices to other booking websites for other countries/cities (Italy and Vietnam).

Too bad I already booked my hotels in Hong Kong, but I will try them for my trips next year. Thanks for the tip on 1800hotels

Hiya Johnmango,
glad I came across your post. Hadnt heard of Priorguest.com before and was looking to book a room with them in Berlin as a weekend treat for my luvy partner. Their rates for the Alsterhof were erally good and better than the hotel's own site. Cant get my head around why this is so!! So I was interested but a little anxious. However having read the posts above I checked out 1800hotels.com and alpharooms.com and want mutch impressed. Both were dearer in comparison. Didnt like the 1800hotels.com site at all, really dark :(
Checked out booking.com which I really like, but their rates were higher also. So I contact priorguest.com, got through to a really helpful call centre person who told me that the rates included breakfast, even better. So I booked and am really looking forward to a fab weekend away :):):)

Have a nice trip Heike.

That's the power of Fodor forum - exchange of useful sites and travel tips which otherwise one might not be aware of. You will probably find that some booking sites have better rates in certain countries/cities. As I mentioned, the Priorguest rates for hong Kong hotels are not that great, but 1800hotels is, and when I checked many of them even include breakfast (which I find unusual). However I have already booked my Hong Kong hotels for November, through Hoteltravel.com, which is another fairly good site.

Hey Johnmango, if you want to go to Vietnam next year should write me before (i am from VN). I can tell you which hotels you should take in Hanoi. Have a nice trip in Hongkong.

Lotusvn

Thanks. We are going this year - in November. Thanks for the offer but I don't have your email address; maybe I should post a Q in the Asia room and you can give us some suggestions. So far the itinerary is Canada - Saigon - (Penang - Siam Reap) - Hanoi/Halong Bay - Hue - back to Saigon before going to Hong Kong.