No response for hotel confirmation. Normal?
 

I booked a hotel in Venice via email but never received confirmation. When I email them they don't respond. They are in Fodor's. Any advice on what to do now.

This is most definitely not normal. They should confirm your booking and let you have something in writing to present to reception on arrival.

If they still haven't responded then consider telephoning them to find out what's going on and if I'd paid anything or given them a card number by e-mail, I'd have a look at the card statement online to check if they've charged you.

In the absence of anything from them and if you've not paid anything, find another, more reliable hotel.

If you call and they don't answer the phone then tell your CC issuer (assuming you guaranteed with a card) the situation and as noted above, find another hotel.

Is it possible that the hotel I.T. security is treating your email as spam? Would it help if you posted the hotel's website here for scrutiny? Have they got an online booking form on their website or did you elect to send it to their email address. If they have an online booking form try that.

Could it be a language barrier?

Last year, I sent 2 emails (3 days apart) to a hotel in a small town in Spain. Never heard back from them. I translated the email into Spanish and resent it a 3rd time... I received a response in 10 minutes.

This is not all that unusual . . .

When did you contact them? IME European (and specifically Italian) hotels don't treat e-mails w/ the sense of urgency the most Americans do.

Also many only have a few staff fluent in English who can reply to messages. Some have off site 'web masters' who handle on-line communications.

If it has only been a few days - keep waiting. If its been a week or more . . . Phone them.

Not at all unusual. I would phone them, if possible. Or fax if not possible to phone.

Did you book directly with the hotel?

In my experience, a fax usually gets much quicker attention in Italy than an email does. If you call, someone who doesn't speak English may answer the phone. If you email, whoever sees the email may not understand it, and may intend to send it to someone who can translate it or respond to it. But, as we all know, once an email slips below the first screen of your inbox, it tends to remain in email limbo for eternity.