I am accompanying my husband on a business trip to London in Feb. We are extending the trip by staying a few days in Paris. I have made a reservation at the Jolly Hotel Lotti through Expedia. Is it necessary to call the hotel directly to confirm the reservation?

It shouldn't be necessary if you have a printed confirmation from Expedia.

I always confirm directly with the hotel when I make a hotel reservation through a third party. It may prevent a nasty surprise when you're standing there at the front desk, luggage in hand, with the desk clerk telling you she/he's never heard of you. At the same time you can make any special requests such as bed size, smoking/nonsmoking room, low or high floor, etc.

Bon Voyage

I've read enough stories on various forums to always confirm an online reservation. If you look at the newsgroup rec.travel.europe, you will find several unhappy stories about Expedia.

I have never had any problems with "third party" bookings...however, i would e-mail the hotel directly and get them to confirm by return e-mail that the reservation is in order. Most importantly, take BOTH the written confirmations WITH you..that way there won't be any problems. If there are you have all the leverage you need for an upgrade, etc.

I would absolutely confirm my arrangements with the hotel, including the time of day you expect to arrive.

Food for future thought: I have yet to understand an advantage of booking hotels through a 3rd party website.
So far, the hotels themselves that I have contacted have agreed to honor whatever best discount rates I have found.

I would confirm everywhere.
Once in FL Holiday Inn there was just ONE person who knew about our arrival, and LUCKY US he wasn't gone home yet.

So, one extra call never hurt ! Do it !

Good Trip

Thanks for the response to my post from last month - it's funny how that is sometimes - an old post that gets new attention. As it turns out, we have cancelled our reservation through Expedia, and have made a reservation at a different hotel, but this time directly with the hotel. We are very excited about our trip, and I am reading and learning a lot about Paris on this forum. Thanks everyone!