clemson91,
I also have experienced difficulties getting written confirmations.

While many folks here always seem to get email or fax confirmations, I had about 50% success rate. I have an idea about a fax reply; it costs them international long distance charge. I had to be satisfied with verbal confirmations. So far, all had been solid. I still go with a list of alternate hotels just in case - never had to use it yet.

My guess about not replying, beside economics, if any, is in basic differences between what is necessary to complete this type of an agreement. In US, which I presume you are from, requires a written document with long list of t/c in fine prints. While Europeans also require it, they seem to rely less. My guess is that as far as the hotel is concerned, the reservation is made and that they "think" you know you have a reservation.

Others much conversant with Parisien business practices could elaborate if this is the case.

They can't be that busy to ignore your simple request for a confirmation continually. I hate to say it but the service at this hotel doesn't sound promising.

I suggest that you fax the hotel a note specifying everything that's occured and then give them a specific date in which they need to email you a confirmation.

I don't know if it's just a busy time of year or what.

The hotel (Hotel Lenox Montparnasse) has gotten very good reviews on TripAdvisor and this site (all note good service).

They were excellent and timely (usually within 12 hours) in responding to my questions regarding type of rooms, smoking/non-smoking, etc...

Just can't seem to get them to confirm the actual reservation. I'm starting to think that they just assume since I made the reservation request I should know that I have a reservation (very different from how things are done in the United States). I'm just apranoid about not having something in writing.

It just sounds like this particular hotel's behavior, that's all. It isn't some French thing or European thing, etc. I have never had a problem getting an email confirmation out of a French hotel when I reserved, and getting it within a day. I have gotten email confirmations for my upcoming trip within a day by email of all my hotels in Paris, Prague, Krakow, Wroclaw, and Dresden, and sometimes English isn't spoken as fluently or commonly in some of those places (like Wroclaw in Poland).

SO, they don't think it's important. It doesn't take much time, of course, just return reply with a sentence of confirmation.

I have not had as much luck with FAXes, though, because that is more trouble for them and costs to be sent. I've had a lot of hotels not respond to FAXes, but if they have a regular email address they are using for reservations, they should respond.

That hotel does have good reviews (Lenox Montparnasse) and has been around a long time, so I'm surprised also. I think it will be fine, but it is a little annoying. I do think they just think they told you that you had a reservation, so why do you care if you get an email about it. In reality, I find this handy, but I know that no matter what you have in writing, if you get there and they say they have no room or whatever, it doesn't really matter. There are a lot of decent hotels around the Lenox Montparasse so you wouldn't have to go far to find a room if something happened.

clemson,

When you called them, what did they say? Did you verbally ask for an email or fax confirmation?

Bardo,

On both occasions that I called, I specifically asked to receive written confirmation via e-mail.

When I called this morning, the young lady I spoke with indicated that she didn't beleive that they could get to it today, but that they would try to do it tomorrow (the same thing they said the first time I had called)

Somehow faxes are considered 'legal' in Europe more than emails or something as far as I can tell that's why I'd fax the hotel with the request for a confirmation. Perhaps they will still stall who knows. Honestly I would drop the hotel if you have to beg for a booking confirmation. There are many other nice hotels which will take you seriously.

With all the problems I'm having getting written confirmation, I can't imagine what it would be like to drop the hotel and cancel the reservation.

I've had it happen to me like what happened to you before. I ended up sending a faxed cancellation notice to the hotel with the explanation of what happened so far and informed them that I will notify my credit card company to put any charge in dispute if they end up charging my credit card anyway. The hotel replied to the fax.

The reason they can't "get to" responding by e-mail is probably that only one person in the hotel knows how to use the hotel's one obsolete computer to access e-mail. At least that's how it usually works in France.

Did the e-mail address have a domain name specific to the hotel, or was it something more generic (like yahoo.com or hotmail.com)? A specific domain is a good sign, although many French businesses don't even know how to access their own domain e-mail.

I don't believe this to be the case. They have responded to approximately 4 other e-mails regarding general questions without any problems or delay. They just haven't (won't) respond to the reservation request with a confirmation.

It shouldn't be this hard to book a room in Paris. I say "dump them".
Send a cancellation by fax, keep a copy and watch your credit card until after your trip is over.

Here's another update.

As of this morning, still no e-mail from the hotel.

Discussed issue last night with my wife. She wanted me to wait for a couple of days before calling back. But being the impatient American that I am, I called the hotel again this morning.

I asked to speak with the manager and was connected with the same person that I spoke with yesterday. She told me that she was glad I called because she had misplaced my e-mail address and she was wanting to confirm my reservation.

I provided her with my e-mail and she said that she was sending me an e-mail once we got off of the phone.

Unfortunately I won't be able to confirm receipt of her e-mail until after I get home this evening (my employer blocks access to external e-mail systems from my workstation). Guess I'll just have to wait and see tonight.

I'll let y'all know how it goes.

Yeah ...Got home today and there was an e-mail confirming my reservation (there was also an apology for the late response).

One more hurdle cleared.

Can't wait to get to Paris.

Glad to hear you have something in writing - it always makes me feel a bit more confident! Have a great time!