Leely2

Oh I now see rialtogirl's post #14--I agree with her assessment: busy period, perhaps a misunderstanding, requesting reservations way way in advance as opposed to when you arrive or shortly before you arrive, etc.

Can't wait to read your trip report! I still think about cruschi...

Jean

You were surprised, based on your previous experience, but I don't think it's useful (or worth the time) to imagine excuses for the hotel's responses. The hotel is in the hospitality business, and you're the guest. They can choose to provide (or not) any particular service for any reason at all. But it's your money to spend where and how you wish. Have a great time!

ekscrunchy

Thank , jean and to all who answered here , and politely, too.

i am sure it will all work out!!

ekscrunchy

Just to offer an example of how I do thing when traveling to a country where restaurants are a big interest. Here is an e-mail that i just mailed to a hotel in Fiumicino town; just for further info, when I looked at the hotel website's booking engine, they showed no availability for my date. But a personal e-mail apparently shows that there is a room available.

<<Buenissimo, Alfredo!!!


Yes, we would like to confirm the one night…..29 Settiembre?

If you have a large room available, we would like that..

Would you like me to confirm with Amex credit card?



Also, would you kindly reserve for me dinner on that evening at Pasciucci al Porto. at an inside table, for 20:00 hours on 29 Settiembre?


Grazie mille….I will forward the credit card information as soon as I receive your response.

erica

TwoYutes

Never, ever send credit card information via email. Not saying that's what you meant, by "sending," but worth pointing out regardless.

Honestly, if a small place like you describe goes through the trouble and expense of putting in a restaurant on site, asking the person who bore the brunt of that cost and effort to book me another place to eat would not even cross mind, but I'm a small business owner. I've answered the calls asking me a million questions about something the "customer" was considering on Amazon, while my inner voice shouted, "Why don't you call Jeff Bezos and ask him?"

An understandable policy. It differs from your previous experience, but fair enough considering their business went through a major change. Asking for the manager (owner) and pushing the issue has the ring of entitlement.

ekscrunchy

Well I certainly do not agree. We were spending about 1000 euro a night for 3 nights, had been there before, and written a glowing report of our first stay there, which I sent to them. (After they read the report, their attitute changed slightly and they then agreed to book at least two of the restaurants I wanted, and no, this was not a review on TripAdvisor) I have a lot of experience traveling in Italy over many decades and this is the first time any hotel has refused to do that simple favor of making a phone call. No matter, as problem has been solved by my decision to book another place.

i have sent cc info over e-mail for decades, usually with Amex.....how can I be harmed by doing this? Amex will cover any malfeasance, of which I've had none in decades of traveling.

I nnoticed, Two Yutes, that you are a new poster here....have you taken many independent trips to italy?

TwoYutes

Why did I know, with 100% certainty, that this would be your reply? Email is not secure for many reasons, but it's how you've always done it, so let Amex clean up any mess that causes. I've been in ecommerce close to thirty years, and worked in credit card processing, but what do I know?

They're not a hotel. Doesn't the word you used mean farmhouse? That's a smaller operation, with fewer staff, and at some point they made the business decision not to do outside restaurant bookings. They sat down, thought about what was best for their business, and chose not to book outside dining for guests. Clearly they had a reason. You can respect that reason, or let your entitlement fly. Up to you.

Only a few, but it doesn't matter if it's Italy or Tucson, AZ, when a small business states a policy, whether you like it or not, it's based on their experience. You can choose to respect their experience and decision, or do more of the Karen demands the manager thing.

crellston

Hmm. These forums seem to be attracting some weird posts of late. Amazon, Jeff Bezos... What on earth has this to do with a hotel making restaurant reservations. As for "entitlement" words fail me. I would just ignore.

SusanP

Anyplace that is charging 1000 Euro per night should certainly be willing to make a couple of phone calls! Plus, as I noted above, it's also the manner in which they refused. Calling a customer rude is never a good idea. Lesson needed in customer service.

bilboburgler

+1

rialtogrl

For real. I had no idea 3000 euros was going to be paid for 3 nights. In this case make the reservations, sprinkle gold flakes on the cereal, and offer a massage before bed. What is the name of this farmhouse?

ekscrunchy

For the record, it is 1000 for 3 nights; 300 per night. And this is a hotel, no matter what name they choose to call themselves. The now-Rocco-Forte-owned Torre Maizza in nearby Savelletri caled themselves a masserie on the 4 occasions that we stayed there, not far from the hotel in question. They still call themselves that although their ratres are edging up wway past the 1000 euro per night in season. Many of the hotels in Puglia, be they small 2-room operations or sprawling full service hotels. Many upscale Pugliese hotels now seem to dub themselves masserie.....like many Andalucian hotels can themselves hacendas even if the rate if closing in on 1000-plus per night euro and regardless if they were, in fact, simple farms holdings in the past.

******Still waiting to hear of all the malfeasance that Amex has to clear up if someone send their Amex info via e-mail. Other than sending by e-mail, how to do this????? Me thinks the interloper here has less experience in Italy than he claims to have.

In any case, all is settled to our satisfaction. Or should I say, to the satisfaction of one KAREN????? WHAT????
A Karen is a person who asks a hotel to make a phone call to book a room?? I cannot wait to show this to the owners of the hotels we will visit...

rialtogrl

Apologies, I was referring to your post above where you say you were paying 1000 a night.

shelemm

I don't understand why the OP can't just call the restaurants directly. I mean if the hotel can do it, then the OP can do it.

starrs

That's the part I don't understand as well. It would never occur to me to have them book my meals. Even if they did it (happily) 20 years ago, I'd take them at their word that they no longer do that - after adding their own restaurant.

I have asked a concierge to book a dinner for me, once I was there. But making that requests months in advance, and multiple restaurant requests? Nah.

starrs

That made me laugh!

HappyTrvlr

Since I always have asked my hotel to pre book our restaurant reservations, I have been surprised at the reactions to this. On our most recent trip, as soon I booked the hotel in Paris, the hotel replied with an offer to book restaurants for us without my asking them.

nonconformist2

I don't think it was rude for you to ask. But I do think following up a no from a junior member of staff with "I know the owner" might perhaps come across as a bit entitled?

Melnq8

Sending credit card details via e-mail is not, and never has been, secure.

I'm guessing the OP sends in two different e-mails, which some people do, but I'm personally not comfortable with doing.

When providing credit card details to a hotel that doesn't offer secure online booking, I call, and provide them over the phone.

TwoYutes

It is a compliance violation of PCI DSS to process a transaction with credit card information received via email. PCI is a global payments industry standard. The hotels you do this with could face fines and other penalties over your behavior.

Op's card could be compromised on a mail exchange server, sold on the dark web, and used at some poor merchant who will then be out the product sold, out the money for the sale, and hit with chargeback fees, but Amex will make sure OP doesn't foot the bill for their own carelessness.