When can I book hotels for my April 2010 trip to Italy??
 

I just tried to see if a few hotels I was interested in were available. I got emails back that they do not take reservations this early in advance. Does anyone know when hotels start taking reservations for April 2010???

Thanks in advance:)

I checked my records and I have started sending letters requesting information for our March-April trips as early as September and as late as January. I have never had a problem getting the hotel I wanted. Maybe I have been lucky. I try to buy the plane tickets by september.

I have usually booked 6-7 months ahead and it has not been a problem. And like Luhimari I have always been able to get the hotel that was my first preference. Maybe you just need to wait a bit. Good luck!

I started looking into and booking hotels in June/July for trips in April/May. A couple places said to check back later since they were not booking yet. If u book far in advance I suggest that u check back about a month or so from your arrival to ensure your reservation is still with them. We had 1 problem last year on our trip to Italy with one of the early bookings. Our reservation was "lost" and I was told that I booked too far ahead. I had checked back with them about 6 weeks before our arrival, but nonetheless no reservation and the place was booked. This past Spring the owner of one of the B&B's we stayed in commented that he didn't understand why Americans booked so far ahead. He said Italians decide a month or so and then off they go!

Hi
I am heading to rome in March and have just started looking for apartments now - so far all are available and seem quite keen to get the booking, so it seems like it wont be a problem to wait a few more months before deciding.

You should, when you e-mail, ask the hotel when is the EARLIEST date you can book.

Some will go ahead and book you on the spot; others will reply as to when you should send another e-mail.

I've had experience with both of these.

So, as to those hotels which said it is "too early" when are you going to re-e-mail them?

We're going to Italy the end of April into May next year too. At this point, I have two reservations made. I contacted all the hotels I wanted and the ones not accepting reservations said to contact them later.....one as early as September and the latest in January. As one who works in the tourist industry it is baffling to me that they don't take reservations now. And I certainly don't understand how they can "loose" a reservation!

Good luck with your planning.

The tourist industry in Italy is not like the tourist industry in the US. Most places are family owned; they don't have huge computer systems to handle bookings, and often the only staff are family members.

If you can't understand or won't accept that, stick with hotels owned by corporate chains.

Hi tb,

>Does anyone know when hotels start taking reservations for April 2010??? <

Depends on the hotel.

((I))

Hi TB,

If you're traveling over Easter I'd suggest making your reservations sooner than later. Especially if you're going to be in Rome. Otherwise, it shouldn't be a big deal. Most hotels, inns and B&Bs typically take reservations a year in advance so there's no reason why you can't make them now.

A lot of hotels in Europe still use a manual ledger system for booking, as antiquated as that might seem. They get the ledger books in December, for use starting in January of the coming year. So if you want to book for 2010, call them or fax or whatever in January.

Some may not book until room rates for those dates have been set, and they do that rate setting annually in the fall for the coming calendar year.

I wanted to reserve a room in Aix (Le Manoir) for a few days in May. So I emailed in late December/early January with our dates. Got a curt email back saying it was too early, to try in February. Sent another email in early February and the place was already booked for our dates. From what I've read about that hotel since, it may have been no great loss.

So, yes, it varies, especially for the smaller places, which are what we prefer.

But when renting villas or apartments, the lead time is much greater, as much as a year or more. The more people you need to house, the more time ahead you need to book.

Concerning a reservation for April next year, I would certainly want to contact a hotel before January. I would not feel comfortable that I would get the booking I preferred unless I got in touch with said hotel by at least this Oct./Nov. You can always try contacting them within that time frame.