aduren

I am trying to make sure my reservations at Hotel Roubiax in Paris for Sept. are still in tact, but I can't get a response! I called in early June b/c I read on here that Sept. is a busy month, and the guy that answered said it was very early, and to call back in August. Since then, I found websites and such online that allows you to make online reservations, and I've also emailed them from the eurocheapo website, but I never got a response! I keep forgetting to call every time I get off work, (which I obviously need to do) but has anyone else had problems making reservations online or getting a confirmation? Oh, another question, when I called last time, I didn't want to just start spouting off in English and be rude, so I asked if he spoke English in French, and he says "yes, of course" like "you idiot" - is there a better way to get the guy to speak in English w/out being rude? I imagine I'll have the same situation many times while in Europe. Maybe I ought to make this a different thread...

111op

I think that smaller hotels tend to be bad with e-mails -- or it could be that the hotel is closed for vacation. Yes, it's possible -- since I'm in the process of booking hotels for early September, I'm going through much of the same and I found out that a hotel I'm interested in is actually closed in August.

SuzieC

If I were to call I'd call first thing in the morning in the US time so that you get the "day staff"...not after I got home, say at 6:00 E.D.T which would be midnight in Paris...

And, I'm writing kindly, with a smile, but Aduren you wrote: "and he says "yes, of course" like "you idiot" - is there a better way to get the guy to speak in English w/out being rude?"

Any chance you misunderstood? You're on the telephone and he answers you in accented English?...and you "hear" "like you idiot?" I'm just proposing that it is examples just like this that be responsible for misunderstandng and calling the Parisians "rude"...

m_kingdom2

My dear, start spouting off in English, you're the one doing them the favour, not the other way around.

Travelnut

It looks like this is the email for the hotel, in case you used a different one: [email protected]

Or you could try sending a fax:
01 42 72 58 79

Did you reserve via their own website? They're supposed to email a confirmation to you...
http://www.hotel-de-roubaix.com/index-gb.htm#

aduren

The first time I called the Hotel Roubaix, the the guy tells me to call back in a couple hours b/c he is "busy." so the next time I call (I'll clarify) I say "Bonjour, Monseiur, do you speak english" in french, and he replies, "yes! yes, of course I speak english!" But if you say so, he was just being French and I will continue to ask people if they speak English. I don't take it as him being rude, I take it as I'm pro'ly insulting the guy b/c it would be like me working in an immigration office in Texas and someone asking me if I spoke Spanish - I'd probably answer the same way

Christina

I don't understand exactly what you mean when you say you are trying to reserve "online." If you just mean emails, or you mean specific hotel booking web sites that are not the hotel itself. If so, I'd avoid those middlemend.

I have had occasional problems getting answers from French hotels by email. only about 10-20 pct of them, though. If they don't respond within a few days to the first one, I usually write them off. Usually they will be very prompt with the first reply, and then won't respond to any follow-up questions (or they'll respond, but won't specifially answer your question).

As for the "of course" thing, I had to laugh about that. What you need to understand is that is a very very common French response to about anything. The guy probably wasn't insulted at all, although the tone might have made you think that, he probably wasn't. If he was, there's nothing you can do about it, so don't worry about that, asking is the correct thing to do.

If you can manage it, I think it would be a little softer or more polite to say more than just "do you speak English?" For example, when I ask a question like that in a foreign language, I usually try to learn enough in that language to say something like "pardon me, but I don't speak (insert language) very well, do you speak English?"

aduren

Thanks Travelnut! However, I tried faxing (wouldn't go through) emailed, did the online reservation... if they all went through there should be about 8 rooms reserved under my name. I never got a response from any. But since you mention it, I think I will do another online reservation and see if they will reply this time.

aduren

Excellent! I will use that phrase, Christina, instead. I called another hotel and accidentally asked if he spoke French. Then I apologized in English, then asked in French if he spoke English, all with a slight southern accent. He probably said he didnt' have any rooms b/c he thought I was a total idiot I suppose I need to practice!

Keren

Hi Aduren,
Like I said on the other thread, it took them about 2 months to reply (2 weeks before my departure). By then I'd already reserved a room in a different hotel.