Help! Hotel disaster - advice needed

Do you mean the Hotel de l’Arve? And how are you communicating with them? Via the e-mail and telephone number stated on their website? And did you call during business hours in France, taking the time difference into account?
There is no mention of a reservation on their website and bookings for all dates in August are still possible.
https://www.hotelarve-chamonix.com/en/index.html

Hello, Yes I spelled the name wrong. I have been emailing and calling like crazy. No response at all. And this is a Rick Steves recommended hotel but I cannot reach anyone to make sure they are open.

If anyone can recommend a hotel in Chamonix, I'd appreciate it. I may book a second hotel and see if I can get my money back for the Hotel de Larve.

When did you start mailing them and what address did you use? At what times did you call them and at what number? Did you add the country code for France?
I ask these questions, because in your opening post you write that you just sent them a mail. As I type this, it’s 9:25 am in France. Perhaps they just didn’t have the time to respond yet?

Check to see who actually sent you the email.

I looked at the hotel's website. No mention of renovation and booking is available this month.

I checked with their virtual assistant and it claimed there is no renovation.

Booking.com, Expedia and Trip Advisor all show available rooms on your arrival date. (Limited availability)

No mention anywhere that the hotel is closed for renovation.

Are you sure you have the right hotel phone number and email address? Since you booked through Booking.com you will need to deal with them. Send them an email about your reservation to see if it is still valid.

Hôtel de L'Arve by Happyculture
60 Imp. des Anémones
74400 Chamonix-Mont-Blanc
France
04 50 53 02 31
[email protected]

https://www.hotelarve-chamonix.com/

That the hotel and the email/phone you are trying to contact?

I hope the OP comes back, because there seems to be some kind of misunderstanding. There is nothing to indicate that the hotel is undergoing renovations right now. The hotel’s own website allows bookings for August.
Given the location of the OP and the times the OP posted here, it seems they tried to call both the hotel and the Tourist Information Office outside of the business hours in France. Hopefully all will be resolved once the hotel has had time to respond to the mails from the OP.

Well I'm puzzled- out of curiosity I just phoned them, they answered and confirmed they're open.

I wonder if the OP is the victim of scammers.

Others have had this trouble with booking com reservations.

whatever you do, don't follow the links or buttons on the "alert" email or use any telephone numbers in the email - it will only get worse.

use the official contacts and the booking app only. and don't panic into a mistake

There is more than one Hotel De l'arve on Booking.com -notably the one in Paris. It is not taking reservations until late September and their website is a blank page. Who's thinking what I'm thinking?

I think we found the problem.

I hope the OP checks to make sure his actual booking is with the right hotel.

The hotel in Paris is not called Hotel de l’Arve, it’s called Hotel de l’Avre. The names look the same but the R en V are in a different order. Hotel de l’Arve is in Chamonix, Hotel de l’Avre is in Paris.
This confusion is exactly why I keep on correcting spelling mistakes on this forum as small as they may seem and despite other posters sometimes giving me grief about it.

So hopefully the OP comes back to this thread and can comment which hotel they made the booking with and from which mail address they received the mail that the hotel was closed for renovations.
Hopefully the booking is with Hotel de l’Arve in Chamonix, but the mail exchange with Hotel de l’Avre in Paris.

Sounds like the forum may have figured out the problem with your booking. But, if you do need to look for another hotel I can recommend Apart'hotel Le Genepy. The rooms include a little kitchenette which comes in handy and it's location and views are awesome. We had a wonderful stay there.

Hello Everyone,
Thank you for all your responses. Yes, I double checked the name, email address and phone number of the hotel (and yes I realized I misspelled their name in haste when I first started this post). I even contacted the Chamonix tourism office and after a few back-and-forth emails they were able to confirm the hotel is open.

This all started because I had tried to inquire as to whether they had either air conditioning or an in room fridge as I travel with medication that needs to be kept at a certain temperature. In response, I received auto-generated email saying they would be closed for renovations until September.

I double checked their number even emailed the Chamonix tourism office and they confirmed the number I had so I tried calling the hotel about 20 times last night, which would have been between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in France. They never picked up the phone or responded to my subsequent emails either.

I am going to trust that they are open and keep the hotel recommendation provided in this thread in my back pocket and hope for the best. Thank you all! This was quite unnerving as I have never had a hotel not respond or never answer their phone.

And I just checked my reservation, it is for the Hotel De l'Arve in Chamonix, not Paris.

Just to add that there is a communication channel on booking.com that you can use to contact the property as well.

Refrigerated Medicine. Options are to have a container that can refrigerate separately or to ask for ice at the hotel if no fridge. I’ve never had a hotel turn me down for ice.

I’m still trying to understand what happened here, because it doesn’t make sense. Can you please share with us the email address to which you send the email which triggered the automated response?

I believe what happened is I may have initially emailed the wrong Hotel de l'Arve, hence the auto-generated response saying they were closed until September for renovations. The problem, however, was the fact that the Hotel de l'Arve in Chamonix did not answer their phone even though I called some 30 times within the last 24 hours. I have double checked their email and am waiting to see if they respond.

Just an observation, but with 30 calls in 24 hours they might presume it is a scam call and not answer?

You didn’t mail the wrong Hotel de l’Arve, you mailed to Hotel de l’Avre. The names are similar, but the letters R and V are in a different order.
Earlier today morning fellow poster Simon wrote that he called Hotel de l’Arve and that they answered the phone and confirmed they were open. What number did you call and did you add the country code for France?

I have always, always had a response from a lodging going through the Booking.com system. Go the them and call up your reservation # and there should be a spot to click on "contact your host", or whatever the wording is. I don't remember exactly how it is worded, but I have always had success and a swift response. (Not instantaneous of course, but usually within a few hours.)

Dutchtraveler,
I am with you on the spelling mistakes. Sometimes it sets my teeth on edge to see Lourve for Louvre, for example. As I am on old (82 y/o) person who had years of strict grammar and spelling lessons all through grade and high school, I am one of those curmudgeons who holler "fewer" at the TV when they incorrectly use the word "less". We diagrammed sentences in the English portion of our school day from third through eighth grade. I applaud those who pay attention to spelling, especially in the French language and with place names. You will not be criticized by me, Dutchtraveler!

My hubby spent his early childhood in France, and when he returned to the US he hardly knew any English. When he wrote to his grandparents in Marseille as a twelve year old, Tonton would mail his letters back with spelling and grammar corrections, in red ink, often accompanied by quotes from Boileau.

I think today's constant use of keyboards and shortcuts has let us forget capitalization, punctuation, grammar and nuance. I don't wish to live in the past, but there are parts of our language past that help us understand better what others are saying, and help others understand us better.

Okay rant and random thoughts are finished.

Thanks for letting my piggyback your comment.

When I called there was a brief automated message asking me to hold the line, and then a staff member answered. They sounded slightly puzzled to be asked, but assured me they were open. Enjoy your stay!

Thanks Dutch_traveler and Judy. I'm with all y'all on this. Sometimes it helps to be OCD.

That's so strange Simon because they still haven't picked up for me but I am relieved because they finally emailed back and confirmed my reservation. Thank you all!

Maybe this could be solved further if folks would provide phone numbers they called...???

We've stayed there on two different trips to Chamonix. I think everything will be just fine. I hope you get a room with a view of the mountain. It's spectacular!

Thank you mnannie. Very reassuring!

Funny, i’ve stayed at both Hotel de l’Arve in Chamonix (was not a fan) and Hotel de l’Avre in Paris.

I always use Booking.com for hotels, i always choose the cancel up to 24 hrs ahead option, and would have just cancelled my booking and easily found another hotel in Chamonix on Booking if i had a problem.

I’m with you Dutch, Judy and Pharmer Phil on spelling and grammar.
Especially in another language, it can be very important.

Judy, my pet peeve here is when people say/write “the D’Orsay.” It is “the Orsay” if you aren’t saying the full name. Nails on a blackboard to me.

Susan,
I wholeheartedly agree!