Booking hotel/hostel online. Is it safe?

I book almost all our travel online & (so far) have not had a problem. However, you might want to phone & confirm with the hotel - talking with a real, live person somehow is more comforting. If I'm doing a tour with something like friendlyplanet.com or chinafocustravel.com, I don't confirm the individual hotels, but when you're doing the reservations yourself, it can't hurt and will give you some peace of mind in this case. I'm leaving for the UK on Friday & have 4 different places I'll be staying - I made reservations for a week at a hotel in London online then confirmed & gave my payment info on the phone. The other places I'll be emailing to confirm & let a couple of them know we may be checking in late. The only problem I see is if you gave your credit card thru email, it may not be secure. If you used a booking service (expedia, bestlovedhotels, etc.), it's probably fine. Just confirm, double check (carry all your printed-out info with you) & enjoy your trip!

Every trip I've taken in the last 5 years has been booked over the internet and I've never had a problem. I checked their website and it looks legit - just make sure you keep the receipt and any e-mails you received from them until you've stayed and paid the bill without hassle. It's very likely that they are run by a company who owns several other properties and that's the Le village you're seeing - this has happened on several occasions when I book with smaller hostels/hotels. If you're still worried, call your credit card and have them look into it. Most companies will be happy to do so.

I've booked with several 'budgety' hotels online in Paris and Barcelona and have always given them my cc number in an email. I've never had the card charged though - it has just been to reserve the rooms and then I pay in cash when I get there. Personally I think it is odd to have to pay the whole amount before you even get there, though I know it is common to do so upon your arrival at the hotel.

I wouldn't necessarily be concerned that they are ripping you off, but more that it isn't a very accommodating way to do business. Especially with the automatic no-response email. On the plus side - at least your rate is locked in - no matter if the dollar continues to slide. :-)

I echo what the other have said. I realize this seems a touch out of the ordinary. But bring that receipt with you to prove that everything has been charged. I had this happen to me in the US before, and having that receipt that proved that my CC was already charged. So it's not a concern for only Europe.

Rachel,

it's not odd to pay over the internet and get charged at the same time. it depends how the hotel set up their rules and technology. When a web site accepts payments over the internet , they get charged and in Europe could be even more expensive.Maybe that's why some hotel web sites don't charge the customer's credit card and they prefer a cash payment. I paid for my hotels online a few times and I didn't have any problems.
Joe,
I wouldn't be woried about the different name that showed on your credit card statement. maybe they use "le village" to accept payments over the internet or maybe it's the same owne or chain.
There is a web site called whois.net where you can check the real name of a company that has a web site.