Confirming hotel reservation?

Small hotels in small towns often function on the honor system: ie you promise to show up, they promise to keep a room for you. It is unusual that this kind of hotel would be tied into a reservation system, as they usually function over the phone. I would call to be reassured. Skype is easy and you'll want it for when you travel, anyway.

I would just call - why worry?

011 32 57 33 30 93

Why do you need Skype to make a phone call? Check with your phone company about costs and how to call Belgium. Folks at the hotel probably speak English, but you will do better if you call during their normal business hours. I agree that you need to get a good confirmation from them, so request a follow up email.

Anna - did you email them directly or by using the "contact us" link on their website? If you've tried one you might also try the other. Their reservation form states no credit card needed for booking - the confirmation is generated by their secure booking service and might just be a standard form from the secure booking site. I also found them on at least 4 other booking engines - booking.com, lonely planet, etc... One of those sites stated they speak English so really a phone call would simple.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I will go ahead and try giving them a call via Skype. I don't have a landline, and I assume international calling from my cell phone will cost an arm and a leg whereas Skype is free. Thanks again!

Anna,

Some hotels are running thin on staff, so it may take a few days or even a week for any response.

If youre not leaving tomorrow, give it a week or so.

If you dont receive anything, i would call.

happy trails.

If you're worried, call them. My experience is you get much faster, satisfactory, and reliable results by picking up the phone and calling.

If you're worried about the cost, set up a landline skype account on your computer or smart device and call from there.

Good point, George. It WILL cost me all of 2.3 cents per minute :)

The last time I e-mailed them was at least a few weeks ago, so all signs seem to point to "I'd better just call them." Thanks again for all of your help!

Anna, I'd be interested in your outcome. I, too, have booked a room in a smaller city in Belgium for June. I've got the confirmation e-mail but they also did not ask for a credit card number. Will you post how things turn out for you? Thanks!

This case confirms once again that the phone is the fastest way to solve issues when it comes to hotel reservations.
I also agree that small hotels, especially on the countryside, usually function via the honor system. But one can expect everything. Last time I visited Belgium and the Netherlands, two of the small hotels we stayed in (family owned with up to 4 rooms) were operating through sites such as reservationcounter that I have never heard before. You just cannot imagine how difficult is to change a reservation or to contact them through such portals. Since then, everytime I look for a small hotel I choose these, where we can arrange things by phone...

You might look them up on booking.com to see if there is a notation "Reservation possible without credit card". Thst would explain why they did not ask for that info on their reservation form.

I have booked a lot of rooms without giving credit cards number both in the US and Europe. About the only time you give a cc number is when you want to guarantee the room because of a late arrival.

What is interesting about this question is that the question is often reversed when someone is very paranoid about a giving a credit card number of the hotel. Now someone is paranoid because they did not ask for a number. Cannot win.

It is enough for us to have a email conformation. And we have never had a problem. Even with an early check-in we often find the room is ready for us. So you might not have to store your luggage. And we have never had a hotel that didn't store luggage.

We will often send an email a just before we leave home. "Just to confirm our reservation, looking forward to checking on around 10am on Tuesday." Sometimes they respond and sometimes they do not.

I think you are fine and you are too paranoid. Relax. You can always sleep in the train station.

We are rarely required to give CC info when reserving in a small town, and I also always send a confirmation email a few weeks before the trip. Never had a problem either. I agree if you are having trouble getting a response via email I would call.

Guys, you are responding to an old thread last active 5 months ago. Although Anna never came back to say what the result of her phone call was I am sure she has been and gone by now.