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Just a bit of advice when booking B&B's

Posted by (southern california) on

We have not gone on our trip to Ireland yet but I have some advice to pass on. For those of you who have not booked your own Bed and Breakfast before let me share some insight.

PLEASE do not be afraid to book direct. In fact I encourage booking direct either via a phone call or emailing the B&B directly. RS also shares the same view. I usually start with an email and then phone the B&B directly to give them Credit Card information. For the most part everyone is a joy to talk to and sometimes we end up chatting for a bit.

I have noticed that some of the B&Bs (even when you go directly to their website) have an online booking form. This is a bit odd because when I have looked at the price online it has in some cases been higher than when I contact them directly. Not always but in some cases.

Trip Advisor is a good place to start. You can view photos from travelers and read what they have to say. I must laugh at some of the things people complain about but I guess some folks are hard to please.

One last thing and I think this is very important. If you do an online booking or book through a 3rd party DO confirm with the B&B. One of the B&Bs we booked at had the "online booking" form even though we went directly to their website. As I was reviewing the email I noticed that it was a request for a reservation. It stated that if we had not heard from the B&B in 48 hours to contact them directly. Well, it had been over 48 hours so I called and left a message and also emailed them. I finally received an email back from the B&B accepting the reservation.

Okay, maybe this is the last comment :) DO, DO, DO re confirm your reservations. We are 3 months out from our trip and for those couple of reservations I made using the online booking form (this is a form that is the same on several of the sites so I am assuming it is a 3rd party booking the B&B uses) I am going to keep calling or emailing until I feel I have reached a real person. One month out from our trip I am going to personally make contact again and reconfirm with all 13 B&Bs. That way they know I am coming and I know they still have a room for me.

Posted by
82 posts

Thanks for this bit of advice! Like you we have not gone to Ireland yet and are in the process of making some reservations. Someone in this Travel Forum recommended using www.airbnb.com - which I've found easier than contacting individual B&B's by email. The service also has an app. However a phone call might be even better - and maybe less expensive. This is such a learning experience!

Garrison

Posted by
239 posts

gemartt,
You are welcome! I have attached a reply from one of the B&Bs we have a reservation with. This was a reply to a comment from Someone on Trip Advisor who was less than pleased they did not have a reservation. This might help to explain why (I believe) it is important to get an acknowledgement from the B&B themselves.

And let me add that our phone service (through our cable company) allows us to call Ireland for free. Also, I usually get a reply to my emails within 24 to 36 hours depending on when I send the email.

"As a small business, we try our best to serve our guests to help them have an enjoyable stay in Kilkenny. And, with just seven rooms - juggling online bookings with direct phone bookings means on a very odd occasion, by the time someone phones and books a room, someone else could have booked it online. Not ideal, but in some circumstances it is completely unavoidable. However, in all situations where we are left with having to cancel a reservation, I always either source alternative accommodation for them or assist them with suggestions of B&Bs who I know have availability."

Posted by
3122 posts

I'll add something I experienced when booking directly.

The B&B ran a 1-Euro charge on my credit card, just to make sure the credit card was valid. But they didn't tell me they were going to do this, nor did they tell me that their business name was different from the name of the B&B. As a result, I got an urgent phone call from my credit card's fraud dept. asking about a 1-Euro charge to a name that wasn't familiar to me. Naturally I said that was not an authorized charge, so my credit card got canceled and I had to get a new one. Meanwhile the B&B saw that my 1-Euro charge was declined. Luckily, instead of simply canceling my reservation, they sent me an email -- but that wasn't until the next day. So, I had to wait and get my new credit card and then tell my new credit card number to the B&B.

No harm done, but it was a hassle and you certainly wouldn't want this happening multiple times with multiple reservations!

Posted by
16894 posts

This weekend, I booked a small hotel through Facebook (first time to see that). Received my automated confirmation email and thought I was done. While I double-check everything before placing an order, I can't say that I always read automated order confirmations with the same care. But it's a good thing that I actually read this one, since it said, "If you have just booked through Facebook, please call us or reply with your credit card number."

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