Booking Italy hotels on-line

I've been to Italy 3 times for over 2 weeks each time, booked all the accommodations online, and haven't had a problem. However I also spend hours upon hours researching and reading reviews until I find what feels like the "perfect" place to me and what i"m looking for. In Italy in particular I love staying in B&Bs and on my last trip did that exclusively, biggest place I stayed had 7 rooms. Once, a B&B I booked in Rome emailed me a couple weeks before my arrival apologizing profusely that she had double-booked my room for my arrival night only. She put me up in another B&B down the hall, which was of a much lower standard than the place I booked. It was frustrating but did not affect my stay or enjoyment. In this case it was clearly just a mistake and not some kind of overbooking scam. Long story short I don't think there's any way to be "absolutely sure" of anything but I think if you read a ton of reviews of a place and no one mentions having that kind of a problem that you describe, then I think you can probably be pretty comfortable. What I always do is a few days before leaving, write to all the hotels to confirm the reservation and arrival time. That might give you additional peace of mind as well.

In 20+ years of travelling and tons of hotel nights (sometimes weekly for business), this has never happened to me. I really would not worry about this. It is not likely to happen. The best you can do is take a look at the reviews on a site like tripadvisor or in guidebooks and make sure the hotel is reputable. Also, if you are arriving really late, it is good to let the hotel know ... that way they won't think you are a no show. This happens in the U.S. too. It can happen anytime that a hotel is overbooked or unable to provide a room to someone with a reservation. Most of the hotel chains will provide some compensation when this happens as good will. However, it is pretty rare to be "walked". Keep in mind that people are more likely to comment when things go wrong. People don't comment "We arrived at the hotel and they honored our reservation" :)

Tina, That travel tip sounds like it might be a bit "dated". I've booked numerous Hotels in Italy, and never experienced the situation you described. Most of the time, I don't even bother confirming my reservation prior to arrival. However, that would probably be a good idea and very easy to do since I travel with both a Cellphone and Netbook. Happy travels!

Debra, i'd love to hear your B&B recommendations, or where you've stayed and had good experiences.

We've traveled in Italy for over 30 years and this has never happened to us. Booking on line has been pretty goof proof. Although, we are talking about Italy and anything is possible. Buon viaggio,

This happened to me one time. Think we actually ended up with a better view of town than what we would've had at the original place.

Here's the source of that "tip", for anyone who's curious. It's in essence a warning about relying solely on what you see on a website.

I've never had this problem either but I always choose well reviewed hotels. The places that have the best reviews, are RS approved and have high Tripadvisor, Venere.. rankings are the safest bets.

I've booked online through a booking service (booking.com) and have only had two experiences of having the hotel overbooked (in about 50 reservations). In both cases, I was walked (or driven by the hotel) to a superior property at the same price. Since those two incidents, I always confirm via email or phone the day before my arrival.

We've used Booking.com for seversl trips to Italy and have never had a problem. We always read their reviews and look for other reviews also (via Tripadvisor, etc). What we like is that you can cancel most reservations a few days prior to your stay, so if your itineray changes, it's easy to let the B & B or hotel know.

I think it's all about reading the fine print. I've been scouring expedia for rooms in Rome, and I've noted that sometimes the cheapest rate WILL show some fine print (usually where they list the bed size, and whether or not breakfast is included, etc) that says "comparable room in a separate or nearby building). And usually the price for the room pictured is only 10-40 more. I think the key is to read all the fine print and make sure you know what you're getting.