My husband & I are going to Italy in September 2008. We found a few places we'd like to stay but (different to what Rick Steves' book said) actually found cheaper prices on hotels.com. We want to know if we do book on hotels.com, if we would actually have a reservation when we showed up, or if it was frowned upon it Europe.
Frowned upon? Hotels.com is a major travel website and any reservations they sell have the blessing of the hotel. If you've found a good rate go for it.
I've used hotel.com often in Europe - no issues. I've also hedged my bets by calling to confirm my reservations too... In my past, I worked as a travel consultant and used hotels.com often. They do have an International presence.
Ciao,
Ron