payment of hotel

If you're talking about the Bristol Resort and Spa in the Rapallo Genoa area, yes, if you do the reservation through their web site they accept credit card, and there is no reason to think that they wouldn't accept it at the reception desk as well, especially for a hotel that large. You should be able to pay with a US credit card, they will charge it in Euros, and then your credit card (Visa, Mastercard, Diners Club, JCB, or Amex) will take care of the conversion to US dollars.

It depends on how big the hotel is. Most larger hotels will take credit cards. Just send them an email to confirm. They should bill your card in euro which your credit card company will convert to US $. If you plan to use your credit card a lot, here's some advice: 1. make sure you know what kind of service charges or additional fees your card will charge on a foreign currency transaction - these can be higher than you think 2. call your credit card company in advance to tell them where you are going to minimize the chances of your card being refused due to fraud detection programs the credit card companies have 3. Also have the vendor charge you in euro. If they charge you in US $ I guarantee you will be paying a lot more money as the exchange rate they will use will be much more than it should be.
4. Be prepared to use cash - a lot of places in Italy won't take credit cards

thank you. that is the hotel, and my thoughts were the same about conversion on the card. I only hesitated when it did not post the usual credit cards accepted and they did not respond to my email. We are using your suggestions to the Cinque Terre region - so thank you!

Tracey, because you said "we're using your suggestions" it appears that you think that these responses on this bulletin board are from the Rick Steves company. They are not. We're just a bunch of interested travelers who share opinions and experiences through this bulletin board that is hosted but not monitored by the Rick Steves people. Just want to make sure that you understand that. Happy travels.

oh... well, I am taking all your advice, especially about calling credit card ahead of time. This is the first time I am going without a tour - the other two times I was on tours. Thank you all for your generous advice.