Pre-tour hotel booking question

I would contact the hotel directly and ask them. If you booked your pre-tour room through the hotel (and not, say, through a third party seller like hotels.com), you're staying in the same kind of room, and they can accommodate you, you'll probably be able to get the same room. When I arrived in Stockholm last year a day ahead of my RS tour, I didn't even have to ask. They had my name flagged on the tour roster and asked if I'd like the same room.

Caroline

We're Newbies, and I wasn't looking forward to checking out by 11am at some hotel, and then hunting up our tour hotel (check in about 3pm--so we'd carry our luggage around Venice until then). But we were able to call RS for the hotel information, called our hotel in Italy directly and "We'll be happy to have you" was the hotel's answer. I'll find out next week!!! :)

So excited all the months of planning/waiting are finally down to a week!! Best wishes on your trip!

I always arrive 1 or 2 days before the tour. When I book the hotel room, I leave a note in the comment section that I will be part of the RS tour. I have always stayed in the same room pre- and during tour without specifically requesting it.

Thanks everyone for the insights. I didn't think there would be a problem, but I just wondered what others' experiences were like with this issue.

Happy travels all!

I have taken 13 RS tours (soon to be 14) and always arrive at the first tour hotel a couple of days before the tour begins.
I have always asked to reserve a room for my pre-tour stay that I can stay in during the tour stay. This has worked every time with one minor exception that I attribute to a language problem.

My experience has been the same as the others with regard to staying in the same room before and after. I will also add that I book on the hotel website and add a note indicating I am part of a RS tour.

Now, most recently I tried to book 2 nights before a GAS tour on the hotel booking site which took me to booking.com. The site indicated the hotel was full. I emailed the hotel directly and got a reply back within hours indicating they had plenty of room and made a reservation for me for my requested dates. My point in bringing this up is that if for some reason the hotel booking site shows full, do email directly just to see what they say.

I have done 4 RS tours and had a varying amount of success staying in the tour hotel pre- and post-tour. In a couple cases, the hotel was kind enough to keep me in the same room, but as I was traveling solo it wasn't always possible (I was doing the room-share with other solo tourmates). Just ask the hotel when you book and remind them at check in that you're with RS tour. With more recent tours, I found the tour hotel was outside my normal budget. But I was able to find a more reasonable option in the same vicinity; I just left my bag at the tour hotel on the day I switched hotels.

We've never had a problem. One time, in Palermo, the hotel said they could accommodate us before the tour began, but that we'd have to change rooms. But they emailed us back a few days later saying that we'd be okay, we wouldn't have to change rooms.

We usually book the tour hotel before and after a tour, but at least once (Best of London) the price offered us by the tour hotel was way over our budget, so we stayed somewhere cheaper until the tour began, then went back to our cheapie as soon as the tour ended. It wasn't onerous, and saved us a lot of money. But that was an exception; usually we stay in the tour hotel, especially if we're only extending our stay by one day before or after the tour.

I will also agree with previous comments. I always contact the tour hotel via email. I let them know I will be on the RS Tour beginning on (appropriate) date. Then, I request a room for whatever extra days I want. I also request the same room, if possible. This has never failed. In fact, this year, the hotel connected me recently. They were making room assignments for my upcoming tour. They were clarifying room type desired, there was a slight conflict, double or twin bedded( bed made into a double). The hotel wanted to insure I got the room I wanted. I am getting even more excited, my tour begins in a few weeks.

I flew into Athens a day early for my Best of Greece tour about 7 years ago. I had made arrangements to stay at the tour hotel but when I arrived there were air conditioning problems and they instead booked me at a much fancier hotel about 1/2 a mile away, for which I was charged the same rate as the original booking. Not only that, they paid for a cab to take me there. I wanted to walk, having been on planes for a whole day, but they insisted.
They wanted me to call a cab the next day to bring me back, but I walked instead and they seemed disappointed!

And almost 20 years ago, when the hotel at the end of the RS Best of Italy couldn't give me a room for the night (when I inquired some weeks before the tour) after the tour ended, they assured me that they would "take care of me." And they got me a room at the convent around the corner for 1/2 of what I would have paid at the hotel. And they still helped me book a shuttle to the airport.

I think that the hotels that the RS tours use are highly motivated to keep their customers (and Rick) happy and satisfied. So I would be surprised if your experience isn't a good one.

I have had 100% success in booking extra nights at the tour hotels....pre-tour & post-tour. With that being said, I try to book as soon as I finalize my pre-tour/post-tour plans. This usually happens in January/February.

Once I had to switch rooms when the real tour began.....but the hotel accommodated me in regards to my bag and my plans for that day. If you do have to switch.....just adjust your plans so you do not waste time.

I always tell them I am with the RS Tour......I have always received a discount on the room.