Pre-tour hotels

I emailed the hotel directly for September 2022 in Florence, and they did book me. Another hotel I emailed for June 2022 in Porto replied that they wouldn't be booking next June til this fall. So it all depends. Might as well email them!

Thanks for the good advice.

Maybe consider adding two post-tour nights before you jump on your plane. It's a great way to unwind.

I asked my travel agent to book my pre- and post-Rick hotels. She found an excellent deal in a corporate property within easy walking distance. That was back in 2019, though, and everything was a bit different; the Steves tour hotels were completely booked, sold out many many months in advance. The corporate property was not modern or sterile. It was a charming old hot with a major brand over the door. It was, actually, a pleasant change after two weeks of thoroughly adequate and charming small b&bs.

I emailed the first hotel for sept 2022 mentioning we were part of Rick Steves tour. Received an immediate answer and was able to book with credit card info. Will not be charged till check-in.

Pat, this was my experience yesterday also. I am so thrilled to be planning a trip to the UK again, even if it is next year.

Which tour? We are doing France My Way in Sept. 2022. We haven't booked our extra nights pre and post yet, but planned on trying this September.

Which tour are you on? I’m doing the South of France tour beginning Sept. 11. I emailed the tour hotel in Chartres to reserve the night before as soon as I received my confirmation. They were very helpful. I’ll have the same room so I won’t have to change rooms for the tour.

I’m spending 4 nights in London then 4 nights in Paris prior to heading to Chartres. When the tour ends in Nice 9/23, I’m taking an early train to Milan for one night on my way to Venice for 4 nights.

I'm doing two tours Sept 2022 and I simply emailed the hotels and made the reservations. It wasn't too early for a direct reservation.

We emailed both hotels (pre and post tour) as soon as I received confirmation for the tour. It took about a week of back and forth with the hotels but have received confirmation for both.

I am also booked on a RS tour Berlin, Prague, Vienna for August 28, 2022. I booked an extra night in Berlin pre-tour. We will be arriving in Berlin from Amsterdam, after spending a few days there, so we will not be jetlagged. Hotel was very responsive, and I reserved with my credit card, but will pay at the hotel.

I admit I felt a little silly reserving a hotel room over one year in advance, but the hotel was great, the process was smooth, and we have a guaranteed room and piece of mind. Can't wait to go!! Thanks everyone for your advice. Appreciate it.

jerriarizona, we've booked extra nights ahead of time on each of our RS tours. I like to talk to hotel staff and ask questions about how things work. Without exception, the managers have told me that they are very experienced at working with RSE and know what to expect from RS tour groups. In some cases, a new RS tour is arriving every few days, and once we had two groups overlapping in the same hotel. So they plan for people to request those extra nights by blocking some rooms, and handle those requests specially, and outside their normal booking systems in order to accommodate us. So nothing to feel silly about.

Jerri, we have always had wonderful experiences with the RS hotels, and usually arrive 2-3 days before the tours begin. A few years ago, we planned to arrive and stay at the first tour hotel in the Trastevere area of Rome…for seven additional nights. The hotel was able to accommodate us with the exception of one night right in the middle of the week. We emailed back and forth…they were so concerned that they insisted that one of the clerks was arranging to take us home (with him) if they couldn’t find another hotel for that one night. They found a night for us at another hotel, so all good. Needless to say, we packed See’s candy for all of them! I booked the Dublin hotel for a few days before our September 2022 tour and they were very gracious.