Q – We’ve been going on three major trips a year for the past five years, using a travel agent with whom we feel we have a good relationship. But she is always telling us that we should reconfirm our reservations at hotels even though she has made the bookings. We’re rather tech savvy so no big deal but we were wondering if we’re doing her job?
A – If you are arriving at a five-star resort or hotel property, your agent should be making the reservations through personal contacts. In that case there is no need for you to personally reconfirm. If your reservations are, on the other hand, being made by a traditional travel agent using an airline computer system (GDS), then it is a good idea for your to reconfirm the morning prior to your arrival or the morning of your arrival. This is a particularly good idea if you are requesting a unique position, corner room, next to elevator, etc., or if you have very specific bedding needs. Many properties, for example, routinely overbook King-size beds. Unless you remind the property of what you want, your agent’s original request could go unnoticed or get lost in the hotel shuffle.
So then, it really depends on how you were booked and who booked you. If you booked online or through a travel agent using an airline computer, reconfirming is a good idea.
