Booking hotels and tours in Italy

[CruisingSince2012]

I hate the idea of booking a package deal where someone else chooses all hotel reservations and flight tickets. People have said some bad things about doing it. I want to have control over all of the booking details. There is just one problem with that: neither of us speak Italian.

 

How do other people book everything on their own where locals don't speak the same language? Are people who help travelers book tours bilingual? Is it harder to make hotel and restaurant reservations? Any advice would be appreciated.

[iancal]

We have travelled in Italy often over the years. We usually stay in small family run hotels, agritourisms, and B&B's.

 

We also make it a point to eat in the same types of places. We avoid anywhere where the menu is written in 5 languages or the place if full of tourists.

 

Never had a problem. Lots of fun. Same with other parts of Europe.

 

You will not have a problem. Just go with the flow!

 

We make most of our lodging reservations by email. Seldom make dining reservations. We often take a recommendation from our hotel/B&B for a good local tratoria. You need to change up your schedule a little in Italy.

Light breakfast, lunch at 2, dinner from 8PM onwards.

Edited July 11, 2015 by iancal

[SadieN]

We booked through vrbo.com for an apartment in Rome. The owner and I were both using Google translate. Just be very precise. When I said I'd like to book it, he told me there was nothing more to read, lol

[John Bull]

In Italy, and in most of Europe, a high proportion of people speak English - including children, who love to put their language skills to the test.

It's the world's second language.

(strictly-speaking it's more like the world's third language - its second language is America's version of English, including the accent. Good for you, OK for us. ;). But that's for a different thread :p)

More particularly, English is very widely spoken in the hotel & other tourism industries like restaurants & tours.:)

It shows willing and an absence of presumption if you make some sort of effort. For instance in Italy start or finish an e-mail or conversation with "caio" (pronounced "chow"), which means both hi & 'bye before launching into English in an e-mail or asking clearly "sorry I don't speak Italian, do you speak English?"

 

Hotels.

Web-based consolidators are the easiest way to see what hotels are available, where they are & what they have to offer. We use http://www.booking.com because it gives all the info we need & in an easily digestible form, including photos, genuine reviews, facilities, rates, check in/out arrangements, payment details etc. Also check cancellation terms - most can be cancelled up to about 3 days out, some offer the option of a lower price without cancellation rights. You can also bring up a hotel's location on a map, which also shows the locations of all other available hotels. Mebbe experiment with their site for hotels in your home town.

Booking.com advert over, there are other hotel consolidation sites. ;)

No doubt several are equally-good.

If we're going to stay at a hotel longer than a couple of nights we may use booking.com to select a hotel, then google that hotel to see whether we can get a better rate direct or thro' another consolidator.

 

We tend not to bother with booking restaurants ahead or recommendations via Cruise Critic or TripAdvisor, that seems to be a quite American thing to do.

We usually wait to see the circumstances (weather, time, mood, depth of pocket, etc) on-the-day and either rely on advice locally (including hotel staff)

or head for a part of town with lots of restaurants.

 

I avoid cruise air and cruise hotels like the plague.

Air booked thro' a cruise line can be an overly convoluted & inconvenient route, because cruise lines have their pet airlines (sorry, their "preferred air partners") and use them in preference to others which may have direct flights.

Hotels booked thro cruise lines tend to be good, but are international chains and often inconvenient to a destination's sights.

 

Just MHO as always.

 

JB :)

[SPacificbound]

I hate the idea of booking a package deal where someone else chooses all hotel reservations and flight tickets. People have said some bad things about doing it. I want to have control over all of the booking details. There is just one problem with that: neither of us speak Italian.

 

How do other people book everything on their own where locals don't speak the same language? Are people who help travelers book tours bilingual? Is it harder to make hotel and restaurant reservations? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

I book everything on my own, and I do all it online. If I have questions I ask them with emails. It's been my experience that hotels and tour operators do have people who speak and understand English.

[cruisemom42]

The internet is a wonderful thing. :D Most hotels have their own website where you can read information (often available in English, or just use Google translate) and you can book directly either via their booking engine or by sending an email. As someone already answered, if you email most hotels or tour agencies, someone will be able to answer you in English.

 

Really, it's no problem at all arranging things yourself. Tripadvisor is a good resource for hotel reviews (just be sure to read a lot of them; Tripadvisor is not great at weeding out reviewers by interested parties). On their individual city forums you can also ask specific questions about tours and what to see or how to get around.

[SadieN]

In Italy, and in most of Europe, a high proportion of people speak English - including children, who love to put their language skills to the test.

 

It's the world's second language.

 

(strictly-speaking it's more like the world's third language - its second language is America's version of English, including the accent. Good for you, OK for us. ;). But that's for a different thread :p)

 

More particularly, English is very widely spoken in the hotel & other tourism industries like restaurants & tours.:)

 

It shows willing and an absence of presumption if you make some sort of effort. For instance in Italy start or finish an e-mail or conversation with "caio" (pronounced "chow"), which means both hi & 'bye before launching into English in an e-mail or asking clearly "sorry I don't speak Italian, do you speak English?"

 

..........

 

Just MHO as always.

 

 

 

JB :)

 

 

DD lives in Rome. The older generations learnt French as a second language, her generation English. The generation just above was a mixture-- some English, some French. Of course in her neighborhood they all learnt French.

[morbihan]

Go for it. Not a problem at all.

 

I go quite frequently to Venice so over the years I have found a flat to rent that suits us perfectly. Before that I used the internet to find hotels. Never a problem with using English. Most hotels have a page in English.

 

As for the odd hotel stay, I too use Booking.com. never been disappointed but sometimes the choice can be overwhelming!

 

As for restaurants, bit like the flat, we have found three or four favourites and go there. Very boring!

[slidergirl]

If you are truly in fear of booking hotels by yourself because of language issues, I have a small suggestion. Look at the websites of the major chains - Starwood, Hilton, Marriott, etc. Find one of their hotels where you would be comfortable staying. Now, depending on which areas you need the hotel, the choices may not be central. But, like I said, because they are American-based world-wide chains, you may be more at ease working with them.

[Hlitner]

DW and I have traveled many months (over a period of years) in Italy including more then 10,000 miles of driving our own rental cars. We reserve our cars, book our hotels, Agritouristos, inns, restaurants, etc. We do this all by ourselves without speaking any Italian! We have done the same in France (without speaking much French), Germany, etc.

 

We are actually surprised anyone still even asks the question. If you want to book a hotel you can do in on the internet using any of the major booking engines such as Expedia, Orbitz, Venere, etc. When we take lengthy driving trips we often do not have an itinerary more then a couple of days in advance and often just book a day or two ahead by using the internet (nearly all hotels now have internet service).

 

So getting back to the OP, nobody "helps" us book an Italian hotel anymore then when we book a hotel here in the USA. You can do lots of research on the internet on where to stay by looking at various websites such as Tripadvisor or even the major booking engines.

 

One final thought. When we have traveled all over Italy we have seldom had any language barrier problems. Many Italians speak some (or more) English, menus in many restaurants are available in English, and reading a menu in Italian is not even very difficult if you have a simple translation book or a smart phone (with a translator app).

 

Hank

[iancal]

When we travel in Europe the absolute last place that we want to stay in is a US hotel chain. Yes, it may all be very familiar but you will miss out on so much. Go local, get in the groove.

 

We have had some fabulous meals in small establishments where English was not spoken. Sign languages, sometimes a trip to the kitchen and bingo we have a great meal. Cannot count the times we have gone to buy a bottle of wine in a small store, held up two bottles and gestured so that the clerk could recommend one of them..or something else. Always works.

 

Our experience is smile, don't speak loudly, be patient, and all will fall into place as it should.

[zqvol]

I hate the idea of booking a package deal where someone else chooses all hotel reservations and flight tickets. People have said some bad things about doing it. I want to have control over all of the booking details. There is just one problem with that: neither of us speak Italian.

 

How do other people book everything on their own where locals don't speak the same language? Are people who help travelers book tours bilingual? Is it harder to make hotel and restaurant reservations? Any advice would be appreciated.

 

 

Unlike in the US most people in foreign countries speak multiple languages including English. Most locals you deal with will have a working knowledge of English.

[busmech]

Look at Rick Steve's guide books. He even states he does not really speak anything but English, just a few phrases to get by. And he has been doing it for many years. Just enjoy, most tourist areas they speak English, I have not had problems looking for hotels or eating.

[sail7seas]

Neither my late DH nor I speak a word of Italian and we had no problem booking hotels of our choice for Rome, Venice, Florence a number of times. We booked our flights, sometimes using points and sometimes not, hired cars and drivers, arranged tours, dinner reservations, transport between hotels and airports etc......

 

No problem. Book whatever you want. :)

 

[sail7seas]

When we travel in Europe the absolute last place that we want to stay in is a US hotel chain. Yes, it may all be very familiar but you will miss out on so much. Go local, get in the groove.

 

We have had some fabulous meals in small establishments where English was not spoken. Sign languages, sometimes a trip to the kitchen and bingo we have a great meal. Cannot count the times we have gone to buy a bottle of wine in a small store, held up two bottles and gestured so that the clerk could recommend one of them..or something else. Always works.

 

Our experience is smile, don't speak loudly, be patient, and all will fall into place as it should.

 

 

I agree. I don't wish to stay in a Sheraton, Hilton or the like. There are so many fabulous European style hotels in every price range and all locations. Why stay in an "American" style hotel when you can be in a fantastic European hotel and enjoy the differences in style, design, decorating etc Fabulous!

 

Edited July 13, 2015 by sail7seas

[slidergirl]

I agree. I don't wish to stay in a Sheraton, Hilton or the like. There are so many fabulous European style hotels in every price range and all locations. Why stay in an "American" style hotel when you can be in a fantastic European hotel and enjoy the differences in style, design, decorating etc Fabulous!

 

 

I really do agree. But, I mentioned looking at the chains as a way for someone who is afraid to book a "local" hotel because of language, etc., issues to get a hotel. Usually, if one books an American chain, one will get a "known" quantity and comfort in an unknown location. Some may find this comforting on an initial stay to a foreign country. I just offered this as a choice.

I stay "local"probably 90% of the time. Also, since I am an employee of one of those large hotel companies who has multiple brands under it's umbrella, I will stay in one of them when a room is available at the employee rate (which, in certain prime locations, is rare). I can afford to do multiple trips out of the country because of this - I was able to "do" Rome and Florence for $89/night at amazing hotels from my company. If I had to pay $200/night, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I am willing to forgo a prime location for that price (although Florence was a pretty choice location!!!).

[Hlitner]

I am going to think out loud, and although this might sound somewhat elitist we think it is relevant for the OP. We can (and do) give lots of specific advice on the various port boards when it comes to European DIY travel. But when somebody starts asking about "how can you book a hotel in Italy," or "how can I travel in Italy if I do not speak English," they are sending out lots of vibes of inexperience! To fully enjoy DIY land travel one should have some experience or a decent about of what we call "travel sense." Just asking basic questions makes me wonder if the OP would be best served by taking some kind of tour that includes hotels (and perhaps many meals) for their first visit to Italy.

 

The question the OP did not ask is about transportation and this is a major issue with any land travel. Using trains does require some knowledge, and limits travelers to specific places where they have convenient train stations. Using a rental car (our favorite way to see Europe) requires some basic education at driving in Europe, the ability to use a manual transmission (many places in Italy do not even rent automatics), how to avoid ZTLs (limited driving zones) or what to do if you penetrate one, where you can park (and how), etc.

 

We are big fans of the Rick Steves series of guides because we think they do a great job in detailing info needed by many independent travelers. But these guides are just a good starting point for independent travelers, and a lot of pre trip homework can pay tremendous dividends when you are on your own.

 

As to "Chain Hotels" they do have their place in certain circumstances. And one might consider that in Europe the "Best Western" label actually are used by thousands of independently owned hotels (some quite small) which vary in quality from horrendous to excellent. One also needs to be aware that many smaller hotels do not have elevators and some hotels have no air conditioning. Most of the smaller hotels (and many B and Bs) can be booked via the major booking engines (like Orbitz and Expedia) although we personally will often favor the European owned Venere.com for many of our bookings. In some cases we prefer to deal directly with hotels (or small inns) via e-mail. And then there are the times when we (and many experienced) travelers will choose to rent a fully furnished apartment (usually for at least a week) rather then use a hotel. And apartment rentals are an entirely different animal that takes a lot of research and work. But the rewards can be amazing if, for example, you get a great apartment in Paris (we did this last year in St Germain des Pres).

 

Many find all this just too much work and prefer tours. For DW and I we find independent travel to be a wonderful adventure which has paid many dividends to us over our forty+ years of travel.

 

Hank

Edited July 13, 2015 by Hlitner

[sail7seas]

I really do agree. But, I mentioned looking at the chains as a way for someone who is afraid to book a "local" hotel because of language, etc., issues to get a hotel. Usually, if one books an American chain, one will get a "known" quantity and comfort in an unknown location. Some may find this comforting on an initial stay to a foreign country. I just offered this as a choice.

I stay "local"probably 90% of the time. Also, since I am an employee of one of those large hotel companies who has multiple brands under it's umbrella, I will stay in one of them when a room is available at the employee rate (which, in certain prime locations, is rare). I can afford to do multiple trips out of the country because of this - I was able to "do" Rome and Florence for $89/night at amazing hotels from my company. If I had to pay $200/night, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I am willing to forgo a prime location for that price (although Florence was a pretty choice location!!!).

 

 

 

I do admit to staying in The Ritz and Four Seasons in some foreign locations. :o There were outstanding!! But I would try hard to avoid a ho hum U.S. chain. :)

 

[slidergirl]

I do admit to staying in The Ritz and Four Seasons in some foreign locations. :o There were outstanding!! But I would try hard to avoid a ho hum U.S. chain. :)

 

 

Canal-view room in Venice, a hotel right on the Arno with a Arno-view room, beachside resorts in Puerto Rico and Hawaii - I was a lucky recipient of an employee rate. Some of those big corps have good brands - St. Regis and Luxury collection (Starwood), Waldorf Astoria (Hilton), Ritz Carlton (Marriott). I've stayed at hotels where the physical plant remained the same, but changed brands (ex., stayed at Manele Bay when it was Luxury Collection, now a Four Seasons). I will admit that when money is tight, I will look to see if there is an employee rate at a hotel near where I want to really be and book it. Better that than not go at all or have to resort to a fleabag near the train stations ;)

[sail7seas]

St. Regis knows how to 'do it well'. :)

 

[morbihan]

Just check about hiring a car if you passed your test in an automatic.

 

When I was a girl - just after the Vikings and just before the Roman's - you could drive an automatic with a manual licence but not a manual with an automatic. Do you have different licences in America?

 

This was several years ago and may have changed.

 

I would certainly recommend going for it and having an adventure. We don't speak much Italian. None really. Hey, after twenty years together my husband doesn't speak English.

[Hlitner]

Just check about hiring a car if you passed your test in an automatic.

 

When I was a girl - just after the Vikings and just before the Roman's - you could drive an automatic with a manual licence but not a manual with an automatic. Do you have different licences in America?

 

This was several years ago and may have changed.

 

I would certainly recommend going for it and having an adventure. We don't speak much Italian. None really. Hey, after twenty years together my husband doesn't speak English.

 

No, we do not have licenses that differentiate between automatics and standards. We suspect that many clutches have been ruined by fellow Americans renting a manual for the first time :). The reality in our country is that very few younger drivers have a clue as to how to drive a manual and there are very few driving schools that even have manuals for those that want to learn. DW and I are both very experienced on manuals (since we have both owned manual shift cars) and we actually love driving the manuals in Europe. But we are in the minority.

 

Hank