Suspicious email after reserving Rome hotel

[Kelmn07]

Hello,

 

I was wondering if anyone has booked a hotel through Venere and received any suspicious e-mails afterward? I booked a hotel this morning, but received a suspicious email from the hotel saying that it double booked and that my reservation was cancelled.

 

The e-mail was very suspicious with the hotelname.hotelnumber at venere.comssssssssss1. The email was very brief and the person's signature only had his first name-but it had all of my booking information on it (hotel, date, first and last name).

 

I called CS right away and forwarded the email to them, but they assured me that my reservation was still confirmed in their system, and basically told me to ignore the e-mail (right, ignore an e-mail with my information in it). I thought their site was secure, but it could be a security problem on my end I supposed? (I have a direct connection, not wifi) I'll be keeping an eye on my cc every day. Just wondering if something like this has ever happened to anyone else?

[riffatsea]

I have never had a prob booking with Venere but I have NEVER had to pay for a hotel upfront with them!!

I always just book the hotel and then pay when I am there!! Your credit card should not be charged.

Who is CS??

[Kelmn07]

I did not pay up front either but I did have to input my credit card to reserve the room. CS=customer service. I am just concerned as to where the email came from if it had my booking details, but is not from venere, and certainly does not appear to be from the B&B.

[riffatsea]

I understand now. Agree that it is very strange.

My friends and I use Venere quite a bit and that has never happened to any of us. Keeping watch on your credit card is a good idea. Perhaps even call your credit card company to give them a head's up.

[JimA49085]

You should send an email to the hotel direct. See if they did cancel your reservation.

[lisiamc]

I have also used Venere many times and never had anything like this. I agree that careful is the way to go!

[dln929]

I would definitely alert my credit card company and have them watch for any suspicious bills. And as much as it's a pain in the neck, tell Venere and the hotel about this and ask them to explain to you what has happened. You need their assurance that privileged information isn't landing in the wrong hands. It's not unreasonable.

[Kelmn07]

Thansk for tips, i found the B&Bs website and sent an email but I expect I may not receive a response for a bit since it is getting late there. I also forwarded the e-mail to Venere-which after calling they told me I may not see a response until Monday. They assured me my booking was confirmed and to ignore the email. I can't ignore an email that had all of my booking info it. So I guess it will just be a waiting game.

 

Also, I booked a one night stay, but on the B&Bs website it says that it only accepts 2 night stays. Will keep you posted!

[dln929]

Thansk for tips, i found the B&Bs website and sent an email but I expect I may not receive a response for a bit since it is getting late there. I also forwarded the e-mail to Venere-which after calling they told me I may not see a response until Monday. They assured me my booking was confirmed and to ignore the email. I can't ignore an email that had all of my booking info it. So I guess it will just be a waiting game.

 

Also, I booked a one night stay, but on the B&Bs website it says that it only accepts 2 night stays. Will keep you posted!

 

The plot thickens! I think that maybe it's not suspicious after all now that you've added that bit of info. If it's the B&B's policy to reserve for two nights only and you've asked for ust one, then maybe you got an automatic refusal since your request doesn't meet standard policy.

 

Language gets lost in translation, too, so perhaps the clerk who answered your reservation request didn't exactly mean the phrases "overbook and cancelled" when he said your reservation couldn't be honored.

 

What you need to check now is that they will indeed make an exception for you. I'd contact them directly just to make sure that they understand you want only one night and that they're okay with that.

[agabbymama]

I made my reservation for a small B&B in Rome, and received confirmation. The next morning I received another email, that they were sorry, they had overbooked and could not honor my reservation. This was about 9 months before our cruise. I called Venere and was told the B&B had indeed canceled.

 

About 3 days before our cruise, I actually got a phone call from the hotel (at 3:00 am), confirming my room. I said I didn't need the room now, I had booked elsewhere. The man was a little upset that I was canceling the room. I told him he had canceled the room, not I. I saved all of the email traffic.

 

I was a little concerned (the same as you) that they had my personal information, so I did contact my credit card to watch for a charge from that B&B. I don't know if they just do business differently, or if it was a glitch in the computer system, or language problems, or what, but I was uneasy for quite some time over it. But it ended okay, I wasn't charged for a no-show as I feared.

 

Be sure to notify your credit card, and just keep your eye on it, don't let it spoil your vacation.

[D4]

This won't help the OP, but it may help others.

 

I have a VISA and MasterCard that each allow me to create one-time use credit card numbers over the internet. I can generate a unique 16 digit credit card # with its own expiration date that can only be used with one merchant, On one account, I can set a maximum dollar amount and specify how many months I want the number active. With both accounts, I can also can cancel each number before it is used.

 

I use unique numbers like this for all my foreign hotel and tour reservations and for internet purchases through companies I don't ordinarily do business with.

 

With this method, if I received a weird email like you did, I would cancel the reservation and that unique number and not be worried about my credit card number.

[cruiseluv]

I have never found the value of booking through Venere or any other booking company (except one time booking with an Italian Reservation company). Just cut the middleman and go to the hotel directly.

[UKBayern]

We own a hotel and also do business with Venere. I always find them very good. What many people do not know is that Venere is in fact Expedia. They bought Venere a while ago.

 

I am guessing that the hotel obviously forgot to put a minimum stay requirement in Venere when setting up, and they now want to get out of your booking with a sorry excuse. If you get an email reply that states just this, be sure to forward it to Venere. They then get thrown out of Venere and Expedia. The hotel business does not need black sheep like this one. The client should be able to rely on sites like these.

[jwds]

I have never found the value of booking through Venere or any other booking company (except one time booking with an Italian Reservation company). Just cut the middleman and go to the hotel directly.

 

 

More than once I've actually gotten a better price booking with Venere than I could get directly from the hotel. I always try to check both.

[manateemike67]

This won't help the OP, but it may help others.

 

I have a VISA and MasterCard that each allow me to create one-time use credit card numbers over the internet. I can generate a unique 16 digit credit card # with its own expiration date that can only be used with one merchant, On one account, I can set a maximum dollar amount and specify how many months I want the number active. With both accounts, I can also can cancel each number before it is used.

 

I use unique numbers like this for all my foreign hotel and tour reservations and for internet purchases through companies I don't ordinarily do business with.

 

With this method, if I received a weird email like you did, I would cancel the reservation and that unique number and not be worried about my credit card number.

 

That card sounds great, shame we cant do the same in the UK.

[manateemike67]

We have just returned from a 3 night stay in Rome. We stayed at the Esedra Inn on Via Nationale. It was a great little B&B. Very secure. Always felt safe there. Two secure doors on the street level, locked lift and a locked front door to B&B even before you got to your room. B&B on 5th floor of building. Had a safe, memory foam mattress, spa bath. Not many reviews, but was perfect for the 3 of us. Metro stop 100 yards away and Termini Stn 800 metres (according to Google). Although if you come in on the train from the airport it further than that. Also on the Express 40 bus route to the Vatican.

[sailors2]

We booked a rome hotel, several months in advance, through venare two years ago. When we arrived at the hotel we were told that there was no room available. If it hadn't been for the intervention of our rome in limo driver we would have been without a place to stay. He got the hotel to call another hotel nearby and then took us to that hotel. When we arrived home i read a posting on the venere site that told of another tourist who had the same thing happen. I wrote an account of what happened to us-only to find that my comments had been removed from the venare website. We have not dealt with venare since.

[ollienbertsmum]

We booked a rome hotel, several months in advance, through venare two years ago. When we arrived at the hotel we were told that there was no room available. If it hadn't been for the intervention of our rome in limo driver we would have been without a place to stay. He got the hotel to call another hotel nearby and then took us to that hotel. When we arrived home i read a posting on the venere site that told of another tourist who had the same thing happen. I wrote an account of what happened to us-only to find that my comments had been removed from the venare website. We have not dealt with venare since.

 

 

I am glad that your story worked out well.

 

Whether I have booked through the hotel site or through another agency I usually ring or email the hotel a few days before just to confirm that the booking is good. I am just a bit too afraid of turning up and finding no room at the inn.

[tnt10]

Just used Venere to book a hotel on the end side of a TA in November, in Galveston. The hotel website showed no availability but Venere did, and received confirmation emails from both Venere and the Hotel. Should I be worried?

TnT

[UKBayern]

Just used Venere to book a hotel on the end side of a TA in November, in Galveston. The hotel website showed no availability but Venere did, and received confirmation emails from both Venere and the Hotel. Should I be worried?

TnT

 

No, you have a legally binding contract with the hotel. If the hotel is overbooked (which can happen on occasion, hotels use many parallel booking systems which sometimes do not all get closed in time) the hotelier has to find you another hotel of at least the same quality and if there is a price difference, too bad: the hotel pays, not you. you only pay the originally agreed price. The hotel also has to pay the transfer cost.....

This is clearly stated in the contract the hotel has with Venere, as with any other reputable intermediary website. If something like this ever happens to you, be nice about it at first, but if needs be you may have to put your foot down, and you are fully within your rights to demand that it is the hotel that should provide the solution, not you, the guest.

[Kelmn07]

After speaking to Venere customer service on Friday I also forwarded them the e-mail I received, I never heard back. I also emailed the hotel directly with the email listed on their site and I emailed them at their @venere.com address, and haven't heard anything. This is somewhat frustrating having to wonder whether or not I have a reservation while I could have booked elsewhere by now. I tried calling on my break at work but can't dial international on my cellphone, so I will have to try tomorrow morning before work via skype.

[tnt10]

No, you have a legally binding contract with the hotel. If the hotel is overbooked (which can happen on occasion, hotels use many parallel booking systems which sometimes do not all get closed in time) the hotelier has to find you another hotel of at least the same quality and if there is a price difference, too bad: the hotel pays, not you. you only pay the originally agreed price. The hotel also has to pay the transfer cost.....

This is clearly stated in the contract the hotel has with Venere, as with any other reputable intermediary website. If something like this ever happens to you, be nice about it at first, but if needs be you may have to put your foot down, and you are fully within your rights to demand that it is the hotel that should provide the solution, not you, the guest.

 

Thanks for the info. I have no problem putting my foot down hard to receive what I deserve.

TnT

[Kelmn07]

Just an update, after two emails to the Inn, multiple attempts on Venere's part to contact the hotel, we hadn't heard a word. After a week of not hearing back from Venere I cancelled my reservation on their system because I had wasted enough time on this. I have since booked an apartment in a safer neighborhood for just a tad more, and we now have the entire place to ourselves instead of just a room. I used booking.com which is owned by priceline so I am glad it all worked out.

[dog]

Just an update, after two emails to the Inn, multiple attempts on Venere's part to contact the hotel, we hadn't heard a word. After a week of not hearing back from Venere I cancelled my reservation on their system because I had wasted enough time on this. I have since booked an apartment in a safer neighborhood for just a tad more, and we now have the entire place to ourselves instead of just a room. I used booking.com which is owned by priceline so I am glad it all worked out.

 

Make sure you have a cancellation number to give to your credit card company in case the charge shows up on your bill.

[samavarcruiser]

Thanks for the update