Booking Hotels & Hostels By Phone

Posted by David Whitley Sep 24, 2007

Interpersonal communication?

Thank the heavens for the internet. Lord only knows how we managed to get by before it was invented and booking hotels online became commonplace. Call it soulless, call it a barrier to interpersonal communication, but sometimes not having to speak to a human being is a good thing.

Avila, Spain and the Lonely Planet Guidebook

A few months ago I was trying to book accommodation in Avila, Spain. None of the ones I could see on the internet took my fancy, but there was one in the Lonely Planet guidebook that looked really nice (and, more importantly, was cheap). Alas, it didn’t have a website, and I had to pick up the phone for the first time in what seems like five years.

Ropy Spanish and the receptionist’s English

Unfortunately, it is precisely 12 years since I last studied Spanish. And what do you know… it appears to have got a little ropy in that time. Ropy would also be a good word to describe the receptionist’s English, too, and making the booking by phone was a thoroughly painful experience.

Hostel in Parnu, Estonia

Not as bad as the one a few weeks later, though. The hotel/ hostel in Parnu, Estonia also didn’t have a website. The only word I managed to make out from the other end was “Ruski” (Russian), and eventually the receptionist decided to hang up, clearly giving the potential booking up as a bad job…