opinions on WWYD if going on holiday like this?

[sortingmylife]

Posting out of curiosity due to a recent experience. Keep getting 2 different opinions but not asked too many people IRL.

If you were going away on holiday to another country and staying at a rented holiday property you booked 3months prior would you double check everything was in place a couple of days before departure to confirm details and key pick up/drop off and make sure everything was in place?

For me it's an obvious yes, I wouldn't just fly out and hope for the best and would want to know what I need to do upon arrival etc but apparently IBU for expecting that someone does this as they have gone away like that many times before and never did it before and it's completely normal to just turn up.

Long story short went on holiday with some friends/family recently (organised by them as I originally was not going to be able to go due to work but managed to get booked off).
We get to country of destination, collect rental car, drive to rented house and the organiser is stood there scratching their heads, no one is in sight, the gates are locked and "landlord" is not answering mobile.
I asked the organiser if they called landlord day before or when we landed to confirm we are arriving etc they say no........just show a printed off bit of paper with address checking in time and reservation number and say they've never had contact with landlord just booking site/agency 3 months before via email and paid deposit.

We ended up finding alternative accommodation miles away from where we were going to stay and the holiday was pretty much ruined. Landlord got in touch hours later confused and said that he cut ties with the booking agency just over a month ago and that they should have been in touch with everyone to inform of cancellations and make alternative arrangements etc.

So AIBU to think that it's obvious that you double check stuff like that a few days before a trip/holiday ?

Thomson or similar agent holiday - no, and you would usually have regular emails from them in the lead up but when I've used airbnb or similar I have always checked in the weeks before departure, and it usually states that you should. This is when it's just been me and my DH but I would, even more so, if I was responsible for the travel plans of other people

Saying that, I would also check with whoever was organising a holiday if I wasn't that person as I just couldn't relax with it all being out of my hands so I would have prompted them to do the same

Surely the property owner had an obligation to contact clients who had already booked when he stopped using the letting agents.

Thanks for the replies! I have in no way taken it out on the friend btw! I've not said a peep to them.
I know in this case it's just very unlucky that the landlord no longer works with the agency but the confirmation they had though email re accommodation seemed quite vague re the key pick up and drop off and any information on how to get onto the property once you're there. We didn't arrive at specified time either (it was after) so I would've at least tried to get in touch with the landlord to let them know we'll be late in case they are expecting us at the time specified in email.
The agency it was booked through wasn't any sort of travel agent either just an online booking site who have proved v hard to get in touch with since we've come back off the holiday.

If the holiday was booked through a proper travel agency inc flights they provide a lot more information about the entire trip, accommodation and transport so in that case I would not be double checking beforehand either. Same goes for hotel as there is a reception desk/staff.

Those of you who wouldn't check, how do you think you will get the keys to a villa/apartment possibly in the middle of nowhere, possibly out of hours if you don't have anything other than an email print out saying you have a booking?

This thread has prompted me to find out about our next booking, which is a hotel, but the reception only opens 12 hours a day and as we will be arriving at about 10 pm, that is probably outside their normal hours.

I check about a week before to make sure our arrival time is OK and how to get the keys etc. I wouldn't just arrive with the last communication having been several months before!

Nope I wouldn't. I have confirmation, that should be enough.

Noofly that's my opinion in a nutshell!

We always check, even with hotels. Don't know if there's a connection but each time we check with a hotel direct, we've been upgraded.

I probably wouldn't check if I had confirmation details and had paid a deposit through a reputable agency. Sounds like a very unfortunate situation but definitely not the fault of the person who booked the accommodation who had no way to foresee this.

For apartments we've always received details for key collection and arrival times straight after the booking, so I wouldn't bother double checking. For hotels I'd just turn up. We did once turn up to an apartment after a late arrival and no one was around to give us the keys (when they said they would be). But we had their mobile number and just had to wait as it turned out the owners had gone to the gym.

Barbara - if my confirmation details included clear instructions about how to pick up keys (eg. "Keys to be collected from X address during business hours of ....." ), then nope, would just do that. Print it all out and take it with us.

However, I do tend to prefer to go through a company that has staff in the country when I book as we have had things like broken aircon on overseas villa holidays, if you are just effectively renting out someone else's holiday home, there needs to be someone you can get to sort this shit for you.

If I had been sent directions, key arrangements etc I wouldnt double check, no. If they hadnt been received, I would chase and not set off until/unless I had them.