Hotel Booking Services in Europe

[gawguy]

As I've looked for a hotel in Amsterdam for an upcoming ramble - Amsterdam, Brussels, London - I see that when I try to get a hotel, I am routed to a booking service. The hotel doesn't even list its phone number. Is this the going thing now?

 

I would be fine with that but how do I know the booking service is reliable, or even legit if I can't call the hotel directly to confirm the reservation was made? When I give a credit card, who will the payee be, the booking service or the hotel?

 

This is the first time I've run into this. Haven't been to Europe for 10 years.

 

Thanks,

GG