For me:
I make sure I hear a voice on the phone in order to set it up (I don't care if he's piloting the international space station while his wife is in labor next to him, if he can't call, I'm not interested)
I don't take calls from blocked numbers
If he sounds flakey I'll call back to try and discern if it's a google voice number (the equivalent of a blocked number)
I keep a record of his number after he flakes, because he's going to reach out to you again in six months
It's not a bad idea to call the hotel and get patched through to the room before heading over, especially if something strikes you as 'off'
The likelihood of a booking actually happening is inversely proportional to the number of texts, calls and emails beforehand
Sorry to hear of your troubles. Unfortunately, it comes with the territory.
Kevin Slater