Email isn’t optional for the hospitality industry. It’s the backstage crew that runs the show: booking confirmations, pre-arrival upsells, and check-out surveys. Guests expect these messages. They open them. And that makes email the cheapest, most reliable way to generate revenue and loyalty.
TL;DR
Keep these goals front and centre:
- Get guests the info they need, fast.
- Add value before, during, and after the stay.
- Use automation to sell, not spam.
- Measure the right things and iterate.
Why email matters right now
Email is still the most effective way to reach your guests directly, and the data backs it up. Open and click rates remain strong across every industry, hospitality included.
For hotels, that means one thing: email drives high-impact revenue at a low cost.
It’s your best tool for:
- Direct bookings – reaching guests before the OTAs do.
- Upsells and add-ons – pre-stay room upgrades, spa packages, dinner reservations.
- Loyalty and retention – keeping guests coming back without paying commissions.
In short, email gives you control over your message, your margins, and your guest relationships.
Must-have emails (and what they should do)
- Booking confirmation: Reassure the guest. Give all essentials: name, booking reference, dates, room type, address, cancellation policy, contact details. Make navigation and customer support one tap away. This reduces calls and confusion.
- Pre-stay: Include useful info plus relevant upsell offers: room upgrades, early check-in, airport transfer, breakfast add-ons. Send the main upsell window about 7–14 days before arrival for best conversion. Personalise based on stay length and spend behaviour.
- Arrival welcome: A friendly note with check-in tips, property map, and a clear way to request extras. Use this to drive additional upsells during the stay.
- Post-stay/feedback: Ask for feedback fast and simply. Offer a small incentive for reviews. Use responses to fix issues before they become public complaints. Automate follow-ups by sentiment.
- Ancillary transactional messages: Receipts, booking changes, payment failures. These have high open rates. Don’t waste that attention, include a subtle, relevant offer or CTA.
Practical subject lines examples and copy tips
Subject lines
- Confirmation: “Your booking at [Hotel] — [Dates] (Ref: [XYZ])”
- Pre-stay upsell: “Upgrade options for your stay at [Hotel]”
- Arrival: “Everything you need for check-in at [Hotel]”
- Post-stay: “Thanks for staying — quick 60-second feedback?”
Copy tips
- Use the guest’s name early.
- Keep info scannable: use bullet points and bold important info like the what/when/where.
- Mobile-first: short lines, big CTAs, one clear action per email.
- Keep brand tone warm and straightforward. Guests want helpful, not hype.
Segmentation that actually moves money
Don’t spray and pray. Segment by:
- Booking source (OTA vs direct)
- Stay dates and length
- Guest value: first-time, repeat, VIP
- Behavioural signals: clicked pre-stay offer, opened confirmation, viewed upgrade page
Use these segments to tailor upsells and timing. A VIP gets a different pre-arrival offer than a first-timer.
Automations to have in place
- Booking → Confirmation (immediate)
- Booking → Pre-stay sequence (14 days, 7 days, 48 hours) with progressive offers
- Check-in sent on arrival
- Post-stay survey (24–48 hours after)
- Cancellation triggers for recovery offers
- Anniversary/birthday campaigns for repeat bookings
Automation frees your team and catches revenue you’d otherwise miss.
Design & UX tips
- Mobile-first layout. Most guests open on phones.
- Prominent CTA above the fold for offers.
- Use images sparingly. Fast loading matters.
- Include clear contact methods: phone tap-to-call, WhatsApp link, map link.
- Accessible design: readable fonts, clear contrast.
What is important to track?
Primary:
- Open rate (are your guests reading?)
- Click rate and click-to-open (is content compelling?)
- Conversion rate on upsells and direct bookings
- Revenue per email or revenue per recipient
Secondary:
- Bounce and deliverability rates
- Complaint and unsubscribe trends
- Feedback from post-stay surveys. Looks for any trends in feedback to help you improve.
Benchmarks vary, but hospitality datasets and industry reports show strong engagement when emails are relevant and timely.
Quick wins you can easily implement
- Audit confirmations: add a clear CTA to upsell or to a useful pre-arrival page.
- Launch a 3-step pre-stay flow (14 / 7 / 2 days) with a priority upsell.
- Turn receipts into revenue: add one relevant offer based on room type.
- Clean your list: remove long-term inactive addresses and fix bounces to protect deliverability.
Tech checklist
You need:
- An email platform that supports segmentation and date-driven automation.
- Reliable data sync from your PMS or booking engine. No manual data uploads every morning.
- Templates for each email type with dynamic fields.
- Reporting that ties email revenue back to bookings.
Bottom line:
Guests come for service. Your emails are an extension of that service. Be useful, be timely, and don’t sell at the expense of clarity.
Do that and your emails stop being background noise and start being revenue drivers.
