Every time a guest books one of your experiences, they’re expecting to receive an email with their booking information. This is known as the booking confirmation email, and it’s the most common email sent by tour and attraction operators.
Yet your booking emails shouldn’t stop there. Think about it this way: Every email you send is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between you and your guests.
That being said, there are many opportunities to communicate with them between the moment they book and their actual visit.
Every time a guest interacts with a booking they’ve already made, such as making a date change, for instance, they should receive an email confirmation. Then there are reminder emails, which help ensure your guests don’t forget about their upcoming experience.
In this post, you’ll learn about the different booking emails you should send your guests — including templates to help you write them.
How do you write a booking email?
What not to do when writing booking emails
6 booking emails you should be sending
- 1. Booking confirmation email
- 2. Order confirmation email
- 3. You’re on the waitlist email
- 4. 24-hour booking reminder email
- 5. Same-day booking reminder email
- 6. Thanks for joining our tour email
How do you write a booking email?
Before you begin writing your email, you must first consider the type of booking email you’re sending. For this post, we’ll focus on the following:
- Booking confirmation
- Order confirmation
- Waitlist notification
- 24-hour reminder
- Same-day reminder
- Post booking experience
Then, you can start by choosing the most relevant information for each email. In a booking confirmation email, for instance, you’ll write a message telling customers that their reservation was successful. You’ll also include relevant information like the date and time of the experience, payment details, your cancellation policy, and your contact information.
Waitlist emails should notify customers what to expect; reminder emails should include tour times, a map, and directions; and so on.
The most efficient way to write a booking email is through a booking software like Xola. Instead of having to manually send each of these emails every time a guest makes a booking, Xola will automatically send them for you.
With Xola, you can customize when you want guests to receive a specific email and define what triggers the email to be sent. You can even send a text message along with it. You have the freedom to personalize each message to fit your brand, while the sending process becomes a whole lot easier.
What not to do when writing booking emails
- Don’t forget about mobile: There’s a good chance your guests will open the email on their phone. Make sure your booking emails are mobile-friendly and easy to read on a smaller screen.
- Don’t ignore your brand: Keep the look and feel of your emails consistent with your brand. Two tips: Make your logo visible and stay within the same color range as your website. This will make customers more familiar with your brand.
- Don’t make it generic: Of course, you should always be greeting guests by their first names. You should also take it a step further and include information relevant to the specific experience they booked.
- Don’t write an unclear subject line: The subject line should clearly state the kind of email guests are receiving. For example, a booking confirmation email should include the words “booking confirmed.” And a waitlist email should have the word “waitlist” in it.
6 booking emails you should be sending
Let’s take a look at six different booking emails you should be sending your guests.
1. Booking confirmation email
Whenever a customer books a flight, hotel, restaurant, tour, or activity, they’ll receive a booking confirmation email. The purpose of this email is to inform the customer that the transaction was successful.
Without a confirmation email, the guest may doubt whether the booking was successful.
It should also provide them with their booking details. Guests will often refer back to this email to check on tour times, addresses, payment information, and more. This is much easier than having to log back onto your website to check on the status of their booking.
Booking confirmation email template:
Subject: Yay! Your tour booking is confirmed.
Email: Hi, [Customer Name]!
Your booking for [Tour Name] on [Date] at [Time] is confirmed! We’ve included all of your booking details below. Feel free to email or call us if you have any questions or concerns.
Date: [date]
Time: [start time-end time]
Recommended arrival time: [time]
Customer details:
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone number]
[Party size]
Payment details:
[Transaction breakdown]
Meeting location:
[Address]
Contact info:
[Your company contact information]
Cancellation policy:
[Your cancellation and refund policy]
We can’t wait to see you soon!
[Your name]
2. Order confirmation email
An order confirmation email is very similar to a booking confirmation email. The key difference between the two is that the first comes after the purchase of a product, while the latter confirms a reservation. Order confirmation emails can also be used for the purchase of attraction tickets.
This email will list details about the product, payment, and shipping/delivery.
Both booking confirmation and order confirmation emails confirm a purchase and provide customers with information about that purchase.
Order confirmation email template:
Subject: [Name], your order is confirmed!
Email: Hi, [Customer Name]!
Your purchase of [Product] is confirmed! Need to make a change? Feel free to email or call us if you have any questions or concerns.
Order Date: [date]
Order Number: [number]
Date of visit: [If an attraction)
Customer details:
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone number]
Payment details:
[Transaction breakdown]
Delivery address and/or attraction address:
[Address]
Contact info:
[Your company contact information]
Return/refund policy:
[Your return and/or refund policy]
We’re excited for you to receive your [product] / We’re excited to see you!
[Your name]
3. You’re on the waitlist email
Some booking software like Xola offer a waitlist feature. This allows guests to add their name to a waitlist if the tour they want is full. This is great for tour operators because it gives them the chance to quickly fill gaps caused by last-minute cancellations.
That being said, this type of email will notify guests that they successfully joined the waitlist. It should describe the tour they’ve signed up for and tell them what to expect if a spot opens up.
Waitlist email template:
Subject: [Name], you’ve been added to our waitlist
Email: Hi, [Customer Name]!
You’ve been added to the waitlist for [Tour Name] at [Time] on [Date]. You’re currently Number [#] on the list. If a spot opens, we’ll email you to let you know.
In the meantime, feel free to explore our other tours and offerings: [link to your website].
Contact info:
[Your company contact information]
We hope to be in touch soon!
Thank you,
[Your name]
4. 24-hour booking reminder email
Booking reminder emails can be sent to guests a day or two before their experience.
These emails remind guests that they’re experience is coming up, which helps decrease no-shows. You should also include your cancellation policy in this email to discourage those last-minute cancellations.
A 24-hour booking reminder email should also provide helpful information like directions and a list of what to bring. Guests will appreciate any tips and recommendations that can help them better prepare for their tour.
24-hour booking reminder email template:
Subject: [Name], your [tour] is tomorrow!
Email: Hi, [Customer Name]!
We’re excited to welcome you to [Tour Name] tomorrow! You can find a list of recommendations/what to bring below!
Feel free to email or call us if you have any questions or concerns.
Date: [date]
Time: [start time-end time]
Recommended arrival time: [time]
Customer details:
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone number]
[Party size]
Meeting location:
[Address]
Parking directions:
[Map]
What to bring?
[List]
Contact info:
[Your company contact information]
Cancellation policy:
[Your cancellation and refund policy]
See you tomorrow!
[Your name]
5. Same-day booking reminder email
The same-day booking reminder email accomplishes much of the same thing. It’s another reminder for guests to show up to your tour. Now, you can also provide them with additional information about the weather, tour updates, or itinerary changes. This email should be written in an enthusiastic tone to get guests extra excited for your tour.
Same-day booking reminder email template:
Subject: [Name], are you ready for your [tour]?
Email: Hi, [Customer Name]!
Today is the day! We can’t wait to see you soon. Here is a reminder of where to meet and what to bring to make the most out of your [tour name]:
Date: [date]
Time: [start time-end time]
Recommended arrival time: [time]
Customer details:
[Name]
[Email]
[Phone number]
[Party size]
Meeting location:
[Address]
Parking directions:
[Map]
What to bring?
[List]
Contact info:
[Your company contact information]
Cancellation policy:
[Your cancellation and refund policy]
See you soon,
[Your name]
6. Thanks for joining our tour email
A “thank you for joining our tour” email is a nice way to show guests how much you value their visits. This email is sent immediately after an experience to thank them for choosing your tour company. It’s also a great opportunity to ask them for a review. You should include a link to your preferred review page, allowing guests to quickly click through to leave feedback.
Thanks for joining our tour email template:
Subject: Thank you for joining us!
Email: Hi (Guest’s First Name),
Thank you for joining us on (Tour Name). We hope you have just as much fun as we did! In fact, we’d love to hear a bit more about your experience. Your feedback means a lot to us, and it can help us continually improve our experience.
Do you have a few minutes to leave us a review?
(include a link to your website or review profile).
We appreciate your time and hope to see you again!
[Your Name]
***
Your emails are a key way to communicate with guests before and after their tours. When you communicate well with your guests, they’ll feel more prepared for their tour and will therefore have a better time once they arrive.
Whether you’re confirming their booking or preparing them for their visit, good booking emails are an essential component of a great guest experience.
