Imagine the following scenario. Your guests visit your attraction and have a wonderful time. They love the experience so much that they’re strongly considering returning for a second time. Yet they never hear from your company again, and the feeling of excitement starts to fade.
Your company failed to continue the relationship with your guest, which would have resulted in repeat business.
The way you communicate with your guests before, during, and after their visit is an inherent part of the overall guest experience.
From the initial booking confirmation email to the “thank you for booking with us” letter, these messages help establish expectations for your communication style. Plus, it adds personal touches and helps your guests form a connection with your brand.
In this post, you’ll learn why a thank you for booking with us email to customers is a powerful gesture that can turn one-time guests into loyal customers. We’ll also share a few email templates that you can use as-is or modify as you see fit.
Why are thank you letters important?
Guests want to feel like more than just a number when they experience your attraction or tours. Personalization is not only encouraged but now expected by guests — and one way to start delivering is through your customer communications.
Each email you send is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between you and your guests.
When your customer visits your attraction, they’re likely not expecting to hear from you again. But they should! A thank you note is an excellent way to take the relationship a step further.
These letters often acknowledge the fact that guests have a variety of companies to choose from nowadays. They thank guests for choosing your company and express how much you appreciate their visit. It’s a small yet powerful gesture that can make your guest experience feel more personal.
Guests will take note when a company expresses gratitude for their business, especially when they could’ve chosen a number of other brands to go with.
Thank you letters can also help set your company apart from others in your niche. It keeps conversation going even after a guest leaves your experience, helping you turn a one-time customer into a repeat visitor.
Personal vs. automated thank you letters: When to use
For a thank you note to achieve all of this, it needs to be sincere. Thank you notes are meant to communicate how thankful you are for a customer’s business. Unfortunately, automated emails can often sound robotic and impersonal.
A generic “Thank you for booking with us” likely won’t do the trick.
Your thank you letters should sound like they were written by a real human. You should be friendly and casual, as if you’re writing to a friend. If you have the bandwidth to personally write your thank you letters, you can even mention specific details about a customer’s visit.
Yet if you’re still looking to automate your thank you emails, you can often customize them to sound more personal. Here are a few tips to make automated thank you letters sound like they were written by a real person:
- Address the customer by their first name.
- Write a friendly subject line.
- When possible, let your brand’s personality shine through the message.
- Send the email from your company email address instead of from a generic email.
- Sign off with your name.
When to send a thank you email or letter
Timing is key for thank you notes. A perfectly written thank you letter may never reach your customer if you send it at the wrong time.
The best time to thank customers for their business is after they’ve completed their experience with you. In addition, you may include a short thank you message in the body of your booking confirmation email like “Thank you for booking with us!”
After their visit, you want to thank them for following through with the reservation. A thank you email is a great way to continue the relationship as well as ask for a customer review on Google My Business, Tripadvisor, or on your own site.
In terms of timing, you want to send the letter while the experience is still fresh in their minds. Ideally, this would be within two days after they’ve completed their booking.
What to include in a thank you for booking with us email
Let’s break down the three main components of a thank you letter.
1. A thank you
The main purpose of the letter is to show guest appreciation. Start your letter by thanking guests for their business. Acknowledge the fact that they chose your company among a slew of other options and that you’re grateful for their choice.
You can start and end the email with a thank you note to ensure the message gets across. To make the email feel more personal, include the guest’s name throughout.
For example, you can start the email by saying “Hi, Carla! We wanted to take the time to thank you for your business.” Then, you can end the message with “Again, we just want to express how much we appreciate your business, Carla! We hope to see you again soon.”
2. Details about their reservation
Again, personalization is key to making a thank you note sound authentic. Another way to personalize your message is to reference specific details about a guest’s reservation. This can be as simple as including the name of the activity, experience, or venue in the email.
For example, your message can say “Thank you for joining us on our water rafting adventure on the Colorado River!”
3. End it with a call-to-action
Before signing off, encourage your guest to take the next step. There are a variety of calls to action you can include at this point, ranging from review requests to customer satisfaction surveys.
- Invite guests to follow you on social media
- Encourage guests to share about their experience on Instagram using your brand hashtag
- Direct guests to your website to download photos from the experience
- Ask guests to leave you a review on your preferred review platform
- Link to a customer satisfaction survey
- Include a link to your online merchandise or gift card store
3 thanks for booking with us emails for tours and attractions
Here are a few messaging examples that you can copy and adjust for your tour business.
Email 1: Adventure tour
Subject: Thanks for Joining Our Adventure Family, [Guest’s Name]!
Hi [Guest’s Name],
We’re thrilled you’ve chosen [Tour Company Name] for your upcoming adventure! Your booking for the [Specific Adventure Tour] is confirmed, and we can’t wait to share this incredible experience with you.
If you have any questions or special requests, feel free to reach out. We’re here to make your adventure unforgettable.
See you soon for some thrilling moments!
Email 2: Walking tour
Subject: Welcome Aboard, [Guest’s Name]! Your Historical Journey Awaits
Hello [Guest’s Name],
Thank you for booking the [Historical City Tour Name] with us! We’re excited to take you on a journey through the rich history and hidden gems of our beautiful city.
Your tour is scheduled for [Date and Time], and we’ve got some fascinating stories lined up for you. Don’t forget your camera – you’ll want to capture these memories!
Looking forward to exploring with you.
Email 3: Nature park
Subject: Your Nature Escape is Set, [Guest’s Name]!
Dear [Guest’s Name],
A big thank you for choosing [Park Name] for your upcoming nature escape! Your booking for the [Specific Tour or Experience] is all set for [Date and Time].
Prepare to immerse yourself in the beauty of nature and encounter our amazing wildlife. Remember to wear comfortable shoes and bring your sense of wonder!
Can’t wait to see you.
6 best practices for writing thank you letters
Let’s consider a few best practices for writing thank you letters that bring guests back.
1. Select the format that works best for your company
Should your thank you message be automated or personalized?
Should you send it via email, hand-written note, or some other more creative format?
Most tour companies and attractions will find that a personalized email is the best format to engage with their guests. In an ideal situation, you’d be able to personalize your automated email through the use of reusable content snippets.
It also helps to think about whether you’re sending the message to repeat customers or first-time guests. An automated message may work fine for repeat customers, but your first-time guests are just now starting to get to know your brand. You should use your thank you message to continue building that relationship with them.
2. Start with a positive subject time
Your subject line is the first thing customers will see before opening your message. A positive subject line can encourage guests to open your email. Here are a few examples:
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- We’re so happy you chose us!
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- Thank you! So glad you found us
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- We appreciate you as our valued guest!
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- A thank you message for John
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- We’re so grateful for you
3. Use an appropriate greeting
Consider the way you’re going to greet your customers.
A large financial corporation will likely greet customers in a formal manner, referring to guests as Mr. And Ms. Yet, a tour or attraction operator probably communicates in a much less formal manner.
Your emails can be friendly and even playful. It may make sense for you to skip the formalities and start with “Hi, Carla!” instead.
4. Reference specific details from their experience
To personalize your message beyond referring to customers by their first name, you’ll need to get down to specifics. A truly personalized thank you message will refer back to specific details of their experience.
For example, you can mention the specific tour or experience the customer participated in. Or, you can even include a photo or two from their experience.
5. Sign your thank you letter
Sign off with your name so the guest feels that the letter was written by a real person. It can also help to include your title as “owner” next to your name. This way, guests will feel even more appreciated: The company owner took the time to personally thank them for their visit. This is a great way to build a stronger connection with your guests and encourage them to return.
6. Make it easy for customers to reply
Make your guests feel like the communication lines are open and that they can reach you at any time. Perhaps they have a question or concern about their visit. Better yet, perhaps they want to extend you a compliment. Include a line or two that tells customers how they can get in touch with you. If it’s simply replying to the email, let them know they can “Hit reply to send me a message. I love to hear back from my guests!”
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In conclusion, a simple thank you message can have a big impact on your guests. It can deepen the relationship with your guests and encourage them to remain loyal to your company.
If you are using booking software, such as Xola, this process can be automated. So, anytime someone books with you, they’ll automatically get a booking confirmation email that thanks them and also includes all of the most booking details. See a free demo of Xola here.
