"What time is check-in?" "Where do we park?" "We arrive on the last ferry, will someone be there?" If you read the same questions every week, it is not the guests' fault. They simply have not received the answers yet.
A good pre-arrival email answers most questions before they are asked. Below you will find what it contains, when to send it, and a template in English and Greek, ready to adapt. At the end, how to set it to go out on its own from the Bookmatrix.com Email Manager.
When to send it
Three days before arrival is the most practical moment. Close enough that the guest is already preparing the trip and will read the email. Early enough for them to reply with their arrival time or a special request, such as a baby cot.
Send it a week earlier and they will have forgotten it by the time they arrive. Send it the day before and they may already be on the road. For last-minute bookings, put the essentials in the confirmation email too.
What it should contain
- The booking details: dates, room type, number of guests. The guest checks that everything is correct.
- Check-in and check-out times, and what happens if they arrive late.
- Address and a map link. An address alone is not enough in villages and on islands.
- Parking: whether there is any, where, and whether it costs.
- Breakfast or whatever else is included, with times.
- The balance, if any, and how to pay it.
- Online check-in, if you use it, so they do not lose time at reception.
- A phone number for anything the email does not cover.
What to leave out: the full house rules, five links, offers. This email has one job, to get the guest to you without questions.
The subject line
Most people read only the subject before deciding whether to open an email. Write something that says what is inside: "See you on 14 June: everything you need for your arrival". Not "Booking update #48213".
The template in English
Replace everything in square brackets with your own details.
Subject: See you on [arrival date]: everything you need for your arrival
Dear [Name],
In three days we look forward to welcoming you at [Property name]. To help you arrive without stress, here are the essentials.
Your booking: [arrival date] to [departure date], [room type], [number of guests].
Check-in: from 14:00. Check-out: by 11:00. If you arrive after 22:00, reply to this email with your arrival time and we will send you entry instructions.
Address: [street, number, area]. Map: [Google Maps link].
Parking: [free on site / public car park 100 m before the entrance].
Breakfast: [08:00 to 10:30, in the courtyard].
Balance: [amount]. You can pay by card here: [payment link], or on arrival.
To save time: complete the online check-in here: [link].
For anything at all, reply to this email or call us on [phone].
Safe travels,
[Your name], [Property name]
The template in Greek
For Greek guests, the same structure in Greek:
Θέμα: Σας περιμένουμε στις [ημερομηνία άφιξης]: όλα όσα χρειάζεστε για την άφιξή σας
Καλημέρα [Όνομα],
Σε τρεις μέρες σας περιμένουμε στο [Όνομα καταλύματος]. Για να φτάσετε χωρίς άγχος, σας στέλνουμε τα βασικά.
Η κράτησή σας: [ημερομηνία άφιξης] έως [ημερομηνία αναχώρησης], [τύπος δωματίου], [αριθμός ατόμων].
Check-in: από τις 14:00. Check-out: έως τις 11:00. Αν φτάνετε μετά τις 22:00, απαντήστε σε αυτό το email με την ώρα άφιξης και θα σας στείλουμε οδηγίες εισόδου.
Διεύθυνση: [οδός, αριθμός, περιοχή]. Χάρτης: [σύνδεσμος Google Maps].
Πάρκινγκ: [δωρεάν στον χώρο μας / δημόσιο πάρκινγκ 100 μ. πριν την είσοδο].
Πρωινό: [08:00 έως 10:30, στην αυλή].
Υπόλοιπο: [ποσό]. Μπορείτε να το πληρώσετε με κάρτα εδώ: [σύνδεσμος πληρωμής], ή κατά την άφιξη.
Για να κερδίσετε χρόνο: συμπληρώστε το online check-in εδώ: [σύνδεσμος].
Για οτιδήποτε, απαντήστε σε αυτό το email ή καλέστε μας στο [τηλέφωνο].
Καλό ταξίδι,
[Το όνομά σας], [Όνομα καταλύματος]
Three details that make a difference
- Write like a person. Sign with your name, not "The Management". Guests reply more easily to a person.
- Ask for the arrival time. One question in your email saves you a wait at 23:00.
- If you have self check-in, the door code can arrive in a separate email as soon as it is active on the lock. See how in TTLock smart locks.
How it goes out on its own
In Bookmatrix.com the pre-arrival email is a template in the Email Manager:
- You write the template once, in Greek, English and any other language you serve. The guest gets the version in their language.
- The fields fill themselves in from the reservation: name, dates, room type, balance, your phone. You copy nothing.
- A rule sends it three days before arrival. It is one of the core automations every property has from day one.
- You see it in the email log: which email went to which guest and when. If the guest cannot find it, you resend it with one tap.
If you like, you connect your own mailbox, so the guest sees the message coming from your property's address. And if they reply, the reply comes to you.
Frequently asked questions
How long should it be?
As long as fits on one phone screen with a little scrolling. If you need more, add a link to a page with the details.
Do I send it to Booking.com bookings too?
Yes. Guests need the same information however they booked. If you like, you set a different template per booking source.
Is the Email Manager in every plan?
Yes. Email templates and automations are part of every Bookmatrix.com plan, for hotels and for holiday rentals.
Want to see it on your own property? Start the free 14-day demo at bookmatrix.com/demo or leave your phone number at bookmatrix.com/form and we will call you on the next working day. Or call us at +30 2351 151525.