Hotel booking confirmation email template

Step 1: Fill in the confirmation template

If your PMS or booking engine already sends confirmations, use this template for the bookings it does not cover, such as ones taken by phone, email or WhatsApp. Fill in the fixed details once: hotel name, address, check-in and check-out times, cancellation terms and how to reach the desk. Leave the booking details as placeholders.

Dear [guest name],
Thank you for booking with [hotel name]. Your booking is confirmed.
Booking reference: [reference]
Arrival: [arrival date]  Departure: [departure date] ([number] nights)
Room: [room type] for [number] guests
Included: [what is included]
Payment: [how and when, as agreed]
Check-in from [time]. Check-out by [time].
Cancellation: [your terms]
Address: [address]  Map: [map link]
Questions? Reply to this email or message us on WhatsApp at [number].
See you soon,
[your name], [hotel name]

Type the subject yourself, for example: Booking confirmed, [arrival date], [hotel name].

No amounts or policies are stated here on purpose. Write your own terms into the template once, and keep amounts in the booking-specific placeholder.

Step 2: Save it as a Gmail template

Gmail templates work only on a computer, per Google's help page.

1. Open Settings, See all settings, Advanced.
2. Next to Templates click Enable, then Save Changes.
3. Click Compose and paste the filled-in template.
4. Open More options, Templates, Save draft as template, Save as new template, and name it, for example "Booking confirmation".

To change it later, edit the text in a new draft, then Save draft as template, choose it under Overwrite Template, and Save. Our Gmail enquiry guide uses the same kind of template for the first reply to enquiries.

Step 3: Save a short version as a WhatsApp quick reply

This is for bookings you confirm in a WhatsApp chat. If WhatsApp Business is not set up yet, start with Auto-replies for hotel WhatsApp.

Booking confirmed, [guest name].
Reference: [reference]
[arrival date] to [departure date], [room type]
Check-in from [time], check-out by [time]
Reply here with any questions.

1. Open the Tools tab and tap Quick replies (in older versions: Settings, then Business tools).
2. Tap Add (the plus sign).
3. Paste the short version into Message.
4. Set the Shortcut, for example confirm, so it appears as /confirm.
5. Tap Save.

To send it, open the guest's chat and tap Message. Type / and pick it, or tap Attach, then Quick reply. Change the placeholders, then send. WhatsApp's help page covers quick replies in full if your menu looks different.

Step 4: Check every confirmation before you send it

1. Open the booking in your PMS next to the message you are writing.
2. In Gmail, open Compose (or a reply), then More options, Templates, and pick it under Insert template.
3. Fill in every [placeholder] and read the dates, nights, room and guest name against the booking.
4. Read the message once more for any "[" left, so no placeholder goes out.
5. Send.

Google's page describes inserting a template in a new message. Try it once in a reply to a guest before relying on it. The pre-arrival email can follow a few days before arrival.

Keep a copy of both texts outside Gmail and WhatsApp, since a deleted template or quick reply cannot be recovered, per both help pages.

Details and limits

Checked on 2026-11-02. Gmail and WhatsApp move menus between versions, so look for the same words if yours differ.

What it does

Every direct booking gets a confirmation with the same details in the same order, whoever is on shift. Both pieces are built into free apps.

What it can't do

It does not create or change the booking. It does not read the PMS or fill in the details. It does not send by itself, a person checks and sends. It does not catch a wrong date unless someone reads it against the booking.

Limits

• Gmail templates work only on a computer.
• Google's page documents inserting a template into a new message. Test it in a reply before relying on it.
• WhatsApp stores up to 50 quick replies.
• A deleted template or quick reply cannot be recovered.
• Type the subject yourself each time.

When this stops being enough

When confirmations should fill in from the booking itself and go out as soon as a booking is made, a saved template is no longer enough.

Read how the no-build-fee model works.

Sources

1. Create a template in Gmail (Gmail Help)
2. How to use quick replies (WhatsApp Help Center)

Related guides

• Auto-acknowledge hotel enquiries in Gmail
• Pre-arrival email from a Google Sheet
• Replies for hotel early check-in requests