--- title: "Hotel cancellation email template ยท Vivified Tech" description: "A Gmail filter labels every cancellation email, one reply template answers it, short WhatsApp version. Free, about 15 minutes." url: "https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/hotel-cancellation-email-template/" --- ## Step 1: Put every cancellation email under one label 1. In the Gmail search box, click **Show search options**. 2. In **Has the words**, enter `cancel OR cancelled OR cancellation`. OR finds mail that matches any of the words, per Google's [search operators page](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190?hl=en). Add `OR canceled` if your guests use that spelling. 3. Click **Search** and check what shows up. The filter will catch any new email with those words, including booking-site notices and the odd unrelated message. 4. Open **Show search options** again and click **Create filter**. 5. Tick **Apply the label**, create a label called Cancellations, and click **Create filter**. Google's [filter help page](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579?hl=en) covers the other options on this screen. Filters only act on new mail. You can edit or delete this one later under **Settings**, **See all settings**, **Filters and Blocked Addresses**. Do not use the **Send template** filter option for cancellations. A cancellation reply should only go out after a person has cancelled the booking in the PMS and checked the terms. ## Step 2: Write the cancellation reply and save it as a Gmail template ``` Dear [guest name], Your booking [reference] at [hotel name] is cancelled. Dates: [arrival date] to [departure date], [room type] Cancelled on [date]. Cancellation number: [if you use one] What happens next: [your terms] If this was a mistake, reply to this email or call [number]. Kind regards, [your name], [hotel name] ``` No refund amounts, fees or policies are stated here on purpose. Write what your terms say in your own words. Gmail templates work only on a computer, per [Google's help page](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14864208?hl=en). 1. Open **Settings**, **See all settings**, **Advanced**. 2. Next to **Templates** click **Enable**, then **Save Changes**. 3. Click **Compose** and paste the reply. 4. Open **More options**, **Templates**, **Save draft as template**, **Save as new template**, and name it, for example "Cancellation reply". Type the subject yourself, for example: Booking \[reference\] cancelled. ## Step 3: Save a short version as a WhatsApp quick reply This is for guests who cancel in a WhatsApp chat. If WhatsApp Business is not set up yet, start with [Auto-replies for hotel WhatsApp](https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/whatsapp-business-auto-replies-for-hotels/). ``` Booking [reference] cancelled. [arrival date] to [departure date], [room type] What happens next: [your terms] Reply here if this was a mistake. ``` 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 `cancelled`, so it appears as `/cancelled`. 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](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1791149784551042/?cms_platform=android) covers quick replies in full if your menu looks different. ## Step 4: Cancel first, then send 1. Open the Cancellations label at the start and end of each shift. 2. Find the booking in your PMS and cancel it there first. 3. If the booking came through a booking site, follow that site's process. 4. In Gmail, open a reply, then **More options**, **Templates**, and pick it under **Insert template**. 5. Fill in every \[placeholder\] and read the reference and dates against the booking. 6. Read the message once more for any "\[" left. 7. Send, then remove the Cancellations label from the email, so the label shows only what still needs doing. Google's page describes inserting a template in a new message. Try it once in a reply before relying on it. The [booking confirmation template](https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/hotel-booking-confirmation-email/) is the matching message when a booking is made. 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 2026-11-03. Gmail and WhatsApp move menus between versions, so look for the same words if yours differ. ### What it does Every cancellation email lands under one label, and every guest gets the same clear reply, whoever is on shift. Both pieces are built into free apps. ### What it can't do It does not cancel the booking. It does not read the PMS or the booking site. It does not reply by itself, a person checks and sends. It does not catch a cancellation that uses none of the words, or one that arrives by phone. ### Limits - Filters only act on new mail. - The word filter also labels unrelated mail that happens to say cancel. - 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. ### When this stops being enough When cancellations should update the booking and send the reply from one place, a label and a saved reply are no longer enough. Read [how the no-build-fee model works](https://vivifiedtech.com/how-it-works/). ## Sources 1. [Create rules to filter your emails (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579?hl=en) 2. [Search operators you can use with Gmail (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7190?hl=en) 3. [Create a template in Gmail (Gmail Help)](https://support.google.com/mail/answer/14864208?hl=en) 4. [How to use quick replies (WhatsApp Help Center)](https://faq.whatsapp.com/1791149784551042/?cms_platform=android) ## Related guides - [Hotel booking confirmation email template](https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/hotel-booking-confirmation-email/) - [Auto-acknowledge hotel enquiries in Gmail](https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/gmail-enquiry-inbox-for-hotels/) - [Auto-replies for hotel WhatsApp, set up free](https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/whatsapp-business-auto-replies-for-hotels/) ## Have a task like this? Tell us the repetitive task and we'll say honestly whether we can automate it. [Get a free assessment](https://vivifiedtech.com/contact/)