---
title: "Pre-arrival email from a Google Sheet · Vivified Tech"
description: "A daily script emails each arriving guest once, with check-in times, address and directions, from a Google Sheet. Free, about 25 minutes."
url: "https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/hotel-pre-arrival-email/"
---

The five steps in 28 seconds

  [Download the video (MP4)](https://vivifiedtech.com/assets/video/hotel-pre-arrival-email/pre-arrival.mp4)

The steps from this guide, 28 seconds, no sound.

### Transcript of the video

1.  0:00

    GUEST MESSAGING

    Answer arrival questions before guests ask

    Google Sheets and Apps Script. Free. About 25 minutes.

2.  0:02

    1

    Build the Arrivals sheet

    sheets.google.com/create

    COLUMNS

    First name

    Email

    Arrival date

    Sent

3.  0:05

    2

    Paste in the script

    Extensions > Apps Script

    FILL IN

    Check-in time

    Check-out time

    Address and directions

4.  0:08

    3

    Run it once first

    Run > Review permissions

    Send yourself a test email first.

    Google warns the app is unverified. That is expected.

5.  0:12

    4

    Add a daily trigger

    Triggers > Add trigger

    Time-driven, Day timer, 8 to 9 AM.

6.  0:15

    5

    Each guest gets it once

    Sent column

    Late bookings get it on the next run.

7.  0:18

    What this does not do

    It does not read your PMS.

    Someone still adds each booking.

    It does not answer replies.

8.  0:22

    The full script and every step are in the free guide.

    vivifiedtech.com/guides

    Link in the post.

## Step 1: Make the Arrivals sheet

1.  Go to sheets.google.com/create for a blank spreadsheet.

2.  Rename the first tab "Arrivals".

3.  In row 1, add these headers in this order: **First name**, **Email**, **Arrival date**, **Sent**. The script reads columns A to D in that order, so keep it.

4.  Select the **Arrival date** column and set **Format**, **Number**, **Date**, so the script reads real dates and not text.

5.  Add one row per booking. Two made-up examples:

    -   Maya, [maya@example.com](mailto:maya@example.com), 29/10/2026, Sent left empty
    -   Tom, [tom@example.com](mailto:tom@example.com), 30/10/2026, Sent left empty
6.  Leave **Sent** empty for every booking. Add only guests who gave you their email for this booking, and share the sheet only with staff who add bookings.

7.  Under **File**, **Settings**, set your time zone. The script uses it to work out each guest's arrival day.

## Step 2: Paste the script

1.  Open **Extensions**, then **Apps Script**. Delete the sample code and paste this:

```js
const DAYS_BEFORE = 2;
const SENDER_NAME = 'Front desk, Your Hotel';
const SUBJECT = 'Before you arrive at Your Hotel';
const MESSAGE = [
  'Hi {name},',
  '',
  'We look forward to welcoming you on {date}.',
  '',
  'Check-in: from [time]. Check-out: by [time].',
  'Getting here: [address and a short line on directions or parking].',
  'Need anything before you arrive? Reply to this email.',
  '',
  'Front desk, Your Hotel'
].join('\n');

function sendPreArrivalEmails() {
  const ss = SpreadsheetApp.getActiveSpreadsheet();
  const sheet = ss.getSheetByName('Arrivals');
  const timeZone = ss.getSpreadsheetTimeZone();
  const day = (date) => Utilities.formatDate(date, timeZone, 'yyyy-MM-dd');
  const today = day(new Date());
  const ahead = Date.now() + DAYS_BEFORE * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000;
  const lastDay = day(new Date(ahead));
  const rows = sheet.getDataRange().getValues();
  for (let i = 1; i < rows.length; i++) {
    const [name, email, arrival, sent] = rows[i];
    if (!email || sent || !(arrival instanceof Date)) continue;
    const arrivalDay = day(arrival);
    if (arrivalDay < today || arrivalDay > lastDay) continue;
    const body = MESSAGE.replace('{name}', name || 'there').replace(
      '{date}',
      Utilities.formatDate(arrival, timeZone, 'EEEE d MMMM')
    );
    MailApp.sendEmail(email, SUBJECT, body, { name: SENDER_NAME });
    sheet.getRange(i + 1, 4).setValue(new Date());
  }
}
```

2.  Edit `SENDER_NAME` and `SUBJECT` to your hotel's name.
3.  In `MESSAGE`, replace the `[placeholders]` with your check-in time, check-out time, address and a line on directions or parking. Keep `{name}` and `{date}`; the script fills those in for each guest.
4.  `DAYS_BEFORE = 2` controls how many days ahead of arrival a guest gets the email. Change it if you want more or less notice.

## Step 3: Run it once and test it

1.  Add a test row with your own email address and tomorrow's date in **Arrival date**.
2.  Click **Run**. Google warns that the app is unverified because you wrote it. Choose **Advanced**, then go to the project, to approve the permissions.
3.  Check your inbox for the email.
4.  Delete the test row, or leave its **Sent** date in place so it is not emailed again.
5.  Replies to the email go to the Google account that ran the script, so run it from the front desk or reservations account, not a personal one.

## Step 4: Send it every morning

1.  In Apps Script, open **Triggers** (the clock icon) and click **Add Trigger**.
2.  Choose `sendPreArrivalEmails`, event source **Time-driven**, type **Day timer**, and an hour window such as 8 to 9 AM.
3.  Save. Google [picks a time inside that hour](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/triggers/installable) and keeps it the same each day.

## Step 5: Each guest gets it once

1.  After the script emails a guest, it writes the send time into **Sent** on that row.
2.  A row is skipped if the email is empty, the arrival date is in the past, or **Sent** already has a value.
3.  A booking added late, arriving today or tomorrow, still gets the email on the next morning run.
4.  To send the email again, clear the **Sent** cell on that row.

## Details and limits

Checked on 2026-10-27. Google changes limits and menus, so re-check the linked pages.

### What it does

Every arriving guest gets the same answers to the questions they ask most, before they ask. Nothing here needs a paid plan.

### What it can't do

-   It does not read your PMS or booking sites, so someone still adds each booking to the sheet.
-   It does not answer replies. They land in the inbox of the account that runs the script.
-   It sends plain text, in one language.
-   It does not check that the address works. Test with your own email first.

### Limits

-   A consumer Google account can send 100 email recipients a day with `MailApp`; a Google Workspace account can send 1,500. See the [quotas page](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/services/quotas). Quotas can change without notice.
-   Each run has 6 minutes to finish.
-   Clear old rows after check-out so the sheet stays short and holds less guest data.

### When this stops being enough

When bookings should flow in from the PMS or booking sites by themselves, when the message should change by room type, language or booking source, or when replies need tracking, a sheet and a script can't do that.

Read [how the no-build-fee model works](https://vivifiedtech.com/how-it-works/).

## Sources

1.  [Class MailApp (Apps Script)](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/reference/mail/mail-app)
2.  [Quotas for Google services (Apps Script)](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/services/quotas)
3.  [Installable triggers (Apps Script)](https://developers.google.com/apps-script/guides/triggers/installable)

## Related guides

-   [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/)
-   [Hotel welcome and checkout message templates](https://vivifiedtech.com/guides/hotel-welcome-message-templates/)

## Have a task like this?

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