Booking confirmation is unquestionably the most important vacation rental message your guests expect to receive from you. This message reassures your guests that their booking is accepted and they have accomplished the first step in building their itineraries. It is also a source of information for the guests with all of their reservation details.
In many booking websites, when you receive a booking, you must confirm it unless you have selected the instant booking option. Still, it is up to you to correspond with your guests through the OTA’s extranet and the temporary guest email addresses they generate for you.
How to Give Your Guests Booking Confirmation
You can confirm your guests’ bookings through their email addresses, online booking platforms’ messaging systems or via SMS.
Sending messages to your guests’ mobile phones is instant and easy, but is text only and limited to a specific number of characters. Therefore, you can’t have graphic designs, add your logo and property pictures or attach a file.
On the other hand, email is a fast, low-cost and comfortable communication tool. It is easily accessible and allows for attaching files, photos and videos. Emails are permanent, easy to store and can be fully automated.
Email is a powerful and efficient tool for business communications, so we shouldn’t miss out each opportunity to send out an email to our customers. Thanks to email marketing tools and a variety of ready-made email templates, it only takes a few clicks to draft a triggered message and send an engaging vacation rental booking confirmation email. Yet, it contributes to building long-standing guest relationships and providing a five-star guest experience.
Why Should We Send a Vacation Rental Booking Confirmation to Our Guests?
Sending a vacation rental booking confirmation is a must for every host. Otherwise, your guests will worry that you have not received their confirmation or something has gone wrong. They might get confused and disappointed or lose their interest in your property. You may also want to send out vacation rental booking confirmation emails due to the following reasons:
1. A Good Start for Email Communications with Your Guests
These emails are good opportunities to thank your guests for booking your property and wish them a memorable stay. You can start being friendly and building your relationship with them. You must show your guests that they mean a lot to you and you will be with them in all the stages of their stay.
2. Providing Detailed Booking Information
Before everything else, a vacation rental booking confirmation email should be considered a document or contract that provides your guests with all the necessary information they need. Ensure that all the information are transparent and unambiguous.
3. Checking Everything with Your Guests Once Again
Sending your guests their booking information will give them another chance to review everything from head to tail and make changes to their reservation if they have made any mistakes.
What should a booking confirmation email include?
It is on you to decide what sort of information you want to provide your guests with. However, these are the most preliminary information your email must include:
- The name of the guest
- Number of guests
- The booking dates
- Check-in and check-out times
- Property name and location
- Your contact information
- Number of stay nights
- Property’s details and amenities
- Check-in and check-out instructions
- Parking
- House rules
- Payment information (add-ons and extra fees)
- Security deposit
- Cancellation policy
Tips to Write Appealing Vacation Rental Booking Confirmation Emails
1. Personalise as Much as You Can
Guests are used to receiving automated instant emails when they make a booking. It is up to you whether to use automated email templates or create unique, captivating confirmation messages for your short-term rental. Even if you use email templates, keep in mind to add a touch of personalisation to your messages so that your guests feel valued. Your emails must sound human-like and convey the friendly atmosphere of your vacation rental.
2. Adjust Your Timing
Your guests expect to receive your vacation rental’s booking confirmation email right after the booking. Don’t be too late so that they have to email or call you themselves. The best practice is to send them confirmation once the booking is received and no later than 24 hours after their booking.
3. Automate Your Email Marketing
Leave sending your emails to automation and rest assured that your guests will automatically receive your emails. This way you don’t have to worry that you forget or miss something. Bear in mind to update your emails from time to time based on your vacation rental’s changes and needs.
4. Promote Your Brand and Marketing Strategies
As booking confirmation emails have a high open and click-through rate, you can add your social media or blog links to them or use them to promote your referral program and other offers. However, do it in a way that doesn’t sound too salesy or pushy.
Sending a vacation rental confirmation message is always an excellent way to give your guest assurance. Still, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the confusion it has brought to the travel industry has highlighted its significance more than any time. Therefore, you can take a step forward in addressing your guests concerns by including the specific measures you have implemented at your property to provide more safety for your guests in your confirmation letter.