Set up deposit reminder, auto-cancel and no-show emails

Included — deposit emails are for reservations awaiting a deposit paymentBackofficeFor managers

Needs: Any backoffice user who can open Settings

Two automations in Email Automations help with payments and missed visits: Deposit Lifecycle Emails remind guests to pay an outstanding deposit and can cancel the booking if they don't, and the No-Show Email tells a guest you marked them as a no-show.

Where to find it

Backoffice › Settings › Communications (section) › Email Automations › Deposit Lifecycle Emails and No-Show Email.

What it does

Deposit Lifecycle Emails (off by default) "Applies to phone/manual reservations awaiting deposit payment. Online widget bookings that are paid at checkout are not affected."

  • Deposit reminders — up to 3 reminders, sent 6, 12, 24, 48 or 72 hours after the payment request. Default: one reminder after 24 hours.
  • Auto-cancel unpaid reservations — cancels reservations that are still unpaid after the Deposit deadline:
    • Hours after the payment request — 24, 48, 72, 96 hours or 1 week (default 72 hours), or
    • Fixed time on visit day — with a Cutoff time on visit day (default 12:00).
  • Release table when auto-cancelling (on by default) frees the table for other guests.

No-Show Email (off by default) "Triggered once when staff change a reservation status to no-show." Its text can be extended under Email Templates › No-show email message.

How to set up deposit emails

  1. Open Settings › Email Automations and switch on Deposit Lifecycle Emails.
  2. Under Deposit reminders, set the timing of each reminder; use Add deposit reminder for more (max 3).
  3. Switch Auto-cancel unpaid reservations on or off, choose the Deposit deadline and whether to Release table when auto-cancelling.
  4. Click Save.
  5. Optional: add your own text under Email Templates › Deposit reminder email message and Auto-cancellation email message.

How to set up the no-show email

  1. In Email Automations, switch on No-Show Email and click Save.
  2. In the Host app, when you mark a reservation with an email address as no-show, a window asks Send no-show email? You can add an Additional message (optional), then click Send email or Don't send email.

Good to know

  • Deposit reminders and auto-cancel only concern reservations that are waiting for a deposit (status awaiting payment). Once the guest pays, the reminders stop.
  • When the payment is completed, the guest automatically receives the payment received email.
  • The no-show email is sent once per reservation.
  • Upcoming deposit reminders for a single reservation can be turned off in the Host app (see "See and control the emails for one reservation").

Troubleshooting

A reservation was cancelled automatically and the guest is upset Auto-cancel unpaid reservations was on and the deposit wasn't paid before the deadline. Choose a later deadline, or turn auto-cancel off and follow up manually.

Deposit reminders don't go out Check that Deposit Lifecycle Emails is switched on and saved, that the reminder itself is on, and that the reservation is still awaiting payment and has an email address. Bookings paid at checkout in the widget never get these reminders.

No "Send no-show email?" window appears The No-Show Email automation is off, or the reservation has no guest email address.

The guest didn't get the no-show email You may have chosen Don't send email. Check Email Activity for the guest's address.