How Can a Hotel Automate Its Email Campaigns?

A hotel automates its email campaigns by connecting its booking data to an emailing tool or CRM and creating scenarios triggered by guest actions or dates: newsletter sign-up, booking confirmed, a few days before arrival, after check-out or on an anniversary. Each email is written once, then sent automatically to the right guest at the right time.

Key takeaways

• Automated emails follow the guest journey and run without daily effort from the team.
• The data comes from the PMS, booking engine or hotel CRM; its quality decides the relevance of each email.
• Since February 2024, Gmail and Yahoo require bulk senders to authenticate their emails and offer one-click unsubscribe.

Which email scenarios should a hotel automate?

• Welcome: after a newsletter sign-up, present the hotel and the benefits of booking direct.
• Pre-arrival: practical information, upsells (room upgrade, spa, restaurant, transfer).
• Post-stay: thank the guest and invite a review. See why managing reviews matters.
• Anniversary or birthday: a personal offer to bring the guest back.
• Win-back: an offer for guests who have not stayed for a long time.

How do you set up an automation? An example in Mailchimp

The screenshots below show an earlier version of the Mailchimp interface; menu names may differ today, but the logic stays the same.

Step 1: create a new automation and choose a welcome scenario for new subscribers.

Step 2: name the automation and choose the audience.

Step 3: customize the email and check the sender information.

Step 4: choose a template that follows the hotel's brand and write the content.

Step 5: customize the trigger, the action that sends the email, such as a new subscription, then activate the automation.

Which rules ensure your emails reach the inbox?

• Authenticate the sending domain with SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
• Offer a clear, one-click unsubscribe link.
• Keep spam complaints very low; Google sets a threshold of 0.3% for bulk senders.
• Send only to guests who have agreed to receive marketing emails, as required by the GDPR in Europe.

How does Influence Society automate hotel emails?

At Influence Society, we map the guest journey first, then connect booking data to the emailing tool so that each scenario is personal and measured in bookings and extra revenue. Browse the Emailing category of our wiki.

Sources: Google, Email sender guidelines (requirements from February 2024); Yahoo Sender Hub; Mailchimp Help Center (accessed November 2026).