Email scheduling is a feature that allows properties to send emails automatically to the primary guest based on a specific schedule. Currently, Cloudbeds PMS provides 2 main schedule options:
- Based on a specific number of days before or after arrival or departure
- Based on reservation status changes
If you do not see the Email Scheduling Settings, it means that your user has no permission to access. If desired, contact the Property Owner and ask them to enable System Email Permission under your users role. Learn more: Roles and Permissions.
Before you get started
- To schedule and send emails - there must be an email address included in the guests details inside the reservation/guest details.
- The scheduled emails will only be sent to the primary guest of the reservation.
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Only new Custom Email Templates can be scheduled.
- Pre-existing or Default Email Templates created in the system cannot be added to a schedule.
- If you want to schedule confirmation emails to channels (OTAs), go to this section.
- Click on the Manage (gear icon)
- Access Email Scheduling under Email Configuration section
- Click on +Create Email Schedule
- Give a name to your Email Schedule
- Select the email template that you manually created
- Choose when to send email:
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Immediately upon reservation status changing
Example: If you select Cancelled, the email will be sent out immediately when a reservation status changed to Cancelled. -
Based on booking date, check-in date, or check-out date
Example: Send a pre-arrival email 2 days prior to arrival date.
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Immediately upon reservation status changing
- Advanced options:
- Send email template only for selected dates: it will be sent only for the selected date ranges.
- Send email template only for specified sources: it will be sent only when the reservation is for one of the selected sources.
If a user does not select Send email template only for specified sources then the email will go out to all sources. It includes reservations from the distribution channels (OTAs).
- Once you finish, click Create Schedule
The default email template Reservation Confirmed will not be sent automatically to reservations made on channels (OTAs), the channels are responsible in sending their own confirmation emails.
However, you can still create a custom email template and set up a schedule to send the emails automatically to your guests by following the next steps:
Step 1 - Create a new confirmation Custom Email Template
The Default Confirmation Email Template (pre-existing cannot be added to a schedule. You need to create a new template by following the steps of this article: How to Create a Custom Email Template
Step 2 - Schedule the Email Template with OTAs specific settings
Once you have the custom email template made, you can create the email schedule for OTAs:
- Access Email Scheduling
- Click on Create Email Schedule
3. On the module, fill out the mandatory fields:
- Email Schedule Name
- Select the new email template created on the previous step
- Choose the desired schedule
4. Click on Show Advanced Options - this is mandatory to schedule the email template to be sent to certain channels (OTAs)
5. Under Advanced options, select Send email template only for specified sources
- Select the channel from the drop-down.
This email template will be triggered only when the reservation for one of the sources indicated. For example: if you would like to have the template sent for Booking.com, select only Booking.com.
- Select only the OTAs to avoid confirmation emails to be duplicated for direct sources (Walk-in, Phone, Email, Website).
- Not all channels send the guest's email address to Cloudbeds PMS, in that case the guest will not receive this email.
- Click Create Schedule
You can see any scheduled email for the guest inside the reservation under the Email Messages tab. You will see a calendar icon next to it which you can use if you would like to cancel the schedule.
You can track the emails to check their status (Sent, Delivered, Failed) using the Email Delivery Log. Learn more: How can I track the activities of e-mail delivery log?
