Hotel Confirmation Email: What to Include, With Templates
A hotel confirmation email confirms a booking and tells the guest what they paid, when to arrive and what to do next. It is the message guests come back to when they plan the trip. If a detail is missing or unclear, it turns into a phone call to the front desk or a dispute at checkout.
This guide lists what every booking confirmation should contain, from the price breakdown to the cancellation deadline. It explains the US rules that shape the email and gives a template you can adapt. It also shows how to make the confirmation the first step of online check-in.
Key Takeaways
A hotel booking confirmation should state the confirmation number, dates, room type, total price, cancellation policy, check-in times and a clear next step.
Since May 12, 2025, the FTC fees rule requires US hotels to show the total price, including mandatory resort fees, whenever they display a price.
Under the FTC's CAN-SPAM guidance, an email that confirms a booking the guest already agreed to counts as a transactional message.
ChargeAutomation can send the online check-in link by email, SMS, WhatsApp or QR code, and properties can reach up to 93% completion.
The best confirmation emails keep booking facts at the top, add one clear next step and save upsell offers for later pre-arrival messages.
What Should a Hotel Confirmation Email Include?
A confirmation email should include every detail the guest needs to trust the booking and arrive without calling the hotel. That means the confirmation number, guest name, stay dates, room type, number of guests and rate plan. It also needs the total price, the amount already paid and any balance due. Add the cancellation deadline in plain words, not only a link to the policy.
The price section matters more since the FTC's fees rule took effect on May 12, 2025. The rule covers hotels and requires any displayed price to include all mandatory fees, such as a required resort fee. Taxes and government charges may sit outside the total, but they must be disclosed before the guest is asked to pay. A confirmation that matches the agreed price avoids confusion at checkout.
Arrival details come next. State the check-in and check-out times, the address, parking options and how to reach the desk after hours. In Europe, the Hotelstars Union criteria ask hotels with limited reception hours to show core opening hours on the website or booking confirmation. Never repeat a full card number or security code, since PCI rules bar keeping card verification codes after authorization.
A complete booking confirmation covers these details:
Confirmation number and guest name
Stay dates, room type and number of guests
Total price with mandatory fees included
Taxes, deposit paid and balance due
Cancellation deadline and policy
Check-in time, check-out time and address
Parking and after-hours arrival details
Contact options and an online check-in link
Booking Confirmation Email Template You Can Adapt
A good booking confirmation email template puts the booking facts first and the friendly extras second. Under the FTC's CAN-SPAM guidance, an email that confirms a transaction the guest already agreed to is transactional. If the email mixes in promotions, its primary purpose decides how the law treats it. Keeping the booking details at the top helps the message stay transactional.
Write the subject line so the guest can find it later, such as Your stay at [Hotel Name] is confirmed for [dates]. Open with the guest's name and the confirmation number, then a short stay summary. Follow with the price breakdown, the cancellation deadline and arrival details. Close with one call to action, usually the online check-in link, and a contact line.
Delivery matters as much as wording. Google requires every sender to Gmail to set up SPF or DKIM, and senders of more than 5,000 messages a day also need DMARC. Send reservation confirmation emails from your own domain, not a free mailbox, so they reach the inbox. Test the template on a phone screen before it goes live.
Use this booking confirmation email template as a starting point:
Subject: Your stay at [Hotel Name] is confirmed for [dates]
Greeting with the guest's name and confirmation number
Stay summary with dates, room type, guests and rate plan
Price breakdown with total, taxes, deposit and balance
Cancellation deadline in one plain sentence
Check-in and check-out times, address and parking
One button: Complete your online check-in
Contact line with phone, email and messaging channel
How ChargeAutomation Turns the Hotel Confirmation Email Into Online Check-In
ChargeAutomation turns the confirmation and pre-arrival emails into the start of online check-in. Automated email and SMS triggers send the check-in link, payment reminders, confirmations and access codes at the times you choose. Guests open one link on any phone, with no app to install. The link can also go out by WhatsApp or as a QR code.
Inside that link, guests confirm their details, upload an ID or passport and take a selfie for biometric verification through Stripe Identity. They can sign a digital agreement, answer custom pre-arrival questions and pay any balance or deposit. Answers such as arrival time can be pushed back to PMS fields, and ChargeAutomation connects with 50+ PMS platforms, including Cloudbeds, Mews and Opera.
Properties can reach up to 93% online check-in completion and save up to 30 minutes per booking. The same flow can offer early check-in, late checkout, parking or airport transfers before arrival, and messages adapt to the guest's language automatically. Launch your online check-in at chargeautomation.com.
ChargeAutomation features that extend the confirmation email include:
Automated confirmation, payment and check-in emails
Check-in links by email, SMS, WhatsApp or QR code
ID, passport and selfie verification
Digital signatures on agreements and policies
Custom pre-arrival questions synced to PMS fields
Payment requests and security deposit holds
Early check-in, late checkout and parking upsells
Automatic translation into the guest's language
Frequently Asked Questions
What should be included in a hotel booking confirmation?
A hotel booking confirmation should include the confirmation number, guest name, stay dates, room type and number of guests. It should also show the total price with mandatory fees, taxes, any deposit paid and the balance due. Add the cancellation deadline, check-in and check-out times, the address and a way to contact the hotel.
When should a hotel send a confirmation email?
Send it right after the booking is made, ideally automatically within minutes. A fast confirmation reassures the guest that the reservation went through. Later messages, such as a pre-arrival email a few days before the stay, can then carry the check-in link and upsell offers.
Is a hotel booking confirmation a marketing email under CAN-SPAM?
No, not when its main purpose is to confirm the booking. The FTC treats an email that confirms an agreed transaction as transactional. It still cannot contain false or misleading routing information. If promotions take over the message, its primary purpose decides how it is treated.
What is the difference between a confirmation email and a hotel pre arrival email?
A confirmation email proves the booking exists and lists what the guest paid for. A hotel pre arrival email goes out closer to the stay and focuses on arrival details, such as online check-in, directions, parking and optional extras. Splitting them keeps the confirmation short and gives each message one job.
Can a hotel add an online check-in link to the reservation confirmation?
Yes. Adding the link to the reservation confirmation lets guests finish check-in while the booking is fresh in their mind. ChargeAutomation can send the link by email, SMS, WhatsApp or QR code, and properties can reach up to 93% online check-in completion.
