How to personalize and automate emails to your guests, and use email templates and bulk-send options.
DRAFT Last Updated: April 29, 2025
Overview
Clear and timely communication with your guests makes all the difference, and email is one of your most powerful tools.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to personalize, automate, and schedule guest emails with easy-to-use templates and bulk options. We'll also show you how to set up internal notifications to keep your team informed.
Highlights
Emails to participants
- Registration confirmation email
- Registration confirmation email template
- Choose a registration confirmation email for a program
- Create a custom email template
- Insert a custom notice (important notices)
- Quick add registration confirmation
- Guest payment request
- Guest payment confirmation
- Pre-arrival emails
- Post-departure emails
- Registration cancellation notification to guest
- Waitlist notification email (space available)
- Manually send an email
- Bulk email feature
- HTML email wrapper
- Notice of a new registration
- Rental inquiry notification
- Guest edit notification
- Expired personal credit notification
- Room repair notification
See also, Configure a new program and Text customizations.
Registration confirmation email
A registration confirmation email can be configured to send automatically to your guest when they complete a new registration.
You can configure a global default for all programs or choose a custom email to be sent for a specific program.
The email shown below was automatically sent to Molly Marble immediately after she completed her registration for Come Alive at Drala Yoga.
Registration confirmation email template
To modify the global default email template used for sending registration confirmation emails to all programs, go to Settings > Email Templates.
From here, you can find the Registration Notification email template.
Email template codes, like {{first_name}} appear in the template. These codes are placeholders that will be replaced in the email with actual values from the guest registration.
To insert an email template code into your email, first place the cursor within the Message area where you would like the code to appear. Then, click on Template Codes in the editing toolbar, scroll through the available codes, and click on the code you wish to insert. The code will be inserted in the message at the cursor location.
Choose a registration confirmation email for a program
To use your global default registration confirmation email for a program, like the one we configured in the previous section, go to: Programs > (choose a program to edit) > Email > Email Options.
In the Send drop-down box, select Registration Notification.
Choose On and Program Registration Created.
In this example, we will send it to All Guest Types.
Enable this email with the toggle.
Create a custom email template
To use a custom email for the registration confirmation email for a specific program, select Send custom email from the drop-down box. Choose On and Program Registration Created.
You can create an email from scratch by typing in the Message area and using the formatting toolbar to style your content.
Or you can start with an existing email template and make changes to create a custom email. To select one of your existing email templates, click on Copy content from template and select the desired template.
In this example, we will copy content from the global default Registration Notification email and make some modifications.
When you copy content from the template and make changes, only the copy in this program is modified. Your original email template in Settings remains unchanged.
Insert a custom notice
You may add a Custom Notice (also referred to as important notices) to your registration confirmation notification email for a specific program at Programs > (choose a Program to edit) > Email > Email Options > Registration Email > Custom Notice.
Use the email template code {{important_notices}} to include your important notice in an email.
Quick add registration confirmation
As a Registrar, when making a Quick Add Registration, you may choose to send the registration confirmation email to the guest.
To enable this option, go to Settings > Email > Quick Add Registration Notification Email and choose either Displayed (unchecked by default) or Displayed (checked by default).
When the Quick Add registration notification email is enabled in Settings, the registration notification email configured for the program (default or custom) will be sent.
Guest payment request
Configure a global default template for an email you can send manually to request a guest payment at Settings > Email Templates > Payment Request.
The email you configure here will be used for all programs.
Guest payment confirmation
Configure a global default template to notify guests that their payment has been received. Go to Settings > Email Templates> Payment Notification Email.
The email you configure here will be used for all programs.
This payment notification email is not sent for refunds.
Pre-arrival emails
You can enable one or more automatic pre-arrival emails to be sent before the program start date. Pre-arrival emails may be configured on the program level only.
Go to Programs > (choose a program to edit) > Email tab.
In the Send drop-down box, select an email template. Enter the number of days. Choose Before and Arrival.
For example, we've created an email template called Getting Here, and want to send it to Participants five days before they arrive. Our configuration looks like this.
By default, the pre-arrival email will be sent to all guest types. If you wish to send the email to specific guest types, click in the All Guest Types box and choose from the list.
Post-departure emails
Global post-departure for all programs
Enable a post-departure email for all new programs by navigating to Settings > Email > Post Departure Email.
If enabled, the post-departure email will automatically be sent to all guests.
Configure a global post-departure email at Settings > Email Templates > Post Departure.
Program-level post-departure emails
You may also enable program-level post-departure emails to be sent automatically.
Go to Programs > (choose a program to edit) > Email tab.
In the Send drop-down box, select an email template. Enter the number of days. Choose After and Departure.
For example, we've created an email template called Find your next program, and want to send it to Participants sixty days after they depart.
Our configuration looks like this.
Registration cancellation notification to the guest
To customize the email sent to guests when their registration has been canceled, go to Settings > Email Templates > Registration Cancellation Email.
The email you configure here will be used for all programs.
Waitlist notification (space available) to the guest
To customize the email that you can send to participants to advise them that space has become available, go to Settings > Email Templates > Waitlist Notification Email.
The email you configure here will be used for all programs.
Be sure to include the special {{wait_list_reg_form}} link should be included in this email so that the participant can register.
Abandoned registration (leads) email to the guest
When enabled, the abandoned reg feature will send a follow-up email to the person who began the registration but exited the form before completing the registration.
To enable, go to Settings > Registrations > Abandoned Registration Lead Capture.
You may choose the number of days after abandonment to send the email.
You may customize this email. The special {{abandoned_reg_form_link}} link should be included in this email so that the participant can register.
Multi-person registration notification to guests
The multi-person registration feature allows one person to register themselves and others in their group or family on the same registration form.
The primary registrant (the person making the registration) completes the full online registration form for themselves and enters basic information about the other members of their group, such as first name, last name, and email address.
At the program level, you have the option to automatically send an email to the additional people listed, allowing them to complete the form by entering responses in the remaining fields.
Go to Programs > (select a program to edit) > Registration > Advanced Options > Multi-person, and check the box labeled Send email to additional registrants.
When checked, an email will be sent automatically to the additional people registered, containing a link to complete or update their registration details.
This email will not be sent to the primary registrant.
This email template is also used for remote registrations when that feature is enabled.
To configure the multi-person registration notification email to guests, go to:
Settings > Email Templates > Multi-person Notification Email.
Manually send an email
To manually send an email to a person related to their registration, go to: Registrations > (select the appropriate registration) > Sent Messages.
Select, Send a new message to and the create new message section appears.
Bulk email
To send an email to multiple people in a single action - to bulk email - we must first create a filtered list of intended recipients.
The Bulk Email Everyone in Results button mentioned in the sections below will not appear until you click Apply Filter.
Bulk email from the Registrations view
Go to Registrations > Filters and Reports and choose the filters that yield the desired list.
For example, we set filters to display registrations for Goat Yoga 2025 in July with a Reserved status, yielding the following results.
To send an email to all participants listed in this view, click on Bulk Email Everyone in Results. Next, create an email from scratch or click on Insert Email Templates to choose a standard or custom email template.
In the example below, we selected Getting Here (a custom email template).
To remove one or more people from this mailing, simply uncheck the box next to their name.
Click Send bulk email to send a personalized copy of this email to the people selected.
A copy of this email will appear in the admin view of each person's registration.
Bulk email from the People view
Go to People > Filters and Reports and choose the options that will yield the desired list. Proceed as described above for Bulk Email from the Registrations view.
Bulk email from Edit Program page
Alternatively, you may choose to Send bulk email while on the Edit Program page. This approach will automatically filter the results to include everyone who has registered for the program.
HTML email wrapper
To configure a header and footer that will be used to style all emails sent from Retreat Guru, go to Settings > Email > HTML Email Wrapper.
Notice to your team of a new registration
For every new registration, a notification email will be sent to the address you specify at Settings > Email > Registrar's Email.
Check the box next to Set Reply-to Program Contact if you wish to set the reply-to email address to the program contact (if one is configured for the program) instead of your registrar's email.
To set the contact for a specific program, go to: Programs > (select program to edit) > Information > Program Information > For more information > enter a Contact Person and Email.
The information "?" provides the following details.
To customize the email template used to notify your Registrar (or program contact) when new registrations are received, go to Settings > Email Templates > Admin Emails > Registration Notification (Admin).
Rental inquiry notification
You may specify an email for notifications when a new rental inquiry is received at Settings > Email Templates > Admin Emails > Rental Inquiry Received (Admin).
This rental inquiry notification only applies to the standard rental inquiry form - it does not apply if you use the alternative approach of configuring one or more special programs to collect inquires.
However, you may achieve a similar result if you check the Set Reply-to to Program Contact box at Settings > Email, and enter a Contact Person and Email at Programs > (select program to edit) > Information > Program Information for the program(s) used to collect information from people who inquire about your property.
Guest edit notification
If you use Secondary Registration Form Questions as part of a two-part online registration process, you can configure an auto-email to be sent to your Registrar (or another address) when a guest updates their registration information.
Go to Settings > Email Templates > Guest Edit Notification (Admin).
You may set the global default to Enabled or Disabled.
You may override this global default on a program-by-program basis.
For example, if you set guest edit notification to Enabled in Settings, you may choose to override this default (to disable) for a specific program. Or, if you set guest edit notification to Disabled in Settings, you may choose to override this default (to enable) for a specific program.
To override the global setting, go to: Programs > (choose a program to edit > Email > Guest Edit Email.
Expired personal credit notification
See also, Configuring and Using Personal Credit.
Configure the email address that will receive notifications when a personal credit has expired at: Settings > Email Templates > Expired Personal Credit Notification.
The expiration date on a personal credit does not actually expire the credit - you, as an admin user, may still apply it to a registration. This notification is intended as a reminder - you may want to contact the person and encourage them to give it one last chance to apply to a future program.
The content of this internal email is fixed; you do not have the option to modify it.
Room repair notification
Admin users may create a new entry in the Room Repair - Report Issue log for a specific room. Go to: Rooms > (choose a room to edit) > Room Repairs.
You can configure the email address to receive notifications when a new issue is logged. Go to: Settings > Email Templates > Room Repair Notification.
We love email! What are the best practices that you follow in your email communication? We'd love to hear from you - contact your friendly support guru.