In today’s fast-paced world, confirmation emails and messages have become a standard part of nearly every booking journey. Whether you’re reserving a hotel room, a table at a restaurant, a spa treatment or a round of golf…written confirmation is an expectation. This takes out any guess work… has the booking gone through? Has the staff member booked me in for the right date and time? Saving additional calls back to the venue in the lead up to the date of arrival to confirm that all details are correct.
Despite, this widespread norm, our data shows that across hospitality sectors, confirmation communications are often underutilised, inconsistent, and in many cases, uninspiring.
That’s a missed opportunity. Not just from a service perspective, but from a commercial and experiential perspective too.
Why confirmations matter more than ever
A booking confirmation is often the first tangible interaction a guest has with your venue following the initial reservation. Whether it’s a spa day, a hotel stay, dinner for two, or a round of golf with friends or colleagues, this message starts to shape individual expectations. It should reassure, inform, and most importantly, excite.
At its core, any confirmation email/documentation should ensure the guest knows what they’ve booked. But when done well, it becomes an extension of your brand, setting the tone for the entire experience.
And yet, across the board, there are significant gaps in execution:
- Only 87% of 59club-affiliated hotels are consistently sending out confirmation emails. That means over 1 in 10 guests may not be receiving written confirmation at all.
- 80% of 59club-affiliated spas are doing so—but often with transactional templates, focused purely on the booking details, rather than the complete guest journey.
- Across the UK golf industry, just 25% of non-59club affiliated venues send booking confirmations, while the best venues go above and beyond, providing information, excitement, and brand consistency ahead of a visit, 100% of the time.
Provided that you have the right systems in places, sending out a booking confirmation is cost free. Why therefore aren’t all venues making the most of the tools that we have at our disposal?
A confirmation shouldn’t just confirm
Too often, confirmation emails are treated as a tick-box task: date, time, booking reference… done. But that’s missing a key moment to influence how your guest feels before they even walk through your door.
Instead, think of your confirmation email as a mini digital welcome pack. This is your chance to:
- Reflect your venue’s personality and values
- Build anticipation for the upcoming experience
- Promote other offerings (potentially driving revenue in the process)
- Provide helpful information, potentially helpful to reduce operational challenges on the day
- Set clear expectations
Let’s look at what’s typically being missed:
- Only 20% of 59club-affiliated hotels use the confirmation email to discuss upgraded bedroom offerings, leaving significant upsell potential on the table.
- In spas, many confirmations focus purely on the treatment time, without highlighting additional facilities, such as thermal suites, relaxation suites, or food and beverage options.
- And in golf, just 6% of non-59club affiliated venues promote food and beverage or practice facilities in their confirmations. How often do your teams have to advise guests that the kitchen is closed when trying to order food after they have finished playing? Through effective communication, some of this disappointment and frustration could be mitigated.
These are all missed opportunities—not just for revenue, but to enhance the overall guest experience.
What should a great confirmation include?
Whether you’re a general manager, spa director, or golf operations lead, ask yourself: Is what we are sending out currently, representative of our brand? Is what we are sending out representative of the rate that we are charging? Is what we are sending out representative of the type of venue that we are aspiring to be? If not, let’s look to make a change!
The following are some examples of what venues could look to include:
1. Clear booking information
- Date, time, service booked, guest names and rate
- Confirmation reference number (if applicable)
2. Venue essentials
- Location and directions
- Arrival information and timings
- Cancellation policy and venue specific terms and conditions
3. Inspiration & upselling
- Images of the venue, dining options, spa areas, or golf course
- Links to menus, spa day itineraries, or nearby attractions
- Suggestions for upgrades or add-ons (e.g. premium rooms, wine pairings, hire equipment)
4. Important guidelines
- Dress code, etiquette, health and safety policies
- FAQs or links to further information
Small details matter
Even the best-written confirmation can fall short if the execution isn’t right.
Ask yourself:
- Are our confirmation emails consistently being sent? If not, why?
- When was the last time we checked the formatting across devices?
- Do the links within the email actually work?
Broken links, outdated information, or missing details quickly erode confidence and can lead to unnecessary phone calls and confusion. In an age where operational efficiency and first impressions are everything, these small errors add up.
Design: Make it visual, make it mobile-friendly
Long walls of text won’t get read—especially when guests are opening these emails on their phones, which they almost certainly are.
Instead:
- Use clear sections and bullet points
- Incorporate images and your brand colours
- Include clickable links to menus, spa guides, room types, or course layouts
- Keep it concise, helpful, and inspirational
The best confirmations aren’t just read. They’re shared—with travel companions, playing partners, and friends. That’s free, organic marketing.
Reduce operational pressures
Clear confirmations reduce the number of follow-up calls and emails your team has to manage. They also protect your staff by putting everything in writing, reducing the chances of misunderstanding or miscommunication.
It’s not about replacing the personal touch—it’s about reinforcing it.
Final thought: When was the last time you checked?
When did you last review the confirmations your business sends?
Are they being sent consistently, on time, and without errors? Are they visually appealing, mobile-optimised, and aligned with your brand?
Most importantly: do they inspire your guests and introduce them to everything you offer?
Booking confirmations are more than admin. They are a powerful moment to engage, impress, and excite your guests before they even arrive.