Booking Reminder Emails
Automatically send reminder emails before a booking starts.
Booking reminders help reduce no-shows by sending automated emails to customers before their scheduled experience. You can configure multiple reminder rules per location, each with its own timing, messaging, and scoping options.
How It Works
- You configure one or more reminder rules for your location (e.g., "24 hours before" and "1 hour before")
- When a booking is created or confirmed, the system schedules reminder emails based on your rules
- At the configured time before the booking starts, the reminder email is sent automatically
- If the booking is cancelled, all pending reminders are cancelled
- If the booking is rescheduled, reminders are recalculated for the new date and time
Reminders are powered by the scheduled communications system, which uses event-driven processing to handle booking lifecycle changes automatically.
Settings
Booking reminders are configured per location at Dashboard > Marketing > Booking Reminders.
Location-Level Settings
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Enabled | Turn booking reminder emails on or off for this location |
Reminder Rules
Each location can have multiple reminder rules. For example, you might send a detailed reminder 24 hours before and a short "see you soon" message 1 hour before.
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| Hours Before Booking | How many hours before the booking start time to send the reminder |
| Email Subject | Custom subject line (supports template variables) |
| Email Body | Custom email body (supports template variables) |
| Send Retroactively | If a booking is created within the reminder window, send the reminder immediately instead of skipping it (off by default) |
| Include Booking Details | Append the activity's booking confirmation details to the email (on by default) |
Activity Scoping
Each reminder rule can be scoped to specific activities:
| Setting | Description |
|---|---|
| All Activities | Apply this reminder to every activity at the location |
| Activity IDs | If not all activities, specify which activities this reminder applies to |
This lets you send different reminders for different types of experiences. For example, a guided tour might need preparation instructions while an equipment rental might just need a pickup time reminder.
Template Variables
Reminder emails support all standard template variables. Commonly used variables include:
{{customer.name}}— personalize the greeting{{booking.date}}— the booking date{{booking.time}}— the booking start time{{activity.name}}— the name of the booked activity{{location.name}}— your business name{{location.fullAddress}}— your location's address{{booking.confirmationCode}}— the booking reference number
Disabling Reminders for Specific Bookings
You can prevent reminders from being sent for individual bookings by adding the disable_reminder tag to the booking. This can be done:
- Manually in the booking's Misc tab in the dashboard
- Automatically via a Workflow using the "Add Tag" action
When this tag is present, reminders will not be scheduled for the booking. If reminders were already scheduled before the tag was added, they will be skipped at send time.
Similarly, the disable_survey tag prevents automated survey emails for a specific booking.
Booking Lifecycle Handling
The reminder system responds automatically to booking changes:
Booking Created or Confirmed
Reminder emails are scheduled based on all matching reminder rules. If the booking start time is within a rule's reminder window and Send Retroactively is enabled, the reminder is sent immediately.
Booking Cancelled
All pending reminder emails for the cancelled booking are automatically removed from the schedule.
Booking Rescheduled
Pending reminders are cancelled and new reminders are scheduled based on the updated booking date and time.
Workflow Events
After each reminder email is sent, a booking_reminder_sent event is published. You can use this event in the Workflow Builder to trigger additional automations — for example, sending an SMS reminder alongside the email, or firing a webhook to an external system.
API Endpoints
Reminder settings are managed through the Dashboard API:
| Method | Endpoint | Description |
|---|---|---|
GET | /v1/booking-reminders/settings | Get reminder settings for the current location |
PUT | /v1/booking-reminders/settings | Update reminder settings |
Best Practices
- 24-hour reminder: Send a detailed reminder the day before with preparation instructions, what to bring, and directions
- 1-hour reminder: Send a short "see you soon" message with just the time and location
- Use retroactive sending: Enable this for rules with longer lead times (e.g., 24 hours) so customers who book last-minute still receive helpful information
- Include booking details: Keep this enabled unless your email body already contains all the relevant booking information
- Activity-specific messaging: Use activity scoping to tailor reminder content — outdoor activities might include weather tips, while rental pickups might include ID requirements