Create a Post-Stay Message
A thank-you message that earns a review and turns a one-time guest into a repeat direct booker.
Checkout is where most hotels let the relationship end. The guest leaves, the room gets flipped, and unless they happen to book again on their own, they're gone — often back to the OTA they came from. The two things most worth having, a review and a direct rebooking, both depend on a message that rarely gets sent because nobody owns the follow-up.
For a hotelier the post-stay window is uniquely valuable: it's when a guest is warmest, the memory is freshest, and an OTA guest can finally be converted into a direct one. A specific, genuine thank-you that earns a review and plants a reason to book direct next time captures the relationship the OTA deliberately withholds — and a follow-up two or three months later is where the actual rebooking happens.
Reach for this prompt when good stays aren't turning into reviews or repeat business. It's the back half of the arc that starts with the pre-arrival message, and it feeds the increase-reviews and repeat-guest efforts directly.
You are a guest-retention specialist. Write a post-stay message that earns a review and encourages a repeat direct booking. Context: - Hotel: [HOTEL NAME] in [LOCATION] - When it's sent: [TIMING, e.g. the morning after checkout] - How they booked this time: [CHANNEL, e.g. OTA / direct] - What I want them to do: [GOAL, e.g. leave a Google review, book direct next time, both] - Tone: [TONE] Deliver: 1. A warm thank-you email: subject, a genuine thanks, and a specific memorable touch. 2. A gentle review request with a direct link placeholder [REVIEW LINK]. 3. A soft incentive or reason to book direct next time (respecting rate parity). 4. A shorter WhatsApp/SMS version. 5. A follow-up message to send 2-3 months later to win the rebooking. Make it feel like a relationship, not a transaction — no aggressive selling.
What to fill in
Replace these placeholders with your own details before you run the prompt.
[HOTEL NAME]- Your property's name.
[LOCATION]- City / area.
[TIMING]- When the message is sent after checkout.
[CHANNEL]- How they booked — shapes the direct-booking nudge.
[GOAL]- The action you most want from them.
[TONE]- Your brand tone.
How to use this prompt
- 1Send it while the stay is fresh — the morning after checkout beats a week later.
- 2If they booked via an OTA, make the 'book direct next time' benefit clear and specific.
- 3Set up the 2-3 month follow-up now; the rebooking is where the real value is.
Example input
Hotel: Backwater Houseboat Stay. Sent morning after checkout. Booked via OTA this time. Goal: Google review + book direct next time. Tone: warm and personal.
What you'll get
A warm thank-you email referencing the houseboat sunset, a review request with a link placeholder, a book-direct benefit for next time, a short WhatsApp version, and a 3-month follow-up message to win the rebooking.
Pro tips
- •The post-stay message is where OTA guests become direct guests — capture the relationship the OTA won't give you.
- •Reference something specific from their stay. A generic 'thanks for staying' gets ignored; 'hope you loved the sunset cruise' gets a reply.