Set Up During-Stay Guest Emails

Quick Setup

Use Email - Guest for guest templates and Email - Hotel for staff recipients. This takes about 10 minutes.

This guide helps you manage during-stay guest templates and hotel notification recipients. The variable panel now wraps descriptions, filters to supported variables, and can insert at your cursor. When a save fails, AVA now keeps the full template path and shows the exact field inline. If a guest submits a new email during check-in, AVA keeps that address for guest messages. Later PMS refreshes do not overwrite it for the reservation's main guest. You can leave a template inactive while you draft it. AVA keeps those saved changes even before you turn delivery on. While inactive, you can still switch email types, preview them, and reset them.

The selected template shows an Active or Inactive badge. You can also preview desktop and mobile layouts before saving.

Setting	What It Controls	What Guests See
Email type	Which situation sends the email	The right message for the moment
Desktop email type rail	Collapses the left list on wide screens	More room for the editor
Email - Guest / Email - Hotel	Switches between guest templates and hotel recipients	The correct setup panel
Status badge	Shows whether the selected template sends	A clear Active or Inactive state
Activate / Deactivate	Turns a template on or off	Email sends or stays silent
Email Sender Name	Name in the From field	A familiar hotel sender
Email Title	Subject line	A clear reason for the email
HTML Editor	Email content	The full guest message
Recipient email chips	Hotel notification email list per event	Check-in/check-out updates to staff
Template variables	Supported personal details	Easier insert and copy actions
Reset to default template	Restores the selected template	The saved custom version is replaced
Live Preview	Sample rendering	Layout before you save, including sample room info when present
Desktop / Mobile	Preview frame size	Checks how the email fits on smaller screens
HTML editor limit	Maximum message size	Up to 100,000 characters
Inline validation	Exact field path from the server	The right template or field shows the error

Step-by-Step Setup (Guest Templates)

1. Go to During Stay → Email.

2. Keep Email - Guest selected.

3. Select an Email type from the left list.

   ✓ The editor loads that template. ✓ You can do this even when the template is inactive.

   On desktop, you can collapse the list into a slim icon rail. AVA expands it again when validation fails.

4. Click Activate when the template is ready to send. Click Deactivate while you are still drafting.

   ✓ The card stays highlighted after a successful change. ✓ Saved inactive content stays in place.

5. Enter Email Sender Name and Email Title.

6. Update the HTML Editor content.

7. Insert Template variables.

   • Type {{ to see suggestions.
   • Click a variable card to insert it at the cursor.
   • Or click the Template Variables icon to copy it.

8. Review Live Preview.

   • Click Desktop to check the full-width version.
   • Click Mobile to check the 375px frame.
   • The preview hides unsafe HTML like <script> or onclick.

9. Click Save Email Settings.

   ✓ You should see a success message.

Reset confirmation

Click Reset to default template to restore the selected email. You must confirm the warning modal before AVA replaces your changes.

Inactive templates

You can still preview and reset inactive templates. Use this when you want to compare versions before turning delivery on.

Step-by-Step Setup (Hotel Recipients)

1. Go to During Stay → Email.

2. Select Email - Hotel.

3. Find each Email Type that needs hotel notifications.

4. Enter an address in Add recipient email.

5. Click Add or press Enter.

   ✓ The address appears as a chip under that email type.

6. Repeat for all email types you need.

7. Click Save Email Confirmation.

   ✓ You should see "Hotel email confirmation settings saved successfully."

Recipient rules

• Duplicate addresses are blocked per email type.
• Saved addresses are normalized to lowercase.
• Add at least one recipient before saving.

Email Types and Triggers

Email type	When it sends
Registration Success	After a guest completes registration
Registration Failed	When a guest registration fails
Check-in Success	After a guest checks in
Check-in Failed	When check-in fails
Room Not Ready - Before Check-in Time	Room is not ready before check-in time
Room Not Ready - After Check-in Time	Room is not ready after check-in time, including queued reservations with no available room
Room Ready for Check-in	Room becomes ready for check-in
Payment Dispute	When payment has a dispute
Check-out Success	After a guest checks out
Check-out Failed	When check-out fails

Check-in Success emails

AVA only inserts the generated room info block when your Check-in Success template includes {{roomInformationHtml}} or {{ roomInformationHtml }}. If the placeholder is missing, AVA leaves the rest of the email unchanged. This update does not change Room Access Info email behavior. The generated block can include room, access, building entrance, WiFi, locker, and SmartLock details.

Registration emails send once per booking

AVA sends Registration Success and Registration Failed at most once per booking. If a room has multiple guests, the first registration claims the email slot. Later guest submissions do not send duplicate registration emails.

Queued reservations

When AVA queues a reservation after check-in time, it sends the Room Not Ready - After Check-in Time emails. The Room Ready for Check-in email still sends later.

Guest email source

If a guest enters a different email during check-in, AVA keeps that submitted address for guest messages. When main guest data is missing, AVA uses the first guest it can identify.

Validation feedback

AVA keeps nested template paths when a save fails. That helps the banner point to the right email block instead of a generic field.

Room info default

The room info email setting now defaults to on. If the saved value is missing, AVA treats it as enabled. Explicit off values stay off. If you changed this setting before the fix, save Settings → Room Access once. Older saves could drop the field, so a fresh save writes it back.

Editor suggestions

When you edit Check-in Success, type {{ to see room info, SmartLocks PIN, locker, and departure date suggestions. These suggestions help you place the generated block where guests need it.

If you do not see Room Ready for Check-in or Payment Dispute

These appear only when your PMS supports those events. Contact support if you expect them.

Template Variables

Use these in the HTML Editor:

Filtered variables

The panel can show only variables your selected template supports. Click Show all variables to browse the full list.

Insert or copy variables

Click a variable card to insert it at the cursor. Use the copy icon when you only want the variable text.

Variable	What It Shows
{{guestName}}	Guest full name
{{hotelName}}	Hotel name
{{arrivalDate}}	Check-in date
{{departureDate}}	Check-out date
{{roomNumber}}	Room number
{{lockCode}}	Room access code
{{confirmationNumber}}	Confirmation number

Use room access details when needed

Include {{roomNumber}} or {{lockCode}} in room-ready or check-in emails.

Room Access Variables

Use these when your message should include room access details.

Variable	What It Shows
{{roomInformationHtml}}	Generated room, access, building entrance, and WiFi information
{{pinCode}}	Smart lock PIN alias
{{lockCode}}	Room access code
{{lockerNumber}}	Locker number
{{lockerCode}}	Locker access code

Use the room access category

Open Template Variables and expand Room & Access Information for these fields. Use {{roomInformationHtml}} in Check-in Success emails when you want AVA to insert the room block. {{pinCode}} gives you the smart lock PIN alias.

Troubleshooting

Emails are not sending

What you see: Guests do not receive a specific during-stay email.

Fix:

1. Confirm the template is active.
2. Make sure Email Title and HTML Editor are not empty.
3. Verify the reservation has a guest email address.
4. Click Save Email Settings after changes.

Inactive drafts

If the template is inactive, AVA still saves your email content. Activate it when the message is ready to send.

Status does not change

What you see: The badge does not switch after you click Activate or Deactivate.

Fix:

1. Wait for the request to finish.
2. Check for inline validation errors in the template.
3. Save the template again if you made edits.
4. Refresh the page and try the action again.

Edits stay saved

AVA keeps your edits if the status change fails. The badge changes only after the request succeeds.

Hotel recipient save is blocked

What you see: "At least one recipient is required when enabled."

Fix:

1. Open Email - Hotel.
2. Add at least one recipient in any Email Type row.
3. Click Save Email Confirmation.

Email address is rejected or duplicated

What you see: "Please enter a valid email address." or "This email is already added."

Fix:

1. Enter a complete address, like frontdesk@hotel.com.
2. Remove duplicate chips in the same row.
3. Click Save Email Confirmation again.

Save is blocked by security issues

What you see: A warning says the HTML has security issues.

Fix:

1. Remove <script> tags and javascript: links.
2. Remove inline events like onclick.
3. Click Save Email Settings again.

Email HTML is too long

What you see: AVA rejects the save after you paste a large email body.

Fix:

1. Reduce the HTML length below 100,000 characters.
2. Remove repeated inline styles or unused blocks.
3. Save the template again.

The wrong field shows the validation error

What you see: The banner mentions a template, but the inline error looks generic.

Fix:

1. Open the template named in the banner.
2. Check the highlighted field inside that template.
3. Fix the content or shorten the HTML if needed.
4. Save again.

Live Preview hides content

What you see: Parts of your HTML do not show in Live Preview.

Fix:

1. Remove <script> tags and javascript: links.
2. Remove inline events like onclick.
3. Preview again.

A template is missing from the list

What you see: Room Ready or Payment Dispute is missing.

Fix:

1. These types appear only for supported PMS events.
2. Check your PMS setup or contact support.

Check-in Success email is missing room details

What you see: The email sends, but room, access, building, or WiFi details are missing.

Fix:

1. Open the Check-in Success template.
2. Add {{roomInformationHtml}} or {{ roomInformationHtml }} where the block should appear.
3. Save the template.
4. Run a test email or complete a test check-in again.

Empty room details

If the generated room information is empty, AVA removes the placeholder cleanly. That keeps the rest of your template visible.

Preview sample data

Live Preview now uses sample room information HTML when the placeholder is present. This helps you confirm the generated block spacing and layout before saving.

Room info toggle does not stick

What you see: You turn off Show "Email room information", but check-in v3 still shows the room info button.

Fix:

1. Go to Settings → Room Access.

2. Turn Show "Email room information" off again.

3. Click Save.

4. Refresh check-in v3 or start a new test check-in.

   ✓ The room info button stays hidden after the refresh.

If you saved this before the fix

If you turned the toggle off before this backend fix, save it again after deploy. That rewrites the setting with the new field.

Still Stuck?

Contact success@vouch-technologies.com if:

• ❌ Emails still do not send after the steps above
• ❌ You see system errors when saving
• ❌ The issue lasts longer than 30 minutes

Helpful to include:

• Screenshot of the email settings page
• The email type you were editing
• Steps you already tried

Related Guides

• Pre-Arrival Emails
• Room Not Ready Messages
• Guest Experience