Set Up Pre-Arrival Emails

Quick Setup

Turn on Pre-arrival Emails, choose a preset, and send a test email. This takes about 5 minutes.

This guide helps you schedule pre-arrival emails, choose which reservations receive them, and personalize what guests see. The Generate with AI button stays available in both Simple Editor and HTML Editor modes. The mode toggle and AI button keep the same layout in either mode. On phones and tablets, the editor mode row stacks vertically, the AI button stays full width, and the page avoids horizontal overflow. The history filters and security banner also wrap cleanly on smaller screens. You can save inactive drafts safely while you finish copy. AVA keeps those changes even if you activate delivery later. You can also add room access details, preview the result, and test a saved inactive draft.

Mobile email delivery

AVA prepares HTML emails for mobile mail apps before sending. Apple Mail and Outlook can then keep text closer to its intended size. Gmail may still reflow the message differently. Use Mobile preview and Send Test Email to check the apps your hotel uses.

Setting	What It Controls	What Guests See
Pre-arrival Emails	Turns emails on or off	Reminders arrive before check-in
Schedule preset	Which days emails send	Timing matches your policy
Template status	Keeps a day variant active or inactive	Inactive drafts save, but they do not send
Activate / Deactivate	Confirms delivery state changes	The badge updates after success
Recipient Targeting	Which PMS values count as a match	Only matching reservations are scheduled, and selected targets stay compact
Recipient mode	Sends to the main guest or eligible predefined guests	Each selected guest receives a personalized email
Allow all codes	Sends to all reservations when targeting is empty	Every reservation with a valid email can receive it
Send time (local)	Daily send hour	Emails arrive at a consistent time
Stop scheduled emails after pre-arrival is complete	Skips remaining automated sends after guest completion	Manual resends remain available
Sender name	Name in the From field	A recognizable hotel sender
Email subject + body	Message content	Clear instructions and next steps
Editor mode row	Switches between Simple Editor and HTML Editor	The mode toggle and AI button stay available in both modes
Generate with AI	Creates a mobile-ready draft from instructions, designs, or an uploaded .eml	The button stays beside the toggle, then stacks on mobile
Reset to Default	Restores the active day variant to the default template	Other day variants stay unchanged until you save
Templates bar (Simple Editor)	Shows starter layouts	Starter templates now use the confirmation-aware pre-arrival link
Template variables	Personal details	Emails feel personalized
Test email	Preview output	You can confirm layout and links
History tab	Past send attempts, recipient details, resend actions, auto-resends, and template offsets	You can review each recipient's send status
History filters	Search, property-local date range, and outcome filters	Controls stack on smaller screens
Actions column	Shows Resend for each history row	You can resend a previous message quickly
Resend button	Sends a history row again	Uses an exact PMS lookup first, then falls back to list search if needed
Preview modal	Shows the latest PMS recipient, confirmation number, guest, stay dates, and template offset	You can verify the exact resend target before sending
Manual emails	Permission-aware tab for reviewed sends and manual-send history	You choose one guest or alternate recipient for this send
Eligibility decision	Checks the latest PMS reservation against Pre-arrival rules	You see why a resend is allowed, blocked, or temporarily unavailable
Mobile cards	Stacks history rows below md	History stays readable on phones

Check-in policy applies before delivery

AVA checks the active Pre-arrival blocking policy before every real-reservation email. This includes scheduled emails, catch-up emails, and manual resends.

Step-by-Step Setup

1. Go to Pre-Arrival → Email.

2. Turn on Pre-arrival Emails.

   ✓ Status shows Active and scheduling options unlock.

3. Choose a Schedule preset.

   • Arrival Day: Send on the guest arrival day
   • Standard: 7, 3, 1 days
   • Extended: 14, 7, 3, 1 days
   • Minimal: 1 day
   • Custom: Pick any days from 0-30

Arrival day timing

Use 0 when you want the email to send on arrival day.

4. If you choose Custom, select the days to send.

   ✓ At least one day stays selected. ✓ AVA checks every chosen variant before activation.

5. Set the Send time (local).

   ✓ Emails use your hotel's local timezone.

6. Turn on Stop scheduled emails after pre-arrival is complete when you want to stop remaining automated sends after guest completion.

   ✓ AVA skips queued scheduled sends after the guest completes pre-arrival. ✓ Manual Resend actions remain available.

Default behavior

This option is off by default. Leave it off to keep all configured scheduled sends active.

7. Leave the selected day variant inactive if you are still drafting.

   ✓ AVA saves the content, but guests do not receive it yet. ✓ You can still preview and add room access content.

8. Set Recipient Targeting.

   • Add the values you want to match from your PMS.
   • You can type one value or paste a comma-separated list.
   • AVA checks rateCode, market, travelAgent, company, and groupName.
   • Matching is case-insensitive.
   • The selected list stays scrollable in a 160px panel when it gets long.
   • AVA shows the selected count above the list.

How to enter targets

Use commas, semicolons, new lines, or tabs to separate values. Spaces stay inside a value, so ACME CORP remains one target. Wrap a value in quotes if it contains a delimiter, like "Expedia, Inc.".

Disabled when scheduling is off

If Pre-arrival Emails is off, the entire targeting panel stays disabled. Turn scheduling on first, then add or remove targeting values.

Same rules across PMS types

AVA uses the same targeting rules for Cloudbeds, Opera, Mews, eZee, and AVA.

Cancelled reservations

If a reservation is cancelled, AVA removes its pending pre-arrival schedule.

9. Choose the recipient mode available for your property.

   • Main guest sends one email to the reservation's main guest.
   • All predefined guests sends one personalized email to each predefined guest with a valid, unique email.
   • Duplicate email addresses are de-duplicated without case sensitivity.

Review guest access

All predefined guests receive the same reservation-wide pre-arrival link. Enable this option only when your property approves that access.

10. Turn on Allow all codes only if every eligible reservation should receive the email.

✓ If the targeting list is empty and this is off, AVA sends to no reservations.

11. Keep Simple Editor selected to use starter templates.
12. Click Templates to open the gallery.

✓ You can choose a layout from Minimal, Luxury, Modern, or Warm Welcome. ✓ New starter layouts use {{preArrivalLinkWithConfirmation}} by default.

13. Click Use Template on the layout you want.

✓ The Templates gallery auto-collapses after selection.

14. Enter Sender name and Email subject.
15. Switch to HTML Editor to edit the Email body.

Generate in either editor mode

The Generate with AI button stays beside the mode toggle in both editor modes. On small screens, the row stacks and the button remains full width.

16. Add Template variables to personalize the message.

• Click Template Variables to insert a variable at the cursor.
• You can also type {{ to open variable suggestions.
• New AI drafts also prefer {{preArrivalLinkWithConfirmation}} for CTA links.

17. Click Send Test Email and enter a test address.

✓ Save the draft first if you changed the content. ✓ Saved inactive templates can still send test emails.

✓ The test email shows your latest changes.

18. Click Save Settings.

✓ You should see "Settings saved successfully!"

Reset a Pre-Arrival Template

Use this when you want to restore the default copy for one send day.

1. Go to Pre-Arrival → Email.
2. Open the day variant you want to restore.
3. Click Reset to Default.
4. Confirm the warning modal.
5. Click Save Settings.

✓ AVA resets only the selected day variant. ✓ Other day variants keep their current edits. ✓ Guests see no change until you save.

Review Email History

Use the History tab to review past send attempts.

1. Go to Pre-Arrival → Email.
2. Click History.
3. Set a date range and status filter.
4. Open a row to review the recipient, sent time, merchant timezone, stay details, and failure reason.
5. Use the pagination controls to review older attempts.
6. On phones, review stacked cards instead of the desktop table.

✓ You can confirm whether each email sent, failed, was skipped, or stayed queued. ✓ The desktop table stays visible on larger screens. ✓ Rows now include the template offset used for that send.

Understand Pre-Arrival Email Eligibility

AVA reloads the latest reservation details from your PMS before sending a real-reservation email. It evaluates only the rules enabled for Pre-arrival in the check-in policy.

Check	When AVA prevents delivery	History result
Payment or balance	The reservation matches an enabled payment rule	Skipped
Nationality	The reservation matches an enabled nationality rule	Skipped
Long stay	The stay meets or exceeds the saved threshold	Skipped
Restricted room type	The room type matches an enabled restriction	Skipped
Room readiness or housekeeping	The reservation fails an enabled room rule	Skipped
PMS evidence	Required details are missing, stale, or temporarily unavailable	Deferred failure

Blocked emails do not send an unusable check-in link. AVA records the decision in History so you can review the result. If the PMS cannot provide reliable evidence, AVA waits for a later retry.

Manual resends use the latest policy

Changing the Pre-arrival policy affects manual resends immediately. Review the reservation and policy before retrying a blocked email.

See Set Check-In Blocking by Mode for policy settings.

Resend a Previous Email

Use Resend when you want to send a past message again. AVA can also re-send elapsed offsets automatically after a guest email changes in the PMS.

Automatic catch-up

If a guest's email changes after an offset already sent, AVA re-sends that offset to the new address.

If the guest completed pre-arrival and the stop option is on, AVA skips this automatic catch-up. This happens on the next sync, manual sync, or file import. The new history row uses auto-resend-email-change.

Automatic PMS updates

PMS guest webhooks can start this sync in the background. The webhook may finish before updated guest details appear in History. Wait a few minutes, then refresh History before checking the resend or catch-up result.

1. Go to Pre-Arrival → Email.
2. Click History.
3. Find the email you want to send again.
4. Click Resend.
5. Review the confirmation modal.
6. Check the eligibility message in the modal.
7. Click Resend Email when the reservation is eligible.

Resend availability

AVA checks the latest PMS reservation before showing the resend confirmation. Blocked and deferred reservations keep Resend Email disabled.

Check the recipient first

The modal shows the latest PMS recipient, confirmation number, guest name, stay dates, and template offset before you send.

Exact PMS lookup

AVA checks the exact reservation first when you resend. If that lookup returns a 404-style miss, AVA tries the list path next. Unexpected exact lookup failures stay visible.

Latest email

If the guest changed their email in the PMS, AVA uses the latest synced address. Refresh History after the next sync if the preview still looks old.

Legacy rows

Older history rows without a saved offset use the first currently configured pre-arrival offset.

✓ The history table refreshes after a successful resend. ✓ Your current filters and table position stay in place if the resend fails.

Review a blocked or deferred resend

The resend modal explains the latest eligibility decision before delivery.

Modal result	What it means	What you should do
Eligible	The latest reservation passes the current Pre-arrival rules	Click Resend Email
Blocked	A configured rule prevents Pre-arrival check-in	Review the listed reason and update the reservation or policy
Temporarily unavailable	PMS evidence is missing or cannot be verified	Wait for PMS data, then open Resend again

Known reasons include Long-stay reservation, Outstanding balance, and Payment is due at the hotel. They also include Travel-agent reservation, Existing routing instructions, and configured check-in block codes. The reason appears in your selected AVA language when a translation exists. Unknown reasons use a readable fallback.

Check the current policy

The resend decision uses the latest reservation and the current Pre-arrival rules. An older history result may not match the current decision.

Send a Reviewed Email to One Recipient

Use Manual emails when you need to send a real reservation email immediately. You review the final recipient, subject, message, and reservation link before sending. You can start from Pre-Arrival → Email → Manual emails or a reservation's details modal. The tab appears only when your role can view reservations and send pre-arrival emails.

Reservation access

The pre-arrival link gives access to the reservation. Choosing a guest personalizes the message, but it does not limit the link to that guest. Check alternate addresses carefully before sending.

1. Open Pre-Arrival → Email → Manual emails.

2. Click Send pre-arrival email.

3. Search by guest name or confirmation number, or filter by check-in or check-out date.

4. Select the reservation and guest for the email.

5. Choose Saved guest email or Alternate address.

   ✓ An alternate address applies to this send only. ✓ Stored guest contacts and scheduled recipients stay unchanged.

6. Choose a Configured pre-arrival template.

   ✓ The template's day offset selects content only. ✓ It does not schedule another email.

7. Click Preview email.

8. Check the recipient, subject, guest, stay dates, and rendered message.

   ✓ Preview uses the live reservation and its reservation-link context. ✓ Preview does not send the email.

9. Click Send email after the preview matches your request.

   ✓ The result appears in Recent sends and manual email history.

Start from a reservation

Open a reservation's details modal, then click Send pre-arrival email beside its confirmation number. The reservation is selected for you.

Scheduled sends remain separate

Manual sending does not cancel or satisfy upcoming scheduled emails. Automatic recipients and stored contact details remain unchanged.

Review again after changes

Changing the recipient, guest, reservation, or template requires a fresh preview. AVA will not send an older review after its content changes.

Check an uncertain send result

What you see: The result says Result uncertain, or the provider acceptance is not final.

Fix:

1. Click Check send status.
2. Wait for the result to update.
3. Do not send again until the earlier request is resolved.

✓ AVA keeps the request available for reconciliation. ✓ This prevents duplicate delivery when the provider accepted the first request.

If you refresh the page or regain permission to view the tab, AVA keeps the guest, stay dates, and property time zone with the request. You can check the same send without selecting the reservation again.

Review a previous manual send

Use manual email history to check the reservation, recipient, staff member, and result. The table stays visible when no rows match, so you can adjust filters without losing context.

1. Open Manual emails.
2. Search by reservation, guest, or recipient email.
3. Set the date range using your hotel's local dates.
4. Filter by the outcome you need, such as Sending, Uncertain, Provider accepted, Delivered, or Bounced.
5. Review the send status and recipient address.
6. Click Refresh to reload recent results when a provider update is pending.
7. Use Load more to review older filtered results.

Search treats punctuation as text, so characters such as +, ., (, and ) do not change your search. AVA applies the filters before pagination, so each page contains only matching sends.

Recover a send after a refresh

If a send is still Sending or Uncertain, reopen it from the filtered history. Click Check send status to continue reconciliation. The recovery view keeps the reservation identity and stay context visible.

Status meaning

Provider accepted confirms provider acceptance, not guest delivery. Delivered or Bounced depends on provider evidence.

Template Variables

Use these variables in the email body:

Variable	What It Shows
{{guestName}}	Guest full name
{{phoneNumber}}	Guest phone number from the PMS
{{arrivalDate}}	Check-in date
{{departureDate}}	Check-out date
{{roomType}}	Room type
{{confirmationNumber}}	Confirmation number
{{preArrivalLink}}	Pre-arrival link (no confirmation)
{{preArrivalLinkWithConfirmation}}	Pre-arrival link (with confirmation)
{{selfCheckInLink}}	Self check-in link (no confirmation)
{{selfCheckInLinkWithConfirmation}}	Self check-in link (with confirmation)

Phone number privacy

{{phoneNumber}} uses the guest's phone number from your PMS. It shows blank when the PMS has no phone number. It never uses a passport number or tax ID. If an older record contained the wrong value, sync the reservation or use Resend.

Include a pre-arrival link

Guests need a pre-arrival link to start online registration. Use {{preArrivalLinkWithConfirmation}} for confirmation or {{preArrivalLink}} for direct start. {{checkinLink}} still works as a legacy alias for the confirmation-aware link.

Send a Test Email

Use this after you update the subject or body.

1. Click Send Test Email.
2. Enter a test address.
3. Click Send.

✓ Check your inbox for the preview.

Draft From an Existing Email or Design

Use Generate with AI to copy an email or recreate a visual design.

Mobile-ready AI drafts

AI-generated drafts use a fluid layout that narrows on phones. Body text stays at least 16px, with smaller text staying at least 14px. When you revise an older template, AI fixes fixed widths and tiny text where needed. These mobile rules take priority over the older design. The editor accepts this responsive formatting, so keep it when you save the draft.

1. Click Generate with AI.
2. Upload a PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF, or .eml file.
3. Add optional instructions for the generated email.
4. Click Generate.
5. Review the generated draft and any warning below the preview.
6. Click Accept & Use, edit the copy, then save the template.

✓ AVA keeps the email's HTML, images, and links when it can read them. ✓ AVA resizes stored design images to a maximum 1600px longest edge. ✓ Each stored design image must fit the 4MB asset limit.

Check the phone layout

Open Mobile preview after accepting the draft. Then use Send Test Email to check the message in your hotel's mail apps.

Transparent images

AVA keeps transparent images as PNG files while reducing their size. This prevents logos and other transparent artwork from showing a black background.

Review image warnings

The modal tells you how many design images were left out when storage rejects them. Review the preview before clicking Accept & Use.

The uploaded file must be 10MB or smaller. A .eml file must be a real email export with an HTML body.

Troubleshooting

Emails are not sending

What you see: Guests do not receive pre-arrival emails.

Fix:

1. Confirm Pre-arrival Emails is on.
2. Make sure at least one day is selected.
3. Confirm the day variant is active.
4. Verify the reservation has a guest email address.
5. Wait for the next scheduled send time.

If the reservation matches a Pre-arrival blocking rule, AVA records the email as skipped. If required PMS details are unavailable, AVA records a deferred failure and retries later.

Inactive drafts

If the day variant stays inactive, AVA still keeps your saved text. Activate the variant when you want it to send.

Activation or deactivation fails

What you see: The status stays the same after you click Activate or Deactivate.

Fix:

1. Wait for the request to finish.
2. Check for inline validation errors in the edited variant.
3. Click Save Settings again.
4. Refresh the page and retry the action.

Your edits stay in place

AVA keeps your copied and edited content if the status change fails. The badge updates only after the request succeeds.

Email or design upload is rejected

What you see: The AI upload fails, or the draft never appears.

Fix:

1. Use PNG, JPEG, WebP, PDF, or .eml.
2. Keep the uploaded file at or below 10MB.
3. Make sure a .eml file is a real email export.
4. Confirm the email includes an HTML body.
5. Re-download the email from your email client if needed.

Some design images are left out

What you see: The generated draft warns that one or more design images were left out.

Fix:

1. Review the generated preview and identify the missing image.
2. Replace that source image with a smaller version.
3. Remove unnecessary images from the uploaded design.
4. Generate the draft again.
5. Check the preview before clicking Accept & Use.

Why this happens

AVA may shrink images to meet the per-image limit. Images that still exceed the limit cannot appear in the generated email.

AI-generated email is hard to read on a phone

What you see: Text looks tiny, or the email extends beyond the phone screen.

Fix:

1. Open the current template.
2. Click Generate with AI.
3. Ask AI to revise the existing template for mobile readability.
4. Click Accept & Use.
5. Check Mobile preview.
6. Send a test email to a phone.

Existing manual HTML

AI upgrades fixed widths and undersized text during revisions. Manual HTML edits still need a mobile preview and test email.

Matching reservations are not receiving emails

What you see: A reservation should match, but AVA never schedules it.

Fix:

1. Check the reservation's rateCode, market, travelAgent, company, and groupName in your PMS.
2. Confirm one value matches an entry in Recipient Targeting.
3. Use the same spelling, but case does not matter.
4. Turn on Allow All Rate Codes only when you want every reservation included.
5. Save and wait for the next schedule run.

A predefined guest did not receive an email

What you see: The main guest received the email, but a predefined guest did not.

Fix:

1. Confirm All predefined guests is selected for the recipient mode.
2. Check that the guest has a valid email in your PMS.
3. Check for another predefined guest using the same email address.
4. Wait a few minutes for automatic PMS guest syncing to finish.
5. Refresh History.
6. Run a manual reservation sync if the guest still does not appear.
7. Review History for that recipient's send status.

Main guest behavior

AVA keeps Main guest as the default recipient mode. Existing properties do not start emailing predefined guests automatically.

Save is blocked by security issues

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

Fix:

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

Send time looks wrong

What you see: Emails arrive at the wrong hour.

Fix:

1. Go to Settings → Essentials → Hotel Basic Details.
2. Confirm your Timezone.
3. Return to Pre-Arrival → Email and check Send time (local).

Templates look hidden

What you see: You cannot see template cards in Simple Editor.

Fix:

1. Click Templates to expand the gallery.
2. If content already exists, keep this collapsed view until you want a different layout.

History looks empty

What you see: No rows appear in History.

Fix:

1. Clear the status filter.
2. Expand the date range.
3. Confirm the reservation already reached its send time.

Remaining emails send after completion

What you see: Guests receive scheduled reminders after completing pre-arrival.

Fix:

1. Go to Pre-Arrival → Email.
2. Turn on Stop scheduled emails after pre-arrival is complete.
3. Click Save Settings.
4. Check History for future sends marked as skipped.

Already-sent emails

This option cannot recall an email that AVA already sent. It affects scheduled sends that run after the guest completes pre-arrival.

Resend shows the wrong email

What you see: The resend preview shows an old recipient.

Fix:

1. Update the guest email in your PMS.
2. Wait a moment for the PMS update to sync.
3. Refresh the History tab.
4. Click Resend again.

Resend button is missing

What you see: The History row does not show a Resend action.

Fix:

1. Confirm you are on the History tab.
2. Make sure the row contains a past send attempt.
3. Check that your user role can edit settings.

Resend preview does not open

What you see: The preview stops after you click Resend.

Fix:

1. Refresh the page and try again.
2. Confirm the reservation still exists in the PMS.
3. Verify the guest email is valid and not suppressed.
4. Check that your hotel supports this resend flow.

Manual email preview is unavailable

What you see: Preview email stays disabled, or AVA cannot prepare the preview.

Fix:

1. Confirm the reservation has a confirmation number.
2. Check that the reservation passes the current Pre-arrival policy.
3. Confirm a configured template is available.
4. Enter one valid recipient address.
5. Refresh the panel and review the reservation again.

Manual email send needs another review

What you see: AVA says the draft changed, or asks you to review again.

Fix:

1. Confirm the guest, recipient, and template again.
2. Click Preview email.
3. Compare the subject, recipient, stay dates, and reservation link.
4. Click Send email only after the new preview is correct.

Manual email result is uncertain

What you see: AVA shows Result uncertain after you click Send email.

Fix:

1. Click Check send status.
2. Wait for reconciliation to finish.
3. Do not retry while the result remains uncertain.
4. Contact support if the result does not resolve.

Resend is disabled for this reservation

What you see: The modal shows a blocked or temporarily unavailable message, and Resend Email is disabled.

Fix:

1. Read the reason shown in the modal.
2. For a blocked reservation, review Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy → Pre-arrival.
3. Resolve the listed reservation issue in your PMS, when appropriate.
4. For unavailable PMS evidence, wait for the PMS to recover.
5. Close the modal and click Resend again to run a fresh check.

Safe resend behavior

AVA checks eligibility again when you confirm a resend. The email does not send while the reservation remains blocked or unverified.

A pre-arrival email is skipped or deferred

What you see: History shows a skipped or deferred email instead of a sent email.

Fix:

1. Open History and review the failure reason.
2. Go to Settings → Check-In → Check-In Policy.
3. Open the Pre-arrival row and review enabled blocking rules.
4. Check the reservation's payment, stay dates, room type, nationality, and room status in your PMS.
5. If PMS details were unavailable, wait for the next retry after the PMS recovers.
6. Use Resend only after the reservation meets your property's policy.

Safe delivery behavior

AVA does not send when a confirmed rule blocks the reservation. It also does not send when required PMS evidence is incomplete.

Reservation not found in PMS

What you see: The resend preview shows "Reservation not found in PMS."

Fix:

1. Confirm the reservation still exists in your PMS.
2. Check the confirmation number on the history row.
3. Refresh the History tab and try Resend again.
4. If the reservation has moved or changed, open the latest PMS record first.

Resend target looks wrong

What you see: The preview shows an unexpected template offset.

Fix:

1. Open the original history row again.
2. Confirm the row's template offset matches the send you want.
3. For older rows, use the first configured offset as expected.

Phone placeholder is blank

What you see: {{phoneNumber}} is empty in the email preview or sent email.

Fix:

1. Check the guest's phone number in your PMS.
2. Wait for the reservation details to sync.
3. Send a test email again.

AVA leaves the placeholder blank when the PMS has no phone number. This protects the email from showing another identity value.

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 settings screen
• The time you expected emails to send
• Steps you already tried

Related Guides

• During-Stay Guest Emails
• Guest Experience
• Hotel Basic Details