Message Templates
Templates save time on the messages you send over and over and keep your team's wording consistent. Argonautas has three tools for this, and it helps to know which one does what:
| Tool | What it is | Channel | Where you manage it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifecycle templates | Automated emails sent at booking events (confirmation, pre-arrival...) | Email only | Templates page, Lifecycle tab |
| Custom templates | Your own reusable emails, used when you email a guest from a booking | Email only | Templates page, Custom tab |
| Saved replies | Reusable replies you insert while answering a conversation in the inbox | Any inbox channel, including WhatsApp and SMS | Settings, Messaging tab |
Lifecycle and custom templates are never sent by WhatsApp or SMS, and neither editor has a channel setting. To reuse wording in a WhatsApp or SMS conversation, use a saved reply.
Where Templates Live
Click Templates in the sidebar to open the Communication Templates page. It has four tabs:
- Lifecycle: the automated emails that go out at booking events (see Lifecycle Message Templates).
- Custom: your own reusable email templates, written and edited here.
- Internal CC: rules that copy internal staff on specific automated guest emails (see Internal CC Copies below).
- Sent: a log of every automated email that went out or was held back, and of the task notifications sent to staff (see Checking What Was Sent).
Creating a Custom Template
- Click Templates in the sidebar and open the Custom tab.
- Click New Custom Template.
- Enter a Template Name (for example, "Check-in Instructions") and, if you like, a Description for your team.
- Choose the Scope: Company-wide, or Property-specific and then pick the property under Select Property.
- Leave Status on Active so the template is offered when you email a guest.
- Write the Subject and the Body. The body editor has bold, italic, underline, bulleted and numbered lists, and links. Use Insert Variable to add booking data.
- Click Save.
To change or remove a custom template later, click it on the Custom tab. The editor has Delete next to Save.
The Template Preview panel shows the template filled in with sample data. Click Preview to refresh it after editing.
Custom templates are always emails. They appear in the Email Templates picker when you email a guest from a booking (see below). They aren't sent automatically and aren't offered in the inbox composer.
Custom Template Variables
Variables are written in double curly braces, for example {{ guest_first_name }}, and are filled in with the booking's data when you pick the template. The editor offers:
| Variable | What it inserts |
|---|---|
{{ guest_name }} | Guest's full name |
{{ guest_first_name }} | Guest's first name |
{{ guest_email }} | Guest's email address |
{{ booking_ref }} | Booking reference |
{{ check_in_date }} | Check-in date |
{{ check_out_date }} | Check-out date |
{{ nights }} | Number of nights |
{{ total_price }} | Total booking price |
{{ guests_adults }} | Number of adults |
{{ guests_children }} | Number of children |
{{ property_name }} | Property name |
{{ property_address }} | Property address |
{{ check_in_time }} | Property check-in time |
{{ check_out_time }} | Property check-out time |
{{ company_name }} | Your company name |
A variable with no value for the booking is left blank, so read the message over before you send it.
Emailing a Guest From a Booking
You can email a guest directly from the booking detail page with the Email Guest button, which opens a compose window. Its Email Templates picker lets you start from a saved template rather than a blank message. The picker groups templates under two headings:
- Lifecycle: your active guest lifecycle templates (owner and partner templates aren't offered).
- Custom: your active custom email templates from the Custom tab.
Pick one and its subject and body fill in with that booking's real data, ready for you to adjust and send.
Saved Replies in the Inbox
Saved replies are how you reuse wording in inbox conversations: WhatsApp, SMS, email, live chat, and the other inbox channels. They are separate from the templates on the Templates page.
Using a saved reply while replying:
- Click the Saved replies button (bookmark icon) next to the message box, then pick a reply from the list.
- Or, in a WhatsApp, SMS, or other text conversation, type
/at the start of the message or after a space, then keep typing to search your replies by shortcut or title. Press Enter or click a reply to insert it.
In email conversations, the reply is inserted into the email editor. In text conversations, picking a reply from the Saved replies list replaces anything you've already typed in the message box, while a / shortcut replaces just the / and what you typed after it.
Variables in a saved reply are filled in from the conversation's guest, linked booking, and property as the reply is inserted. Check the text before you send it.
Managing saved replies: go to Settings, open the Messaging tab, and find Saved Replies. Click New Reply and fill in a Title, a Shortcut (no spaces), a Scope (Company-wide, Property-specific, or Personal), a Category, a Language, and the Reply Body. Use Insert Variable to add variables. See Settings.
Saved Reply Variables
Saved replies use variables without spaces inside the braces, for example {{guest_first_name}}:
| Variable | What it inserts |
|---|---|
{{guest_first_name}} | Guest's first name |
{{guest_last_name}} | Guest's last name |
{{guest_email}} | Guest's email address |
{{guest_phone}} | Guest's phone number |
{{arrival_date}} | Arrival (check-in) date |
{{departure_date}} | Departure (check-out) date |
{{nights}} | Number of nights |
{{adults}} | Number of adults |
{{children}} | Number of children |
{{booking_reference}} | Booking reference code |
{{total_price}} | Total booking price |
{{property_name}} | Property name |
{{property_city}} | Property city |
{{check_in_time}} | Check-in time |
{{check_out_time}} | Check-out time |
{{wifi_network}} | Wi-Fi network name |
{{wifi_password}} | Wi-Fi password |
{{company_name}} | Your company name |
{{concierge_online_email}} | Online concierge email (per property) |
{{concierge_online_phone}} | Online concierge phone (per property) |
{{concierge_onsite_email}} | On-site concierge email (per property) |
{{concierge_onsite_phone}} | On-site concierge phone (per property) |
{{agent_name}} | Your full name (the staff member replying) |
{{agent_first_name}} | Your first name |
The four concierge variables use the online or on-site concierge assigned to the property. If the property has no concierge assigned, they fall back to your company's default concierge contact (the Default Concierge Email and Default Concierge Phone fields on the Company tab of Settings; see Settings: Company).
A variable that can't be filled in (for example, {{arrival_date}} in a conversation with no linked booking) stays in the text as-is, so you can spot it and fix it before sending.
WhatsApp's 24-Hour Window
A saved reply is sent as an ordinary free-text message. On WhatsApp, free text only works within 24 hours of the guest's last message. Outside that window WhatsApp only accepts Meta-approved templates, which are set up by the Argonautas team. See WhatsApp Setup.
Internal CC Copies
Sometimes an automated guest email should also reach someone on your own team, such as an accountant on every booking confirmation, an owner-relations contact on cancellations. The Internal CC tab on the Communication Templates page lets you attach a CC rule to a specific automated email type.
To add a rule:
- Click Templates in the sidebar and open the Internal CC tab (the Internal CC copies card).
- Choose an email type from the dropdown.
- Enter one or more CC addresses, separated by commas (
name@company.com, second@company.com). - Click Add copy. Edit a rule's addresses any time and click Save; use Remove to delete it.
Each email type can have one rule, which may list several addresses. A rule can be toggled Active or inactive without deleting it.
The CC recipients are visible to the guest (it is a true CC, not a blind copy), so a reply-all reaches them. And because portal-link emails carry a sign-in token, only CC people you trust with access to the guest's portal.
Internal CC applies only to automated guest emails routed through the system. It does not affect account mail, manual one-off messages, or broadcasts.
Lifecycle Templates
Lifecycle templates are the automation layer: emails such as the booking confirmation, pre-arrival instructions, check-out reminder, and review request that go out on their own at the right point in each booking. They already exist with default wording. You edit the text, the timing, and whether each one is Active. You don't create new ones or pick a channel, because they are always emails.
See Lifecycle Message Templates for the full list, when each one sends, and how to edit them.
Key Concepts
- Lifecycle template: An automated email tied to a booking event. Always email.
- Custom template: Your own reusable email, offered in the Email Guest picker on a booking. Always email.
- Saved reply: Reusable text you insert while replying in the inbox, on any channel.
- Variable: A placeholder in double curly braces that's replaced with real data.
Common Questions
Can I send a template by WhatsApp or SMS? Not a lifecycle or custom template; those are email only. In a WhatsApp or SMS conversation, insert a saved reply instead. On WhatsApp, the 24-hour window still applies.
Why don't my custom templates show up in the inbox? Custom templates are offered only in the Email Guest window on a booking. The inbox composer offers saved replies.
What happens if a variable can't be filled in? In a custom or lifecycle template, it's left blank. In a saved reply, the placeholder stays in the text (for example, {{arrival_date}}) so you can fix it before sending.
Can I disable a lifecycle template temporarily? Yes. Open it, switch it to Inactive, and click Save.
Related
- Lifecycle Message Templates: The automated emails and when each one sends.
- Messaging Guide: The unified inbox where you use saved replies.
- WhatsApp Setup: How WhatsApp works, including the 24-hour window and Meta-approved templates.
- Guest Portal: The portal your guests reach through links in your booking and lifecycle emails.
- Booking Lifecycle: The booking events that trigger lifecycle templates.