Overview

Each booking has a Messages tab that lists every message for the stay: what is scheduled, what was sent and what was not delivered. From there you can:

check whether a guest received a message, and read it as they saw it,
stop one automated message for this guest only, without switching off the automation,
send a message to the guest from one of your templates.

Before you start

Messages you send from a booking use your templates. To create one, see How to create email templates and automations for your guests.
Messages you send from a booking go out by email, so the guest needs an email address.

Step by step

See every message for a stay

Go to Reservations and click the booking to open it.
Click Messages.
Read the timeline. Messages still to be sent are under Upcoming, and the messages already sent are listed by day below.
Click a message to see it. An email shows its full content as the guest received it, including attachments. A WhatsApp message shows a note instead, and messages sent through other channels have no preview.

Each message shows its status:

Scheduled: an automation will send it at the time shown.
Sending…: it is going out in a few seconds.
Sent: it went out to the guest.
Not delivered: it did not reach the guest. The reason is shown on the message.
Cancelled: it was stopped for this guest. When we know who stopped it, it shows Cancelled by followed by their name.

Stop an automated message for one guest

Use this when one guest should not receive a message that all other guests get, for example a pre-arrival email for a regular who already knows the door code.

In the Messages tab, find the message under Upcoming.
Click Don't send to this guest.

The message stays in the timeline as Cancelled by followed by your name. The automation stays on for every other guest. To undo it, click Schedule again on the same message.

Send a message from the booking

In the Messages tab, click Send a template.
Pick a template from the list. To search, type in Find a template.
Check the Language. The guest's language is selected by default.
Read the preview. It shows the message filled in with the guest's details.
Optional: click Edit this message only to change the text for this guest. Your saved template stays as it is.
Click Send email.

The message appears in the timeline as Sending…, then Sent.

Send a message again after it was not delivered

In the Messages tab, find the message marked Not delivered and read the reason.
If the reason is a missing email address, add one to the guest's details first.
Click Send again.

Send again also appears on messages that were sent, as long as they came from a template. Use it to send the same message to the guest one more time.

Important rules

Don't send to this guest applies to this booking only. To stop a message for all guests, switch off the automation instead.
You can use Schedule again only while the send time has not passed and the booking still matches the automation, for example the same room type or channel.
A template that contains online check-in links cannot be edited before sending. Send it as written.
Your chats with the guest in Conversations are not listed in this tab.

FAQs

Does "Don't send to this guest" switch off the automation?

No. It stops the message for this booking only. Every other guest still receives it.

If I edit a message before sending, does my template change?

No. Your changes apply to that one message. The saved template stays as it is.

Can I send a WhatsApp message from the Messages tab?

Yes, with WhatsApp Web messages: it opens WhatsApp Web with a ready-made text for the guest. Send a template sends your templates by email. See How to contact guests through WhatsApp.

Why don't I see my chats with the guest?

Chats with the guest stay in Conversations. See How to manage your Booking.com and Airbnb messages in Conversations.

Can I schedule a message again after its send time has passed?

No. Use Send a template to send the same template to the guest now.

How to see and manage guest messages from a booking