The best way to understand automation is to build one. In this guide, we set up a four-email sequence for a small guesthouse in Grenada. The same steps apply to a shop’s welcome series, a school’s enrolment follow-up or a producer’s re-order reminder.
The plan
- Seven days before arrival: practical information.
- Arrival day: welcome and local tips.
- One day after departure: thank you and a short survey.
- Ten months after departure: an offer to return next season.
Step 1: prepare your contact data
Each guest needs an email address, a first name, an arrival date and a departure date. Create these as custom fields, then import guests from your booking system or add them through a booking form. Log in to your Mailpro account to get started.
Step 2: create the pre-arrival email
Choose a date-based trigger: seven days before the arrival date. Write a short, useful message:
- Directions from Maurice Bishop International Airport, or ferry details if they are heading to Carriacou.
- Check-in time and contact number in +1 473 format.
- A reminder that Grenada uses the Eastern Caribbean dollar, with US dollars widely accepted.
- Packing tips: sun protection, and a note on rain showers during the wetter months.
Use a date-based automation so the email goes out automatically for each booking.
Step 3: add the welcome email
Trigger it on the arrival date, in the morning, Atlantic Standard Time. Include Wi-Fi details, a short list of nearby restaurants and beaches, and any events happening that week, such as a fish fry or a Spicemas event in August.
Step 4: add the thank-you and survey
Trigger one day after the departure date. Thank the guest by name and link to a two-minute survey. Guests who give high scores can then receive a follow-up with a link to leave a review, using a click-based automation.
Step 5: add the return offer
Ten months after departure, send an early-booking offer for next season. Only send this to guests who agreed to receive marketing. Pre-arrival and thank-you emails are service messages, while offers are marketing.
Step 6: personalise every message
Insert the guest’s first name, room type and dates. A message that says “See you on 14 February, Sarah” feels personal, even though it was written once for everyone.
Step 7: test, then activate
Add yourself as a test guest with dates a few days ahead and check that each email arrives when expected, looks right on a phone and has working links. Then switch the sequence on.
Step 8: review monthly
Check opens, clicks and survey responses for each step. If the pre-arrival email has a low open rate, try a clearer subject line such as “Your Grenada arrival guide.”
Other automations to try
- A welcome series for new newsletter subscribers.
- A birthday email for loyal customers.
Writing tips for each email
- Pre-arrival: practical first, promotional second. A guest wants to know how to get from the airport and what time they can check in. Add an optional upsell, such as a boat trip or spa booking, at the end.
- Welcome: short and warm. Give the essentials, then one local recommendation that feels personal, such as your favourite spot for oil down or a quiet beach.
- Thank-you: keep the survey link prominent and the message brief. Mention something specific to the stay if you can, such as the season or the event they came for.
- Return offer: make it time-limited and clear, with dates in the season they visited. Guests who came for Spicemas may want August again; winter visitors will look at January to March.
Handling changes and cancellations
Automations use the dates stored on each contact. If a booking moves, update the arrival and departure fields and the sequence adjusts. If a booking is cancelled, remove the contact from the automation or tag it as cancelled so the pre-arrival and welcome emails don’t go out. If your booking system can update Mailpro through the API or an integration, this can happen without manual work.
Adding SMS to the sequence
For time-critical moments, such as the morning of arrival or a change of pick-up time for a tour, a short text message works better than an email. Mailpro can send SMS from the same account, so you can add a text to +1 473 or overseas numbers alongside the email sequence. Collect separate consent for promotional texts.
Adapting the sequence to other businesses
A restaurant could replace the arrival dates with a reservation date and send a reminder the day before and a thank-you the day after. A school could trigger a series from the start of term. A spice or chocolate shop could send a re-order reminder a set number of weeks after each purchase. The structure is the same: a trigger, a delay and a useful message.
Checklist before switching on
- Every date field is filled in the same format.
- Each email has a clear subject line and sender name guests will recognise.
- Marketing steps are limited to contacts who opted in.
- Links, phone numbers and addresses are correct.
All automation data is hosted in Switzerland, outside US jurisdiction. Return to automated emails in Grenada for more ideas.