Every booking triggers a series of touchpoints with the guest. Here's what gets sent, when, and how to troubleshoot when something doesn't arrive.
What we send automatically
| Trigger | What we send |
|---|---|
| Booking confirmed | Confirmation email with date, time, address, contact info, what to expect |
| 24 hours before the experience | Reminder email (or SMS if enabled, see below) |
| At the end of the experience | Thank-you email with a request to leave a review |
| Cancellation or refund | Confirmation of the cancellation, refund amount, and timing |
You can customize the wording of each email in Settings → Templates → Email. The default copy is brand-aligned and well-tested. Most venues use it as-is. Edit if you want to add specific instructions (parking, accessibility notes, dress code).
How emails are sent
All emails are sent via Resend through your venue's custom domain (or hello@artistryhost.com until you've set up your own). The reply-to address is your venue's, so when a guest replies, it goes to you.
Deliverability is enterprise-grade. We hit inboxes reliably for the major providers (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo). We use SPF, DKIM, and DMARC for your domain so spam-folder hits are rare.
"My guest didn't get their email"
When a guest tells you they didn't get a confirmation, work through this list in order:
- Check the spam folder. Easy first ask. Solved 60% of these cases in our experience.
- Confirm the email address. Open the booking. Is the email correct?
gmial.cominstead ofgmail.comis the single most common cause. If it's wrong, fix it and resend the confirmation from the booking detail page. - Check delivery status. From the booking detail page, click Delivery log. We show whether each email was sent, delivered, opened, bounced, or marked as spam.
- Resend the confirmation. Click Resend confirmation on the booking detail page. The guest gets a fresh copy.
- If still not delivered: the receiving inbox is blocking us. Send the guest the booking details in a personal email from your inbox, and let them know they may need to whitelist
@yourvenue.comfor future bookings.
SMS: when it's available
Once you've completed A2P 10DLC registration (covered separately), SMS becomes available as an alternative to email reminders.
To turn it on:
- Settings → Communications → SMS.
- Toggle SMS on.
- Choose which messages send via SMS (confirmation, day-before reminder, day-of).
- The guest opts in when they provide a phone number at booking.
Until A2P approval lands, SMS is greyed out. Approval takes 5–10 business days through Twilio. Email-only is the default and works fine in the meantime.
Customizing the templates
The default templates are designed to be operator-to-operator in tone. Warm, specific, no exclamation points. If you want to edit:
- Settings → Templates → Email.
- Pick a template (Confirmation, 24-hour reminder, Thank you, Cancellation).
- Edit the subject and body. We support merge fields like
{{guest_first_name}},{{experience_name}},{{date_time}},{{venue_address}}. - Preview with a sample booking before saving.
A few brand-consistency tips, in case you want them:
- Skip exclamation points unless you really mean it.
- Use specific operator language ("your booking" not "your reservation," "guests" not "customers").
- Sign emails from "the [Venue Name] team" rather than a single person. It's more honest as your team grows.
Replies
When a guest replies to a confirmation or reminder email, the reply goes to your venue's inbox (or hello@artistryhost.com if you haven't set up routing yet). We don't auto-respond. Reply personally. Guests appreciate it, and it's part of the reason ArtistryHost exists.