Managing a hotel means juggling a thousand things, often all at once. Managing bookings, coordinating staff, handling paperwork, and resolving unexpected issues. 

But today, that’s not enough. As we explained in our article on 5 new guest expectations, your guests expect not only a smooth stay but also timely information, quick answers to their questions, and suggestions for experiences and activities.

So, on top of everything else, you also have to figure out how to communicate with guests in the best way, without complicating things. 

Maybe you’re already sending pre-arrival emails or the occasional newsletter when you can. But now more and more businesses are using WhatsApp, and you might be wondering: is it better to communicate with guests via email or WhatsApp today?

If you’re asking yourself this, you’re in the right place. In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of both channels, when to use one over the other, and how to choose the best communication method for your hotel.

Email marketing for hotels: when to use it, pros, cons, and useful tools

Email has always been one of the most effective tools for establishing and nurturing a relationship with your guests. It allows you to communicate directly, professionally, and personally, both before and after their stay—and when used correctly, it can be a valuable ally in boosting direct bookings.

When and why to use email:

Email is particularly well-suited for communications that require more structured content:

• Before the stay: To provide useful information (like check-in times, directions, reminders) and offer upgrades or extra services
• After the stay: To thank guests, ask for a review, or offer a discount code for their next visit
• Throughout the year: To send informative newsletters, seasonal promotions, or announce special events

Compared to other channels, email is less intrusive and doesn’t require an immediate response. The guest can read it at their convenience and reply when they’re ready. Additionally, email is perceived as a more “official” channel, making it suitable for more formal communications.

Benefits of email marketing for hotels

Those who use email marketing consistently can count on several concrete benefits:

• Personalized communication: You can segment your contact database and send different messages based on guest type, stay date, or booking channel.
• Customer loyalty: Maintaining contact even after departure helps build a more lasting relationship.
• Targeted promotions: You can advertise packages, special offers, or last-minute deals, encouraging direct bookings.

The cons of email marketing for hotels

Like any tool, email marketing has its limits — especially when not used methodically. It requires organization and constant attention:

• Time and resources: Establishing an editorial calendar, writing content, creating graphic templates, and analyzing results can be time-consuming.
• Spam risk: Generic or overly frequent emails can be ignored or marked as unwanted. To avoid this risk, check out our article on the rules you should follow to keep your emails out of spam.
• Contact maintenance: Without a database of real and profiled email addresses, even the best campaign can fail. One common issue is having a database full of "email aliases" used by OTAs. If that’s the case, you can read our article on how to obtain real guest emails from OTA bookings.
• High competition: Just like you, your guests receive dozens of emails daily. To grab their attention, you need good content and a solid strategy.

Essential tools for email marketing for hotels

To use email marketing effectively and professionally, you only need a few tools — but they need to be the right ones. Generally, you’ll need at least two key components:

• A CRM with a well-segmented, updated, and GDPR-compliant contact list.
• An email sending platform that allows you to create campaigns, automate messages, and integrate with your property management system (PMS).

In many cases, these features are already bundled in a single solution: you can manage contacts, create automations, and send personalized communications from one interface, without having to switch between different software.

WhatsApp marketing for hotels: when to use it, pros, cons, and useful tools

The first thing you need to know to use WhatsApp professionally for guest communication is that the regular app won’t do the job. You need WhatsApp Business, the version designed for businesses.

According to Statista, WhatsApp Business had over 530 million daily active users globally in 2024, a 15% increase from the same period in 2023.

When and why to use Whatsapp

WhatsApp is particularly useful for establishing direct, immediate, and personal contact. It's effective in all operational situations where a quick response and clarity of information make a difference:

• Before booking: To respond to potential guests' questions and offer practical assistance.
• Before arrival: To send reminders and useful information like check-in times.
• During the stay: To handle real-time requests or suggest activities.
• Before departure: To send check-out information or payment links.
• After departure: To thank the guest, send a satisfaction survey, or offer incentives to return.

Compared to email, WhatsApp is perceived as a more informal and immediate channel. Messages are almost always read within a few minutes, and the guest expects a quick response.

The pros of WhatsApp marketing for hotels

Using WhatsApp Business has several concrete advantages:

• Direct and personal communication: WhatsApp enables immediate, human exchange, which guests often perceive as more welcoming compared to email or phone calls.
• Higher engagement: Messages are almost always read right after being received, and the ability to send images, videos, and voice messages makes communication more effective.
• Basic automation: The app allows setting up basic automated messages to handle chats more efficiently.
• Low cost: WhatsApp Business is free, easy to install, and doesn’t require a large investment to get started.

The cons of WhatsApp marketing for hotels

Like any channel, WhatsApp also has its limitations:

• Manual management and time commitment: Without connecting dedicated tools, all conversations have to be managed manually, which can be time-consuming for properties with a large number of guests.
• Limited segmentation: With the free app, you can label chats, but you can’t segment contacts based on specific criteria like stay type or origin.
• Limitations in sending newsletters: Sending promotional or advertising newsletters is allowed, but it requires using pre-approved message templates from WhatsApp and complying with their policies.
• Basic statistics: The free app only provides basic stats — for example, you can’t see how many people clicked on a link or completed a specific action.
• Risk of being perceived as invasive: If used improperly (e.g., sending too many messages or being overly promotional), WhatsApp can annoy guests, leading them to block your number.

Tools needed for WhatsApp marketing in hotels

To get started, simply download the free WhatsApp Business app. However, if you want to use WhatsApp for automated, targeted, or large-scale communications, you will need to implement specific software solutions.

Email or WhatsApp: How to choose the best tool for your hotel

Now that you've seen the detailed features of each channel, you've probably realized that, in reality, there's no need to choose. Both email and WhatsApp have some overlapping features, but they remain distinct tools, each with its own strengths.

The best way to use them? Use both channels, assigning each one a specific role in your communication with guests.

The ideal combination

Email is the most suitable tool for structured communications: it allows you to provide more details, maintain a professional tone, and establish ongoing dialogue over time. 

On the other hand, WhatsApp is perfect for quick, contextual messages: it facilitates customer support, shortens distances, and creates a more personal and immediate interaction.

For example:

• A potential guest contacts you via WhatsApp to ask about availability or information before booking.
• You send a pre-stay email with all the necessary details.
• The day before their arrival, you send a friendly reminder via WhatsApp.
• During their stay, you handle customer service via WhatsApp.
• After they depart, you send an email with a discount code for a future booking.

Throughout the year, you can use email to maintain relationships with your guests or boost occupancy during low periods — as we've discussed in our article with 3 examples of newsletters to send based on occupancy.

Would you like to use both email and WhatsApp to better communicate with your guests, but worry that managing two channels might be complicated or too time-consuming?

No worries: the Smartness platform offers two dedicated tools that are already integrated with each other.

Smartconnect automatically imports contacts from your property management system and suggests tailored content — from seasonal newsletters to personalized offers — ready to be sent. Additionally, you can schedule automatic communications at every stage of the guest's stay to provide useful information and sell extra services at the right moment.

Smartchat is the AI chatbot that responds as you would, centralizing conversations from WhatsApp, Booking.com, Airbnb, and email into a single screen. It handles 70% of inquiries autonomously and saves you up to 2.5 hours per day.

Want to see how it works?