Email settings
In this section of the documentation, you will find information regarding the Emails settings:
Create an email template
HBook allows you to create a diversity of email templates that can be sent out automatically or manually, taking into account the reservation status, the payment status, the language, and the accommodation type.
If you have a multi-language plugin (as Polylang or WPML), you will see an extra column “For language” that allows you to set for which language the email template is set for. So you can have different emails sent according to the language.
To create email templates, just follow these steps:
Click on Add new template
Enter the name of the new template
Enter the information for the To: Insert a complete e-mail address, e.g. Name <email@domain.com>. If the field is blank, the email address of the WordPress administrator will be used.
Enter the information for the Reply-to: This email will be used instead of the “From” email when replying to the email
Enter the information for the From:. If the field is blank the default email address, as set in HBook > Misc will be used, or if not set, the WordPress administrator email will be used.
Enter the information for the BCC:.
Enter the subject for the new template
Write the body of the message
Select if you wish to use Text or HTML format
If you wish to include attachments, you can select them here. It will open your Media library, from which you can select all documents to attach.
It is possible to create email templates for the following situations:
Upon an event: the email is automatically sent when a reservation is received, confirmed or cancelled…
Scheduled: the email is automatically sent “x” days before/after the check-in/check-out date
Manually: the email is sent manually from the reservations list
The set-up is different for each case and are explained in details after.
Please check this section of our documentation for a list of the variables that can be used in the email templates.
Presentation of the different types of email templates
You can create different templates that can be for emails sent upon an event, scheduled emails or emails sent manually.
Upon an event
Select the events that should trigger the sending of the email. There are 6 different actions, and you can select several for the same template:
Automatically when a new reservation is received: a customer has just booked on your website (front-end)
Automatically when a new reservation is added from the back-end: a reservation has been added in the admin page Reservations.
Automatically when a reservation is confirmed: when you click on the green tick in the reservation list. Note that clicking on the “Confirm” action will always trigger this action, even if you don't require confirmation. See Confirmation settings for more details on this.
Automatically when a reservation is cancelled: when you click on the red cross in the reservation list.
Automatically when you receive a Payment via Payment link: when a customer has paid from a payment link page. See Payment link settings for more information on this.
Automatically when a customer adds a New payment method via Payment link: when you have asked a customer to update/add a payment method for a future charge or refund.
Select the payment status for which the template should be sent. There are 4 different payment status, and you can select several for the same template.
Paid
Not fully paid
Unpaid
Delayed payment (payment methods for which payment status confirmation is not immediate)
Select for which accommodation types the template is.
If you have enabled multiple accommodation booking in HBook > Misc, you can select if this template is to be sent out for a multiple accommodation booking.
If your website is set with multiple language, you can select here for which language the template is.
Scheduled
Indicate the timeframe for the scheduled event :
indicate the number of days
indicate if it is to be sent before check-in, after check-in, before check-out, after check-out
Select the reservation status for which the template should be sent. There are 3 different reservation status, and you can select several for the same template:
New
Pending
Confirmed
Select the payment status for which the template should be sent. There are 4 different payment status, and you can select several for the same template.
Paid
Not fully paid
Unpaid
Delayed payment (payment methods for which payment status confirmation is not immediate)
Select for which accommodation types the template is.
If you have enabled multiple accommodation booking in HBook > Misc, you can select if this template is to be sent out for a multiple accommodation booking.
If your website is set with multiple language, you can select here for which language the template is.
Manually
Select for which accommodation types the template is.
If you have enabled multiple accommodation booking in HBook > Misc, you can select if this template is to be sent out for a multiple accommodation booking.
If your website is set with multiple language, you can select here for which language the template is.
Example of a list of email templates
Email logs
HBook keep a log of the emails sent. They are displayed by reverse chronological order.
This is the timestamp, local time.
Here is indicated for which reservation ID the email was sent.
If a template was used, the template name is indicated here.
The trigger for the email is displayed here. You will see if it was sent manually, as part of the scheduled emails or upon an event
The email sending status is shown here. If an email is not sent out, you will find the error here.
You can delete all email logs
Please have in mind that the sending status is not the delivery status. An email can be sent but not received!
There are various levers to improve deliverability : you can connect your site with your mail server via SMTP, improve your content to avoid your email being treated as Spam, etc.
See here in our knowledge base for more information regarding emails not being received correctly.