When guests make, modify, or cancel a reservation, they automatically receive e-mail notifications about their booking. Depending on the channel, the e-mail will either come from the channel or from SiteMinder.
Does SiteMinder or the channel send booking e-mails to guests?
Reservation notification e-mails (such as confirmation, cancellation, modifications) will be sent to your guests, and you will also receive the email notifications, from either the channel or SiteMinder:
The booking channel: Most channels directly send e-mails to guests about confirmations, modifications, and cancellations.
SiteMinder: For some channels like Booking.com, Expedia, and LateRooms/AsiaRooms LRConnect, SiteMinder handles sending all e-mail notifications to guests.
Direct Booking: For SiteMinder's booking engine (Direct Booking), SiteMinder automatically sends confirmation, modification, and cancellation e-mails to guests. You need to ensure these templates are activated in your settings.
How to check who sends booking notification e-mails to guests
To see if SiteMinder or the channel is the one that sends booking notification e-mails to your guests:
Go to Distribution > Channels.
Click the ellipsis button (three dots button) next to the channel.
Select Update channel settings.
Check if the Reservation e-mail address field exists under General settings.
If the Reservation e-mail address field is there, it is SiteMinder that sends all reservation e-mails to guests. If the field is not there, it is the channel that sends the e-mails directly to guests.
If your channel sends reservation e-mails, you should contact the channel to ensure that they have your correct reservation e-mail address to ensure you receive the notifications.
For Direct Booking, booking notification e-mails are sent to guests from your platform once you enable them:
Go to Direct Booking > Configuration > Guest communications.
Check that the e-mail types you want to send (reservation confirmation, modification, cancellation) are enabled with the toggle turned on.
Once the toggle is turned on, you must customise each e-mail template. If you do not customise each e-mail template, your guests will receive blank e-mails (even if the toggle is turned on).
What to do if guests aren't receiving e-mails
If guests report not receiving booking notifications, confirmations, or cancellation e-mails:
Please advise the guest to check their spam or junk folders
If it is for a direct booking, make sure the email templates are activated and customised. Go to Direct Booking > Configuration > Guest communications# to check and activate your templates.
For channels that handle their own e-mails, contact the channel directly to investigate the issue. They can verify the guest's e-mail address and check if notifications are being sent correctly.
If the e-mail should have come from SiteMinder for a channel booking, and the guest has already checked their junk or spam folders, please contact our support team and we will investigate further.