A guest checks out of your place after a perfect three nights. They loved it. They'll be back. And the moment they walk out the door, the OTA owns the relationship — not you. The next time they want to book, they open the same app, and you hand over another 15–18% commission on a guest you already won.

The fix is a small, well-timed email sequence that runs from before arrival to a few weeks after checkout, ending with a real reason to book direct next time. Five emails, each with one job. But there's a catch most operators hit first, and it's the reason this guide exists.

When a guest books through an OTA, you usually don't get their real email address. The channel hands you a masked alias inbox that often stops working the moment they check out. So before the sequence even matters, you have to capture the guest's genuine email. We'll cover how, then give you the exact five emails.

First, solve the OTA email problem

OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia route guest messages through an alias address (something like guest-id@guest.booking.com). That alias is fine for trip logistics, but it's a dead end for marketing: it can expire, it's tied to the OTA's terms, and sending promotional "book direct" offers through it can breach your channel agreement.

So the real first step is capturing the guest's genuine email under your own privacy consent — at check-in, in-stay, or at checkout. Three reliable capture points:

  • Pre-arrival form. A short "tell us your arrival time and dietary needs" form that requires a real email and a marketing opt-in tick-box.
  • In-stay Wi-Fi or concierge sign-in. Guests give you a working email to get the code or the local-guide PDF.
  • Checkout. "Where should we send your receipt and a small thank-you?" — a natural, expected ask.

Once that address sits in your own CRM with consent, the OTA no longer owns the relationship. Accommador captures these emails through its funnel builder and stores them against the guest record, so the sequence below can fire automatically. This is the single highest-leverage move: no email, no sequence.

The 5-email sequence

Each email below has one job. Don't merge them. The whole point is that a small, well-timed message arrives when the guest is most receptive — not one giant newsletter they delete.

Email 1 — Pre-arrival (3–5 days before check-in)

Purpose: set expectations, reduce check-in friction, and start the relationship on your brand — not the OTA's.

What to say: confirm the dates, share arrival and parking details, link your local guide, and ask the one question that gets a reply (arrival time). Quietly mention that this email address is their direct line to you — you're planting the seed that booking with you is personal, not transactional. No discount talk yet.

Subject: Your [Property Name] stay — a few things before you arrive

Email 2 — In-stay (morning of day 1, or mid-stay for longer bookings)

Purpose: lift the on-property experience and head off any problem before it becomes a public OTA review.

What to say: "How's everything so far? Reply to this email and I'll personally sort it." Add one or two genuinely useful local tips — the good coffee, the quiet beach, the cellar door that doesn't need a booking. This single email is your best insurance against a bad review, and a guest who feels looked after is a guest who comes back direct.

Subject: Settling in OK? (+ our two favourite local spots)

Email 3 — Checkout day

Purpose: thank them, send the receipt, and lock in the real email if you haven't already.

What to say: warm thank-you, receipt link, and a soft "we'd love to have you back — keep an eye on your inbox for a little something." You're not selling yet; you're closing the stay on a high and confirming the address works. If they booked via an OTA, this is often the moment their real email finally lands in your system.

Subject: Thank you for staying with us — your receipt inside

Email 4 — +7 days (thank-you and review request)

Purpose: bank the goodwill while the memory is fresh and gather a review on a channel you choose.

What to say: a short, human thank-you and one clear ask: "Would you leave us a quick review?" Point them to your Google or direct profile rather than the OTA — reviews on your own assets build the trust signals that make future direct bookings convert. Keep it to one link and one sentence of ask. Accommador's reputation tools can automate this and route happy guests to public reviews.

Subject: One quick favour, [First Name]?

Email 5 — +21–45 days (the "book direct next time" offer)

Purpose: this is the conversion email. Turn a one-time OTA guest into a direct repeat booker with a real, honest incentive.

Timing: 21–45 days after checkout for most properties — long enough to feel considered, soon enough to catch the next planning cycle. For seasonal stays (a Murray River summer, a Snowy winter), time it to the lead-up of their next likely season.

What to say: be direct about the deal. "Next time, book straight with us and you'll get our best rate, guaranteed — plus a genuine perk: a free late checkout, a bottle on arrival, or 10% off." Spell out why it's better for them: same room, better price, a real human on the other end, no platform in the middle. Give them a one-click link to your own booking engine with the offer pre-applied. This is also where you quietly recover the commission you'd otherwise hand the OTA.

Subject: Come back at our best rate — booked direct, just for you

Why "best rate, direct" is the only incentive that works

Loyalty points and vague "member benefits" don't move an independent operator's guests. A lower price than the OTA can show, plus one small human perk, does. You can offer it honestly because every direct booking saves you the OTA commission — typically 15% or more — so even a 10% guest-side discount leaves you ahead.

That's the engine behind repeat direct bookings: capture the email, nurture across five touches, then make the next booking obviously better when it's direct. Run it on autopilot and a single recovered guest a month compounds fast — across a year that's a meaningful chunk of the OTA bleed back in your pocket, without spending more on ads.

Where Accommador fits

You can run this sequence in any email tool. The reason operators run it inside Accommador is that the emails, the booking engine, the CRM and the guest record all live in one login and one bill — no exporting OTA bookings into a separate mailer, no broken alias addresses, no manual chasing. SMS, automations, reputation and review management, the funnel builder and the full CRM are all part of the one platform, so capture, nurture and review-routing run themselves.

The reason guest email is built into Accommador is simple: a broken alias inbox and a separate mailer is how repeat guests slip back onto the OTAs. From $500 AUD/mo per location, everything included. Monthly billing, cancel anytime. Start free.