Creating Email Schedules for Channex and OTA Guests

This guide explains how to create and manage custom email templates and email schedules for OTA (Online Travel Agency) reservations received through Channex — including Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia. These schedules let you control what automated emails are sent to OTA guests and when.

Step 1: Create OTA-Specific Email Templates

To begin, go to:

1. Click the Website tab.
2. Click Email Templates.
3. Click Add Template to create a new message template.

Examples of template titles include:

• Booking.com Guest Message
• Expedia Guest Message
• Airbnb Guest Message
• Channex General Template

These templates typically contain brief, customized messages for OTA guests — not full reservation details, rates, or policies (as those are handled directly through the OTA). Use this space for important notes such as property information, arrival instructions, or check-in reminders.

Step 2: Create Email Schedules for Each Channel

Once your templates are created, the next step is to assign when they should be sent by creating Email Schedules:

1. In the same Email Templates section, click Add Schedule.
2. Enter a descriptive schedule name, such as “General Channex” or channel-specific names like “Airbnb”, “Booking.com”, or “Expedia”.
3. Open the new schedule and add your messages and timing rules as needed.

When creating these schedules:

• Set Use for Internal to No.
• Leave all Reservation Pages unselected — these schedules are only for OTA connections, not direct bookings.

Optional: Blank Schedule (No Emails Sent)

If you prefer that guests from certain OTAs do not receive any automated emails from ReservationKey, create a blank schedule for that channel (with no messages). For example:

• Create a schedule titled Airbnb.
• Leave all events blank (no templates selected).
• Save the schedule — this ensures Airbnb guests will not receive automatic emails.

Step 3: Link Schedules to OTA Channels

After your templates and schedules are ready, connect them to your OTA channels via Channex:

1. Go to the Settings tab.
2. Select External Connections.
3. Locate your Channex connection and click Edit Settings.

In this area, you can assign which email schedule applies globally or by specific channel:

• For a general setup, choose your General Channex email schedule.
• To customize per OTA, assign separate schedules for each channel, such as:
  • Airbnb ? Select the Airbnb email schedule.
  • Booking.com ? Select the Booking.com email schedule.
  • Expedia ? Select the Expedia email schedule.

Click Save when finished to apply your settings.

Example Setup Scenarios

• General Channex Schedule: A single schedule applied to all OTA reservations.
• Channel-Specific Schedules: Different schedules for Airbnb, Booking.com, and Expedia, each with its own email templates.
• Blank Schedule: For channels where no emails should be sent (useful if all communication is handled directly by the OTA).

Summary

By creating custom email templates and schedules for your OTA connections, you can tailor communications for each platform. This setup ensures guests receive only the information they need while preventing duplication of reservation details already managed through the OTA. All scheduling and customization are handled under Website ? Email Templates and Settings ? External Connections.