If you use OTAs like Booking.com, Expedia, or Airbnb, you know the drill: every booking comes with an anonymous alias email, like booking1234@guest.booking.com, n6l3jpclks@m.expediapartnercentral.com, or maria-def456@guest.airbnb.com.
NB: This is an article from Smartness, one of our Expert Partners
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And it gets worse: some OTAs even filter your messages, remove links, and those alias emails get deactivated shortly after checkout.
This setup is designed to protect guest privacy and streamline messaging on the platforms. But for you, the downside is huge: once your guest checks out, they’re gone. You can’t follow up, you can’t build a relationship, and you can’t encourage them to come back.
That’s why collecting your guests’ real email address is a priority.
In this article, we’ll walk you through what to set up first, and then how to collect emails legally, respectfully, and strategically.
3 questions to ask yourself before you start
If you’ve decided to invest in building a direct relationship with your guests, it’s important to approach it the right way, strategically, legally, and with a clear goal: turning an email address into a repeat guest.
These three questions will help you set up your email collection process in a smart, guest-friendly way.
1. Where will you store all the email addresses you collect?
Storing email addresses randomly – like in a makeshift Excel file – isn’t a great long-term solution. If you don’t already have a CRM integrated with your property management system (PMS), or a guest database where new emails can be added and managed, now’s the time to set one up.
The easiest way? Use a purpose-built platform. Take Smartconnect, for example – the CRM and email marketing tool by Smartness. All you need to do is save guest data in your PMS, and the software automatically imports the contact details and booking info. No copy-pasting, no errors, no wasted time.
Why is it important to link email addresses to booking data? Because it lets you segment your audience, grouping contacts based on things like country of origin, booking behavior, trip value, type of stay, and more.
This means you can run targeted marketing campaigns in the future. One example? You can drive bookings during low seasons using strategies like the ones we share in this post on off-season marketing.
2. Why should your guests give you their email address?
Put yourself in your guest’s shoes: they’ve already booked through a platform and entered their personal info. So why should they now give you their real email address?
Simply asking “Can I have your email?” rarely works. But if you offer a small but tangible benefit, your chances go way up.
Here are a few effective incentives you can pair with your request:
