In this guide
WhatsApp can make it easy for a customer to ask a question and continue planning a holiday. Use it when people want to hear from you there and when your team can handle replies. A small relevant audience is a better starting point than an unfiltered address book.
Set up for real conversations
Complete your business profile with your trading name, contact details, website and opening hours. Decide who answers messages and when. Write an away message that reflects the service you can actually provide; do not promise an immediate reply when nobody is available.
Make the marketing choice clear
Example opt-in wording; choose a frequency your business will keep.
Optional WhatsApp marketing
Send me up to two WhatsApp messages a month from [business] with holiday ideas and offers. I can reply STOP at any time.
Keep the choice separate from email
A booking conversation or saved phone number is not evidence of marketing consent.
Keep what the person agreed to
Record the wording, date, method, number covered and any later opt-out.
Invite people to opt in
Collect a clear WhatsApp marketing choice on your website or during an appropriate live conversation. For example:
“Send me up to two WhatsApp messages a month from [Business name] with holiday ideas and offers. I can reply STOP at any time.”
Keep it optional and separate from email marketing. Record the wording, date and method of permission, alongside the number it covers. Only promise the frequency you intend to keep.
Your record can be simple: contact reference, number, date, the wording agreed, how they agreed and any later opt-out. Do not treat an existing booking chat or a saved phone contact as evidence of marketing consent.
WhatsApp's policy requires opt-in permission and compliance with local law. Having someone's number, handling a past booking or receiving an enquiry does not automatically authorise future promotional messages. Do not cold-message old contacts simply to ask whether they want marketing.
Choose the right sending method
Use private messages or an appropriate broadcast feature, rather than a customer group that exposes participants to one another. In traditional broadcast lists, recipients need to save your business number for delivery. Ask opted-in subscribers to do this and test with a colleague first. Newer business broadcast options, availability and charges may differ; follow the help inside your own account.
If your business uses the WhatsApp Business Platform through a provider, it has separate template and customer-service-window rules. Ask the provider which apply; do not assume Business App instructions cover that setup.
Write one useful message
Identify your business, explain why the message matters and provide one next step. Link to a relevant page, not automatically to the homepage. Use factual offer details and genuine deadlines. Never suggest you have visited a hotel when you have not.
Example to adapt
“Hello from [Business name]. Planning a family beach holiday? We have put together a guide to comparing room arrangements, transfers and activities before choosing a hotel. Read it here: [relevant page]. If you would like help, reply with your preferred dates and departure airport. Reply STOP to stop our marketing messages.”
Use this only once your page contains the promised guidance. A price-led message also needs the key booking conditions, with fuller details on the linked page.
One message, one useful next step
Example message for people who have opted in to this marketing.
Hello from [business]
Planning a family beach holiday?
Compare the practical details
Our guide helps you compare room arrangements, transfers and activities: [relevant link].
Reply if you would like help
Tell us your preferred dates and departure airport.
Reply STOP to stop marketing messages
Process opt-outs promptly and keep sending tools in sync.
Handle replies and opt-outs
Log genuine enquiries and assign a person to respond. Stop marketing promptly when asked and keep the suppression record synchronised with other sending tools. Do not wait for a monthly tidy-up. Respect the scope of the person's request across your channels.
Review after each send
Count useful conversations, relevant website visits, quotes and bookings separately. Note opt-outs and negative feedback. Test a modest cadence and improve relevance before increasing volume. No open-rate figure can promise how many people will book.
Sources and further help
Use the official guidance below when checking settings, eligibility and responsibilities. Platform features and rules can change.
