Email Templates & Customization

Haven provides professional default email templates for every email type. You can customize any template to match your brand voice — or leave them as-is and they'll work great out of the box.

Template Hierarchy

Haven uses a three-level template system:

Haven default — the built-in template that works for everyone
Your default override — your customized version that applies to all guests
Per-guest override — a one-off customization for a specific scheduled email

When an email is sent, Haven checks for overrides in reverse order: per-guest first, then your default, then the Haven default. The first one found is used.

Editing Templates

Prebuilt booking emails use the same composer as a broadcast. The difference is a few locked blocks — the reservation table, arrival details — that Haven fills in for each stay. You can move those and write around them; you cannot delete them. The editor fills those stay blocks with sample reservation data and marks them Sample so you can see the layout. Listing details (the photo, house rules, wifi) come from the property you are previewing as; if a listing has nothing there, that block stays a note, the same way a real send would omit it. Booking emails also lock a discount slot: guests only see a code when you attach one while pre-approving an inquiry. The editor shows a note otherwise, not a sample code. On a retargeting email, the discount is a regular block: add a discount code, change it, or delete it. The same code goes to every guest who receives that email. See Marketing Email Editor for headers, blocks, and branding.

Opening the Editor

Go to Marketing → Campaigns → Automations, or Communication → Booking messages
Open the automation or booking-message flow
Click the email, then Edit email

The left rail's Emails tab lists the other messages in that flow. Blocks is the insert catalog. See Marketing Email Editor.

What You Can Edit

Subject line — what appears in the guest's inbox
The whole body — headings, paragraphs, photos, in-sentence links, buttons, a Stay in touch form button, and any other block
Letterhead — the same header styles a broadcast has
Brand — open the gear on Global settings. Each listing follows the listing on that reservation. Same look brands every send of that template the same way. Color, logo, and font edits can stay on This email or apply to All emails. See Marketing Email Editor.
Haven's locked blocks — you can move them and change a button's words; you cannot take them out
Saved components — from Blocks, press Create custom component, select the blocks, then Create component. They show at the top of the left sidebar. See Marketing Email Editor.

A booking confirmation that lost its dates is not a variant of the email. That is why those blocks stay. Locked stay blocks cannot be saved as a component.

Timing (automation editor)

For emails that send relative to check-in, checkout, or booking date, open Marketing → Campaigns → Automations, open the flow, select the step, and use the day stepper in the right panel to change when it fires. Changing timing reschedules future sends for that email type; already-sent emails are never changed.

Merge Variables (Dynamic Content)

Merge variables are placeholders that get replaced with real data when the email is sent. In the template editor, they appear as colored pills that you cannot accidentally break.

Available Variables

Variable	Description	Example
Recipient name	The recipient's first name	Sample
Guest full name	The guest's full name	Sample Guest
Host first name	Your first name	Kate
Property name	The property name	The Dock House
Check-in date	The reservation check-in date	March 15, 2026
Check-out date	The reservation check-out date	March 20, 2026
Number of nights	Length of stay	5
Discount code	The code from a discount block on this email	WELCOME10
Booking link	Link to book the property	https://bookwithhaven.com/…
Leave feedback link	Link for guests to leave feedback	https://bookwithhaven.com/…
Property location	The property's location	Gloucester, MA
House rules	Your property's house rules	No smoking. Check-out by 11am.
Check-in details	How guests arrive and access the home	Smart Lock. Check-in after 4pm.
Checkout instructions	How guests should leave the home	Strip beds, load dishwasher.
Safety & disclosures	Safety considerations and property disclosures	• Must climb stairs
WiFi info	Network name and password	Network: GuestWiFi
Contact info	Primary, emergency, and maintenance contacts from In-stay contacts	Emergency: John (555-1234)
During stay info	Guidance for guests during their stay	Trash pickup is Tuesday.

Note: Property content variables (house rules, check-in details, WiFi info, etc.) pull from your property settings. If you haven't filled them in, the variable will be empty. The Contact info variable specifically pulls from your In-stay contacts section on the Arrival Guide tab — your public contact rows live in a separate Public contact info section. See Contact Information — Public vs. In-stay for the full breakdown. On a retargeting email, add a discount block to attach a code — {discount_code} then fills from that block.

How Variables Work in the Editor

When you open a template, variables appear as styled pills (e.g., a small colored chip reading "Recipient name"). These pills:

Cannot be partially edited — you can delete the entire pill with backspace, but you can't accidentally change "Recipient name" into "Recipient"
Automatically fill in with real data when the email is sent
Look the same in the editor and in the variable palette at the bottom

Inserting Variables

To add a variable to your template:

Click in the editor where you want the variable to appear
Click a variable pill from the palette at the bottom of the editor
The variable is inserted at your cursor position

You can also type / in the body and pick from Personalize, or insert a variable from the subject field the same way.

Hovering for Examples

Hover over any variable pill in the palette to see an example of what it will look like in a real email (e.g., hovering "Recipient name" shows "e.g., Sample").

Previewing Emails

You edit inside a drawing of the email, so the wording, branding, and layout on screen are already what a guest receives. Haven's locked blocks draw the reservation or listing you are previewing as — pick a property (and, for win-back emails, a guest) on the right rail.

Send Test to Me

Click Send test to me to receive the email in your own inbox. This sends a real email to your email address with a [TEST] prefix in the subject line, so you can see exactly what your guests will receive.

Resetting to Default

If you've customized a template and want to go back to the Haven default:

Open the template editor for that email type
Click Reset to default
Your customizations are removed and the Haven default is restored

Tips

Start simple — the Haven defaults work well for most hosts. Only customize if you want to add a personal touch.
Use merge variables — they guarantee the right guest name, property, and dates appear every time.
Send a test — always send a test email to yourself after making changes to see how it looks in a real inbox.
Preview as a listing — pick a property on the right rail so the locked blocks and merge variables fill in from a real stay.
Changes apply to future emails only — editing a template does not affect emails that have already been sent.