"Any tips on where to eat?" is one of the nicest e-mails a hotel gets: the guest is already looking forward to the stay. It is also a chance to show what a small, local hotel knows that a booking site does not. The challenge is answering quickly and consistently, without writing a new travel guide every time.
What the guest actually wants to know
- Where to eat — and how far it is, what kind of place, whether to book.
- Where to keep their bikes overnight, and whether they can rent bikes or charge e-bikes.
- Which trails or outings suit their time and level.
- How to get around — bus, taxi, train connections, parking at the trailhead.
- What to do if it rains.
Template 1: Restaurant tips
Template: restaurant tips
Thank you for your message — here are our favourites nearby:
• [Restaurant 1] — [type, e.g. seafood in the harbour], [distance] from the hotel. Popular in the evenings, so we recommend booking a table.
• [Restaurant 2] — [type, e.g. relaxed pub with pizza and burgers], [distance] away.
• [Restaurant 3] — [type, e.g. café with good vegetarian lunches], [distance] away, open daytime only.
Opening hours change with the season, so it's worth checking before you go. [We're happy to book a table for you — just tell us the day, time and how many you are.]
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Template 2: Bike storage and bike rental
Template: bikes
Yes, you're welcome to bring your bikes! We have [a locked bike room / a covered bike shed with locks] where they can stay overnight. [You can charge e-bike batteries in [place].]
If you want to rent bikes, [rental place] is [distance] from the hotel and has [city bikes / e-bikes]. [We recommend booking in advance in summer.]
We look forward to seeing you!
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Template 3: Hiking trails and getting around
Template: trails and transport
Great that you want to explore the area on foot! Two walks we often recommend:
• [Trail 1] — [length] km, [easy / moderate], starts [distance] from the hotel. [Description, e.g. along the coast with views of the sea.]
• [Trail 2] — [length] km, [level], [how to get there, e.g. bus [number] from [stop], about [minutes] min].
The nearest bus stop is [distance] away. For a taxi, call [taxi company] on [phone] — we recommend booking in advance [in the evening / at weekends]. [You're welcome to leave your car at the hotel while you walk.]
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Template 4: Ideas for a rainy day
Template: rainy day ideas
Sorry to hear the forecast isn't on our side! A few things guests enjoy on rainy days:
• [Indoor activity 1, e.g. a museum or art gallery], [distance] away
• [Indoor activity 2, e.g. swimming pool or spa], [distance] away
• [Café or shop worth visiting], [distance] away
[You're also welcome to borrow board games and books in the lounge.] Opening hours vary by season, so please check before you go.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Example: how BookingWatch answers
A guest who asks about dinner, bikes and the bus in one e-mail, and the reply BookingWatch drafts from the hotel's local tips block:
Guest e-mail · Bikes, dinner and bus
We're arriving by bike on Thursday and staying two nights. Is there somewhere safe for our bikes? Any tips for dinner on Thursday? And is there a bus to the nature reserve on Friday?
Thanks, Maria
Reply drafted by BookingWatch
Thank you — it sounds like a lovely trip!
Your bikes can stay in our locked bike room at the back of the hotel, and you can charge e-bike batteries there too.
For dinner on Thursday:
• A seafood restaurant in the harbour, 450 m from the hotel — we recommend booking a table.
• A relaxed pub with pizza, 700 m away.
The bus to the nature reserve leaves from the stop 300 m from the hotel and takes about 20 minutes. Timetables change in the off-season, so please check the regional bus app the day before.
See you on Thursday!
Kind regards,
Anna
Hotel Seaview
Real examples from our hotel
Two real e-mails from our own small seaside hotel in Sweden, with the replies we actually sent. Names are changed, and place and restaurant names are replaced with general descriptions.
Guest e-mail
We want to come in your hotel for tomorrow.
We need a double bed and a sure place for our bikes.
Is this possible?
Maria
Our reply
We have space for your bikes. But I don't have a booking in your name, is the booking in a different name?
Warm regards,
Anna (reception)
Hotel Seaview
What we learned
The bike question got a clear yes, but the guest had most likely not booked yet — she was asking whether she could come. A better reply would have confirmed that a room with a double bed was free, given the price and offered to book it. For travelling cyclists, a safe place for the bikes is often the deciding factor, so answer it together with availability.
Guest e-mail
I have just booked a deluxe room with a balcony and sea view for two nights in July.
[…]
Do you have any good tips on where we can eat in the evening on those two nights?
We're looking forward to our stay!
Best wishes,
Anna
Our reply
Thank you for your booking. […]
There is a good restaurant in the harbour, 450 m from the hotel. There is also a fish and seafood restaurant 2 km from the hotel. A simpler pub in the harbour will probably be open too, 700 m from the hotel.
See you in July!
Kind regards,
Anna (reception)
Hotel Seaview
What we learned
A model answer: three places of different kinds, each with its distance from the hotel, and an honest "will probably be open" instead of a promise. It is short, but it gives the guest everything needed to choose.
In our own hotel's inbox, about 49 of 900 guest e-mails over two years were about bikes, hiking trails, bike storage or transport and taxis — as many as asked about breakfast and restaurants. Both figures are underestimates, as we only counted these topics when an e-mail had no other main subject.
Source: BookingWatch analysis of 900 anonymised guest e-mails to the founders' hotel, October 2024 – October 2026.
Build a "local tips" block once
The fastest way to answer these e-mails well is to write the answers down once. A short text block with distances, kept up to date each season, means every colleague (and your AI assistant) gives the same good advice:
| Topic | What to write down |
|---|---|
| Restaurants | 3–5 places: type, distance, price level, whether to book, which months they are open |
| Bikes | Where bikes are stored overnight, locked or not, e-bike charging, nearest rental and repair |
| Trails and outings | 2–3 walks with length, level, start point and how to get there |
| Transport | Nearest bus stop and distance, taxi number, whether to pre-book, train connections |
| Rainy day | 2–3 indoor ideas with distance |
| Seasonal notes | What closes or opens shorter hours outside summer |
| Hand to staff | Table bookings, guided tours, anything you are unsure about |
Best practice
- Give distances in metres or kilometres from the hotel. "450 m" helps more than "close by" — the guest can decide whether to walk.
- Describe places in one line instead of naming them only: "seafood in the harbour" tells the guest more than a name they have never heard of.
- Be honest about uncertainty. "Probably open" or "please check opening hours" is better than a promise that fails on a quiet Tuesday in October.
- Answer every question in the e-mail. Tips often come at the end of an e-mail about something else — a booking, late check-out, a room request.
- Update the block each season and when a place closes or a new one opens.
Common mistakes
- Sending a link to the tourist office instead of two or three personal tips.
- Recommending a restaurant that is closed for the season.
- Answering the bike question but forgetting to say whether there is a room.
- Different tips from different staff, because nothing is written down.
- Promising a bus or taxi time you have not checked.