Invoice and receipt e-mails are rarely urgent for the hotel — but they often are for the guest, who has an expense report due or an accountant waiting. They are also the e-mails most likely to need two or three rounds, because the first reply forgot to ask for the company's details. A good reply gets everything right the first time.
Which request is it?
- A copy of the receipt — the guest has paid and lost it, or needs it as a PDF.
- An invoice to a company — the employer pays, or needs the company's name on the document.
- Split invoices — several guests, rooms or cost centres on one booking.
- A pre-payment invoice — a company or group wants to pay before arrival.
- A correction — wrong name, wrong company, wrong amount.
Template 1: Receipt copy
Template: receipt copy
Thank you for your message. Please find attached a copy of your receipt for your stay [arrival date]–[departure date], booking [booking reference].
For your security, we only send receipts to the e-mail address registered on the booking. If you need a copy sent to someone else, for example your employer, just reply from this address and let us know where it should go.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Template 2: Invoice to a company — details needed
Template: company invoice details
Thank you — we're happy to issue an invoice to your company. So we get it right the first time, please send us:
• Company name (as registered)
• Postal address
• VAT number or company registration number
• Reference or purchase order number, if your company uses one
• E-mail address the invoice should go to
[If the stay is already paid: As your stay is paid, the invoice will be marked as paid and show the payment date.]
We'll send the invoice within [number] working days of receiving the details.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Template 3: Split invoices
Template: split invoices
Of course — we can split the invoice for booking [booking reference]. Please confirm how you'd like it divided:
• Invoice 1: [rooms / guests / items] to [company or name]
• Invoice 2: [rooms / guests / items] to [company or name]
Please also let us know the billing details and any reference for each invoice. [Extras such as minibar and restaurant will be charged to [each room / the main invoice] unless you tell us otherwise.]
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Template 4: Corrected invoice
Template: corrected invoice
Thank you for letting us know, and I'm sorry for the mistake.
We have issued a credit note for invoice [invoice number] and a new invoice with the correct [company name / address / amount]. Both are attached. The new invoice replaces the old one, so please disregard invoice [invoice number].
If anything else needs changing, just reply to this e-mail.
Kind regards,
[Your name]
[Hotel name]
Example: how BookingWatch answers
An illustrative example. The guest has already paid at checkout and now needs an invoice in the company's name. BookingWatch recognises what is missing and asks for it in one reply:
Guest e-mail · Invoice for my stay
I stayed with you 2–4 March for work. Could I please get an invoice in my company's name instead of the receipt? Thanks.
Sara
Reply drafted by BookingWatch
Thank you for your message — of course.
To issue the invoice in your company's name, please send us:
• The company's registered name and postal address
• Its VAT number or company registration number
• Any reference your company needs on the invoice (for example your name or a cost centre)
As your stay is already paid, the invoice will be marked as paid on 4 March. We'll send it to this e-mail address within two working days of receiving the details.
Kind regards,
Anna
Hotel Seaview
Who does what
| Request | What to ask for or check | Example handling |
|---|---|---|
| Receipt copy | That the request comes from the e-mail on the booking | Send the receipt the same day; AI assistant can reply |
| Invoice to a company | Company name, address, VAT/registration number, reference | AI assistant collects details; staff issue the invoice |
| Split invoices | Which rooms, guests and extras go on which invoice | Confirm the split in writing before checkout if possible |
| Pre-payment invoice | Payer details, due date, what happens if unpaid | Staff issue it; state the due date in the booking confirmation |
| Correction | What is wrong and the original invoice number | Credit note plus new invoice; never edit the old one |
| Copy to a third party | Confirmation from the guest | Send only after the guest has confirmed |
What a correct invoice must contain depends on your country
Invoice content is set by national VAT rules, so the exact list differs between countries. As one example, the Swedish Tax Agency lists what a full invoice must include — among other things the date of issue, a unique sequential number, the seller's VAT number, the names and addresses of seller and buyer, what was sold and when, the amount excluding VAT per VAT rate, the VAT rate applied and the VAT amount. It also states that a correcting invoice must refer specifically and unambiguously to the original invoice, and that the duty to invoice also covers payments received in advance.
Source: Skatteverket, Momslagens regler om fakturering, retrieved 2026-10-07
Set the invoice layout up once with your accountant or property management system. After that, the e-mail reply is only about collecting the right details and saying when the document will arrive.
Best practice
- Ask for the company details at booking. A field for "invoice to company" in the booking form or the pre-arrival e-mail saves a round of e-mails afterwards.
- Ask for everything in one e-mail. A bullet list of the details you need is easier to answer than a question.
- Say when the document will arrive — and send it then.
- Protect personal data. Send receipts and invoices only to the booking's e-mail address unless the guest confirms another recipient.
- Correct with a credit note, not by editing or deleting the original invoice.
Common mistakes
- Asking for the company name and then, in the next e-mail, for the VAT number and reference.
- Sending an invoice for a stay that is already paid without marking it as paid — the company pays twice.
- Editing an issued invoice instead of crediting it and issuing a new one.
- Sending a receipt to an address that is not on the booking without asking the guest.
- Forgetting extras (minibar, restaurant, parking) when splitting an invoice.