12 WhatsApp campaign ideas for restaurants and hotels

Restaurants and hotels have an advantage on WhatsApp: guests already use it to ask questions and make bookings. Here are 12 campaign ideas that work, with the type of template each one needs.

For restaurants and cafés

1. Quiet-day offers (marketing)

Fill your slowest days: "Tuesday special: a free dessert with every main course, tonight only."

2. New menu launches (marketing)

Send a photo of the new dish to customers who ordered something similar before.

3. Booking confirmations and reminders (utility)

Confirm every table booking and send a reminder two hours before. No-shows fall when guests can reply to cancel.

4. Order updates for delivery (utility)

"Your order is on its way and will arrive in about 25 minutes." Cheaper than marketing messages, and customers value them.

5. Festival and event menus (marketing)

Diwali, Eid, Christmas, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day: share set menus two to three weeks before, with a booking button.

6. Feedback after a visit (utility, or marketing with an offer)

"How was your meal today? Reply with a number from 1 to 5." Happy guests can be pointed to your Google review page.

For hotels and homestays

7. Pre-arrival messages (utility)

Send directions, check-in time and a link to share arrival details a day before arrival.

8. In-stay upsells (inside the 24-hour window)

When a guest messages you during their stay, mention spa slots, late checkout or room upgrades in your reply. Replies inside the 24-hour window are free.

9. Direct-booking offers (marketing)

Reward past guests for booking directly instead of through travel sites: "Book your next stay with us directly and get breakfast included."

10. Seasonal packages (marketing)

Monsoon getaways, summer family packages, long-weekend deals. Send only to guests who said they want offers.

11. Anniversary of their stay (marketing)

"A year ago you stayed with us. Come back this month and get 15% off."

12. Group and event enquiries (service)

Make it easy for wedding and corporate planners to message you, and use AI replies to answer capacity and pricing questions instantly.

Three rules for every campaign

1. Send only to guests who opted in, for example at booking or with a QR code at the table. See our opt-in guide.
2. Send at most a few marketing messages a month. Too many leads to blocks and a lower quality rating.
3. Answer replies fast. A campaign is only as good as the conversation after it. Dizitallink's AI answers in seconds and hands bookings to your team.

Targeting guests in the USA? Meta has paused marketing templates to US numbers. Read what still works in the US.