Use Gmail's AI to Draft Guest Inquiry Replies Faster
What This Does
Gmail's built-in AI writing assistant drafts email replies to guest inquiries in seconds — reducing the time you spend composing responses to room availability questions, pet policy requests, group rate inquiries, and more from 5-10 minutes down to under 2 minutes.
Before You Start
- You have a Gmail account (or the hotel's inbox is Google Workspace / Gmail-based)
- You're logged in to Gmail on a desktop browser or the Gmail mobile app
- Time needed: 10 minutes to learn the feature, 1-2 minutes per email after
Steps
1. Find the AI writing feature
Open any email in your inbox that needs a reply. Click the Reply button at the bottom of the email thread. In the reply compose box, look for a small pencil icon with a sparkle (✨) in the toolbar at the bottom of the compose window — this is "Help me write."
What you should see: The compose toolbar has icons for formatting, attachment, emoji — "Help me write" appears as a pencil with a star or sparkle symbol. In mobile, it may appear as "Suggested replies" chips at the top of the reply box.
Troubleshooting: If you don't see the sparkle/pencil icon, your Google Workspace plan may not include this feature. Check: Settings → See all settings → General → Smart features and personalization (must be ON).
2. Describe what you want to say
Click the sparkle pencil icon. A text box appears: "What do you want to write?" Type a brief description of your intended reply, like:
"Tell them checkout is at 11am, late checkout until 2pm is available for $30, subject to availability"
or
"Let them know we are a pet-friendly property, there is a $75 per stay pet fee, and we ask that dogs under 50lbs be kept on leash in common areas"
Click Create (or press Enter).
What you should see: Gmail generates a full draft email response in about 3 seconds, addressed appropriately, with a professional tone.
3. Review, refine, and send
Read the draft. If it's close but needs adjustments, you can:
- Click Refine to shorten, lengthen, or adjust the tone
- Click Insert to add the draft to your compose box, then edit manually
- Start over by clearing the description and typing a new one
Once satisfied, click Insert, add your signature if needed, and hit Send.
What you should see: Your edited draft is in the compose box, ready to send. Gmail's AI will not send anything without your approval.
Real Example
Scenario: A guest emails asking if you have rooms available for a family of 5 next weekend, whether breakfast is included, and where the nearest parking is.
What you type: "Tell them to check availability on our website or call the front desk directly. Breakfast is not included but available for $18/adult at our restaurant. Parking is $22/night in our attached garage — mention that street parking is available nearby but limited on weekends."
What you get: A complete, warm email that covers all three questions with accurate information, a professional sign-off, and an invitation to contact us with more questions.
Tips
- Gmail AI works best when you give it specific information — prices, policies, times. Don't just say "answer their question," give it the actual answer.
- Smart Reply chips (at the bottom of emails) are even faster for simple confirmations like "Yes, we do have availability on those dates — please call us at [number] to book."
- For hotels using Google Workspace (the business version of Gmail), all features described here are available on Business Standard and above plans.
- If the hotel uses Outlook instead of Gmail, look for the Copilot button in the compose window — it works similarly.
Tool interfaces change — if a button has moved, look for similar AI/magic/smart options in the same menu area.