WhatsApp Business for hospitality: bookings, orders and promotions done right

WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business or the Business Platform?

Under the WhatsApp name there are three ways to message guests. For most venues the WhatsApp Business app is the right one: it is free, runs on a smartphone and can be linked to a few more devices, such as a tablet at the counter or the office computer. The WhatsApp Business Platform (formerly the API) is aimed at larger businesses that send automated messages from a booking or till system. It is connected through a service provider and is charged per delivered template message, such as a confirmation or reminder; replies within 24 hours of a guest's message are usually free. Meta sets the prices and changes them from time to time.

A phone number can only be active in one of the two apps at a time. If you have been taking bookings on a private phone, set up a separate number for the venue. That way the channel stays with the business when staff change, and your private life stays private.

Setting up: number, profile and link

The details in your WhatsApp profile should match your website and Google Business Profile exactly: same name, same address, same opening hours. When you change the hours for holidays or a closure, change them everywhere at once.

Bookings and orders by chat

Chats often lack details that are asked for automatically on the phone. A booking only becomes a booking once date, time, party size and name are fixed and you have confirmed it. A proven approach is one quick reply that asks for all the necessary details at once and a second one that confirms. Enter every booking in your booking book or system straight away, otherwise you end up with double bookings.

Labels help you keep track: for example “New request”, “Booking confirmed”, “Order open”, “Collected”. For groups and parties it is worth sending a written offer by email after the chat. If you hand out many tables, a booking system on your website works better; how to choose one is covered in the guide to online reservations. A friendly reminder the day before reduces cancellations, more on that in the article on no-shows.

Catalogue, quick replies, greeting and away messages

The Business app comes with a few tools that save a lot of time in day-to-day hospitality. You will find them in the settings under business tools.

• Catalogue: dishes, cakes, breakfast hampers, vouchers or room types with photo, description and price. Guests browse in the chat and ask about specific items. The catalogue is too clumsy for the full menu; link your online menu for that.
• Quick replies: prepared texts you call up with a slash and a shortcut, for example /booking or /directions.
• Greeting message: sent automatically to guests who write for the first time or after a longer break. Ideal for saying when you reply and which details you need.
• Away message: outside opening hours or during your holiday closure. Say when you will reply again and give the phone number for urgent matters.
• Labels: sort chats by status or type, such as booking, order, party, supplier.

Status, channels and broadcast lists

For news such as the weekly menu, the dish of the day, fresh doughnuts or a free table tonight there are three tools that differ considerably:

• Status: photos, short videos or texts that are visible for 24 hours. They can be seen by contacts who have saved your number. Ideal for the dish of the day or today's cakes.
• Channel: a public one-way channel that guests follow themselves, without you seeing their number or them having to save yours. Good for regular news, events and seasonal specials.
• Broadcast list: the same message sent individually to several contacts. It only reaches guests who have saved your number in their address book. Meta increasingly limits broadcasts in the Business app and offers some extra features for a fee; the app itself shows the current limits.

Status and channels have one big advantage: guests decide for themselves whether to look or follow. You do not send anyone an unsolicited message. Broadcasts, by contrast, land in a personal chat and therefore need consent if they promote anything (see the next section). If you want to send regular news to many regulars, also consider a newsletter, because sign-up, unsubscribing and proof of consent are handled properly there.

Consent and data protection

When a guest messages you, you may of course reply and handle their booking or order. Advertising is different: messages with offers, promotions or event announcements sent to guests who did not explicitly ask for them are generally only allowed with prior consent, in Germany under the Act against Unfair Competition (UWG) and in Austria under the Telecommunications Act (TKG 2021). A booking is not consent to advertising.

On top of that comes the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR): with WhatsApp you process names, phone numbers and message content, and Meta as the provider is involved. Mention WhatsApp in the privacy policy on your website, store only what you need and delete old chats regularly. If in doubt, check with your data protection adviser, the WKO (Austrian Chamber of Commerce) or your IHK (German Chamber of Commerce) whether and how WhatsApp can be used in compliance with data protection rules in your business.

Limits: when WhatsApp is not enough

WhatsApp is convenient, but it is no substitute for a booking system, an ordering shop or a website. By Saturday night at the latest the limits show: nobody has time to answer twenty chats on the side, and guests expect a quick reply in a messenger. If it does not come, the annoyance is greater than with an unanswered email.

• No table overview: WhatsApp does not know which tables are free. Every request needs a look at the book.
• No online payment for deposits or vouchers; that takes a shop or payment link.
• Dependence on one provider: Meta sets features, limits and prices and can change them at any time.
• Not every guest uses WhatsApp: phone, email and form still need to work.
• Many orders lead to mistakes: with more than a handful of orders per hour an ordering system is more reliable, as the comparison of delivery platforms and your own shop shows.

WhatsApp works best as one contact channel among several, with your website as the hub: that is where your menu, opening hours, booking and a button that opens the WhatsApp chat directly belong. That way you reach guests where they already write and still stay in control.