Reservation letters are one of the most common letters that everyone needs to draft at least once at some point of time in their life. Confidence marks the basis of these letters. It should be written in a professional manner to put across your message to the intended recipient. Mostly, a reservation letter is written for making a reservation in a hotel or a resort for leisure or business, cancellation of a reservation or making a complaint about the reservation to name a few. No matter what the purpose of writing a reservation letter be make sure you mention necessary details about the reservation such as if you are booking for a hotel, mention the day, date, time of arrival and departure, number of days that you wish to stay and the like. Even if you are making a reservation for a hotel through a private organizer or an accommodation agent you should write a letter of reservation to confirm your booking and to keep it as a record. While making any kind of reservation, be it hotel, travel or other, make sure you provide them with correct and complete details.

Besides making reservations, a reservation letter can be written for the following situations as well:

• Confirm a reservation related to organizer’s or accommodation agent’s letter: This letter is usually written to confirm the reader’s reservation. You should repeat the details of the agreement in the reservation letter so that your reader can respond to any misunderstandings that may arise. Draft the letter briefly in a positive and business-like manner. Generally, hotel reservations are made through telephones, it is a good idea to request for a written confirmation to avoid any further complications.
• Confirm travel arrangements: A reservation letter helps in providing specific details of the travel plans to the person traveling. It should be brief, to the point and business-like. However, it can also be personal and friendly in case you are familiar to the person.
• Confirming with the travel agency: A reservation letter for confirmation of the trip can be written to a travel agency. This letter should also be brief and contain all the major details.
• Cancel a reservation: Writing a cancellation letter for a reservation that has already been made is often considered to be difficult, as the other part had counted on your participation. The cancellation would certainly add to their inconvenience if not to the overall expense. In this case it is necessary to offer a substantial explanation to the other party.

The choice of words and its presentation continues to be important in this kind of letter as well. The basic format will be like a business letter with the date, name and address of the recipient in the top left corner. The address should be slightly formal with ‘Dear Mr. / Ms. / Miss / Mrs.’ followed by the recipient’s last name. While writing the main body of the reservation letter, make sure you do not miss out on any relevant information. For example, if you write a reservation letter for making a booking of hotel rooms, then always mention what kind of room you would prefer i.e. whether single, double, duplex or super duplex and the like. Besides, you can also specify whether you want your room on any specific floor or extra beds or other related things. Ensure a response and confirm all the relevant details. You must remember that dealing with the sales department can be tricky, as they might assure you of the booking as per your demand but may not actually do it correctly. Therefore, it is very important to ask for a confirmation through a return mail or telephone. If necessary, you can also write a follow-up letter to verify your reservation number and other specifications regarding the name and its spelling. You can also ask if the parking charges are included in the package as well as if they charge extra for making an early checkout.

Here is a sample reservation letter that will help you draft it in a better manner:

MARSHAL CAMP
ST. MARY, NY 12943
518 576-4577

February 22, 2007

Dear ________,

This letter contains my last round of reservation confirmations. This year has proved to be profitable. The dates and room booked by you have been reserved for you but we also have rooms that can accommodate other guests as well for some weeks. This information will soon be available on our company website www.marshalcamp.org. So, if you would like to extend your stay or your friends who like camp can contact us through our website.

This letter confirms your reservation to stay at Marshal Camp this summer. Once again, I would like to thank everyone who gave me second-choice dates. This has helped us in arranging reservations. Please make note of the dates that I have confirmed. In case you find any discrepancy between them and your expectations, you can send me an email or call on the Marshal Camp line in Williamstown.

Your check in the amount of $____ secures your reservation for ___ you and.

ARRIVAL: _______

DEPARTURE: _______

Hope you have an enjoyable visit and that you will warmly welcome the new staff.

Business Invitations & Announcements