Set up the guest registration card

What it collects

The registration card is a Flow template. Instead of a single message, it opens a short form the guest completes in sequence. The ready-made version comes with four pages:

• Personal details — first name, last name, date of birth, nationality

• Contact details

• Home address

• Identity document — document type (passport, national ID card, residence permit, driving licence) and the details

You can add, remove, or reorder pages, and you can have up to ten. Each page holds up to 50 fields, and every field can be set as required or optional.

Add the template

1. In the left menu, open Automation, then Templates.

2. Click New template, then Use a preset.

3. Choose Guest registration (standard). The editor opens with the message and all four form pages pre-filled.

Edit the message

The message is what the guest sees in WhatsApp before they open the form. The ready-made version reads:

Hi {{guest.name}}, we're looking forward to welcoming you to {{venue.name}}. Please complete your guest registration before arrival. It only takes a few minutes.

Adjust the wording to your own voice. Use Add variable to pull in live booking details such as the guest name, venue name, or arrival date, which fill in automatically for each guest.

Two other settings sit under the body:

• Button text is the label the guest taps to open the form, for example "Complete registration".

• Flow type describes what the form is for. For registration, use Sign up.

The live preview on the right shows exactly how the message will look on WhatsApp.

Edit the form pages

Under Form pages, select a page to see its fields. For each field you can set:

• The field type, for example short text input or single select

• The label the guest sees, for example "Date of birth"

• A placeholder to show the format you want, for example DD/MM/YYYY

• Whether the field is required

Ask for what your front desk genuinely needs. Every extra field costs you completions, so keep it to the essentials and mark the rest optional.

Choose how it will be used

When you create the template, Viqal asks how it will be sent:

• Broadcast is the first message to a guest, and it is what you need to send this from a Campaign or a Guest Journey step. It must be approved by WhatsApp.

• Follow-up is triggered by a guest reply or by another template, and does not need WhatsApp approval.

For pre-arrival registration, choose Broadcast.

Choose a message category

WhatsApp requires a category for every approved template:

• Utility for transactional messages tied to a specific action, such as booking confirmations and check-in reminders.

• Marketing for promotional messages, offers, and post-stay reviews.

Guest registration is Utility.

Then click Generate and review. Viqal publishes your source-language version and every auto-translated version in parallel. Publishing usually completes within 15 minutes to 24 hours.

Send it before arrival

Once the template is active, add it to your Guest Journey as a pre-arrival step so it goes out automatically ahead of every stay. Sending it a day or two before arrival works well: far enough ahead that guests have time, close enough that the trip is on their mind.

See Add a step to your Guest Journey for how to schedule it.

Frequently asked questions

Where do the answers go? Completed registrations come back into Viqal and are attached to the guest, so your team can see them before the guest arrives.

Do guests need an app or a login? No. The form opens inside WhatsApp. There is nothing to download and no account to create.

Can I change which details are collected? Yes. Add or remove pages and fields, and set each one as required or optional. Keep it as short as you can, since longer forms get completed less often.

What if a guest does not complete it? Nothing breaks. They check in the usual way at the desk. The registration card is there to save time when it is used, not to block arrival.

Why does the template need approval? Broadcast templates are the first message sent to a guest, and WhatsApp reviews those before they can be used. Approval usually completes within 15 minutes to 24 hours.

Can I run it in more than one language? Yes. Viqal auto-translates the template when you publish, and guests receive the version matching their language.