Hospitality · CEO · After Proposal
Referral Request for Hospitality CEO: After Proposal
Use this referral request template when you're emailing a CEO in Hospitality (after a proposal). There's a document in play. Silence usually means a missing owner, a budget puzzle, or a comparison you can't see. Keep the note aligned with Direct, adult, light on process jargon. Talk like a peer who did the homework.
Last updated: 2026-09-02 · Reviewed by: Sales Email Template editors
We write templates the way we wrote emails on quota: short, specific, and easy to forward. When we cite research below, it is because the number changes how a buyer reads your note, not to pad the page.
Sources: HubSpot sales email benchmarks; Gong follow-up research
Why does this referral request work for a Hospitality CEO?
- Include a forwardable paragraph.
- Speaks to direct bookings leaking to OTAs and follow-up that ignores seasonality instead of a generic "value prop."
- Fits how a CEO actually reads: Keep the whole note under 70 words unless they asked for detail.
- Offer to cut scope, split phases, or walk a second stakeholder through one page.
- Explain why they'd look good for making the intro.
When should I send this to a Hospitality CEO?
Ask after you've given them a reason to want to help, not after the first coffee. On the review date you set. If you didn't set one, five business days. For this combo, treat "5 business days, or the agreed date" as the default, then adjust around seasonality is the calendar. a great idea in july may be noise in december, or the reverse. If you're emailing a CEO, Keep the whole note under 70 words unless they asked for detail.
What this CEO actually cares about
A CEO in Hospitality is protecting time, reputation, and optionality. They skim on a phone between meetings. If the first two lines don't name a business outcome, the rest never gets read. The hook that earns a look is a P&L, risk, or competitive issue they already feel. The ask should stay at this size: one decision or a 10-minute yes, not a workshop. Delete trigger: A long origin story or a request to 'pick your brain.' If your note would embarrass them in a team channel, rewrite it. If your note would embarrass them in a team channel, rewrite it.
How Hospitality changes the note
Hospitality buyers are GMs, revenue managers, and owners balancing occupancy, labor, and reviews. Don't email during Saturday check-in chaos and expect a thoughtful reply. Be useful on weekday mornings. A credible proof point in this vertical sounds like: moved 9 points of mix from OTA to direct with post-stay follow-up that didn't beg. Watch the language. Words that land here include RevPAR, occupancy, OTA, group block, shoulder season, ADR. Buyers here measure success with occupancy, RevPAR, and direct-booking mix. Buyers here measure success with occupancy, RevPAR, and direct-booking mix. Proof that lands: moved 9 points of mix from OTA to direct with post-stay follow-up that didn't beg.
How should I customize this template before I send it?
- Replace the pain line with a boutique hotel whose guest follow-up is still a TripAdvisor plea.
- Keep the tone direct, adult, light on process jargon.
- Don't attach a commission offer unless that's already your model.
- Time it for 5 business days, or the agreed date. On the review date you set. If you didn't set one, five business days.
- Don't call guests 'users.' They're guests.
What mistakes should I avoid with this after proposal note?
- Asking 'who do you know?' is lazy and gets no names.
- Don't resend the PDF with 'just bumping this.'
- Don't call guests 'users.' They're guests.
- A long origin story or a request to 'pick your brain.'
How does this after proposal scenario compare?
| Dimension | For this template |
|---|---|
| Best send window | 5 business days, or the agreed date |
| Ideal length | Keep the whole note under 70 words unless they asked for detail. |
| Primary ask | one decision or a 10-minute yes, not a workshop |
| Industry metric to cite | occupancy, RevPAR, and direct-booking mix |
| Tone | Direct, adult, light on process jargon. Talk like a peer who did the homework. |
| Unlike after demo | The commercial conversation has started. Be explicit about decision mechanics. |
| Unlike invoice reminder | They don't owe you money yet. Don't sound like collections. |
What should I copy and send?
Copy-ready template
Subject
Quick referral ask on [topic]
Body
Hi [First Name], I'm looking for a warm intro to [specific role] who owns [pain], and you came to mind because [reason]. The version of this that matters for GMs, revenue managers, and owners balancing occupancy, labor, and reviews is moved 9 points of mix from OTA to direct with post-stay follow-up that didn't beg. Ideal person: [role] at a [company type] dealing with direct bookings leaking to OTAs and follow-up that ignores seasonality. Not trying to spray this across your whole book. Given this is after a proposal, ask whether the hold is scope, price, timing, or people. If you want changes to the blurb, tell me and I'll rewrite it. Best, [Your Name] [Your Title] [Your Company]
Questions people ask before they hit send
Short enough to finish standing up. Two or three short paragraphs, one ask, no attachments on first touch. If you need more room, offer a one-pager they can refuse. CEOs punish wordiness because every extra sentence costs calendar. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.
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