Should I offer a referral fee in the email?

Only if that's already how you work and it won't make them look mercenary. Many operators prefer a clean intro. If you do mention a fee, keep it secondary to why the intro helps the other person. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

How do I follow up on an unpaid invoice without damaging the relationship?

Assume a process issue first. Put the facts up top, offer to fix coding or PO problems, and keep the tone operational. Escalate to the original buyer only after AP has had a fair chance. Rage emails get paid last.

Is it okay to send this referral request on LinkedIn instead of email?

Yes if this department head is actually active there and the thread isn't about long attachments. Keep the LinkedIn version even shorter. Don't paste the full email. One context line and one question is plenty. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

What should I never say in a Hospitality referral request?

Don't call guests 'users.' They're guests. Going over their head in the same thread. Don't threaten, guilt, or bury the amount. Those three mistakes show up constantly in Hospitality inboxes and they all read as "this was templated." Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

What's a good hospitality follow-up that isn't a review request?

A specific thank-you, a useful local note, a missing-item check, or a direct-book offer for a return stay. Review asks work better after you've been helpful, not as the only reason you wrote. Name the stall they care about, offer one small next step, and stop before the thread feels like a sequence.

Hospitality · Department Head · After Invoice

Referral Request for Hospitality Department Head: After Inv…

When a Hospitality Department Head goes quiet (after an invoice), the right referral request email does one job: make a reply cheaper than silence. They sit between strategy and the people doing the work. They need cover to say yes and a way to not look reckless. That's why this template leads with occupancy, RevPAR, and direct-booking mix instead of

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 Department Head?

Ask for a specific profile, not 'anyone in your network.'
Speaks to direct bookings leaking to OTAs and follow-up that ignores seasonality instead of a generic "value prop."
Fits how a department head actually reads: Give enough context that they can forward the email upward.
Restate number, due date, invoice ID, and pay path in the first screen.
Give them cover to decline.

When should I send this to a Hospitality Department Head?

Ask after you've given them a reason to want to help, not after the first coffee. A polite reminder a few days after due, then a firmer operational note. For this combo, treat "3 days after due 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 department head, Give enough context that they can forward the email upward.

What this Department Head actually cares about

A department head in Hospitality is protecting their team's load and their standing with leadership. They sit between strategy and the people doing the work. They need cover to say yes and a way to not look reckless. The hook that earns a look is a department KPI, a staffing bind, or a tool the team already hates. The ask should stay at this size: a working review they can invite a deputy to. Delete trigger: Going over their head in the same thread. They protect their team's load and their standing with leadership, so keep the ask at "a working review they can invite a deputy to."

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. A thread that ignores direct bookings leaking to OTAs and follow-up that ignores seasonality reads like every other vendor bump. Seasonality is the calendar. A great idea in July may be noise in December, or the reverse.

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 respectful of internal politics without being coy.
Keep the ask to one person or one tightly defined role.
Time it for 3 days after due date. A polite reminder a few days after due, then a firmer operational note.
Don't call guests 'users.' They're guests.

What mistakes should I avoid with this after invoice note?

Asking 'who do you know?' is lazy and gets no names.
Don't threaten, guilt, or bury the amount.
Don't call guests 'users.' They're guests.
Going over their head in the same thread.

How does this after invoice scenario compare?

Dimension	For this template
Best send window	3 days after due date
Ideal length	Give enough context that they can forward the email upward.
Primary ask	a working review they can invite a deputy to
Industry metric to cite	occupancy, RevPAR, and direct-booking mix
Tone	Respectful of internal politics without being coy.
Unlike proposal follow-up	The commercial terms were already accepted. You're in collections-lite, not sales.
Unlike apology	Only apologize if you invoiced wrong. Don't apologize for asking to be paid.

What should I copy and send?

Copy-ready template

Subject

Hospitality note on direct bookings leaking to OTAs

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. Blurb you can paste: '[Your Name] helps [audience] with moved 9 points of mix from OTA to direct with post-stay follow-up that didn't beg. They asked if you'd be open to a short intro about [topic].'

Restate number, due date, invoice ID, and pay path in the first screen.

Thanks either way. I know intros cost you something.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Title]
[Your Company]

Questions people ask before they hit send

Ask after you've given them a reason to want to help, not after the first coffee. A polite reminder a few days after due, then a firmer operational note. After that, send a breakup note and archive it. A department head who wants it will answer a clean close more often than a fifth bump.

Related templates

Want a custom draft instead? Try the email generator.