Hosting standards

Running a tour or experience guests remember

Your listing won the booking and your price made it worth taking. Now the guest has to find you, enjoy every hour, and leave wanting to tell people. On a tour or experience there's no lockbox to do the welcome for you: you are the welcome. This guide covers the day from the message before it to the goodbye, and how to handle the guests who arrive late or not at all.

The short answer

Send clear meeting details the day before: where, when, what to bring and what the weather means. Make the meeting point impossible to miss, and use the first five minutes to put the group at ease. Keep a steady pace, put safety ahead of the plan, and only guide in languages you speak well. End on time, with thanks and a few places to go next, then ask for a review the day after. Handle late arrivals and no-shows by the terms you published, through the booking platform.

Step 1: before the day

Most problems on the day start with a vague message. It's the first step of your guest journey, so make it answer every question before it's asked.

1. Confirm the date and start time. Write them out in full, in Armenia time.
2. Give the exact meeting point. A map pin, the address, and one line on how to recognise the spot.
3. Say what to bring. Shoes, water, a hat, a warm layer, money for personal spending. Be specific to your tour.
4. Mention the weather. Check the forecast and say what it means: sun cream in July, layers in the mountains, a change of plan if it storms.
5. Say how long it really lasts. Guests plan dinners and transfers around your end time.

On Revamp, Customer Journey has a meeting-point message for tours and experiences, with placeholders for the date, start time, meeting point, address, parking and your phone, plus a link to the guest's trip page. It sends at the moment you set, by default the day before, once you switch automatic sending on.

Step 2: the meeting point and the first five minutes

The meeting point

• An exact pin, not just a street or a square
• A photo of the spot in your listing or message
• Something to recognise you by: a sign, a cap, a coloured umbrella
• Parking noted if guests may drive

The first five minutes

• Greet each guest by name and tick them off
• Say your name, the plan and the end time
• Point out toilets, water and the first stop
• Ask about anything you should know: knees, allergies, fear of heights

Arrive early. If guests see you waiting, the day starts calm. The Revamp Telegram bot's morning summary and /today command show who you're meeting that day, so you're not checking bookings at the meeting point.

Step 3: pace, safety and language

Pacing. Plan the day around the slowest guest, not the fastest. Build in a pause every hour, tell people how long each stop lasts, and count heads every time you move on.

First aid

• A stocked kit with you, checked before each season
• Know what's in it and how to use it
• 112 for police, fire and rescue, and 103 for an ambulance, saved in your phone

Weather

• Check the forecast the evening before and again that morning
• Have a shorter or indoor plan ready
• Turn back early rather than late

Road travel

• A rested driver and a roadworthy vehicle
• A seat belt for every guest, and ask them to wear it
• No rushing to make up lost time

Mountains and hikes

• Describe the walk honestly in the listing: distance, climb, terrain
• Say who it isn't suitable for
• Never take a group beyond what the slowest walker can do safely

These are our suggestions, not legal requirements. Check with the relevant authority about any licence or insurance your activity needs.

Language. On Revamp, you list the languages you guide in. List only the ones you can explain, joke and handle a problem in. A guest who booked in English and gets a few memorised lines will say so in the review.

Photos. Ask before you photograph guests, and before you share any picture of them. Some guests are happy to be on your page; some are not, and children's photos need a parent's yes.

Step 4: ending well, and handling late arrivals and no-shows

Ending well

• Finish on time, at the place you promised
• Thank each guest by name
• Give a short list of places to go next, written down so they keep it

The review request

• Not on the spot, when guests feel watched
• The day after, while it's still fresh
• Short, with one clear link

On Revamp, the Customer Journey "Thank you" message goes out after the activity, by default the day after, and can lead to a short survey and the review sites you choose. Reviews that bring the next booking covers this in more depth.

Late arrivals. Decide how long you wait, and say it in your listing's important info and in the meeting message. Our suggestion: wait a set time, message the guest through Revamp, then start, so one late arrival doesn't shorten everyone's tour. If they catch up, welcome them without a lecture.

No-shows. Treat them by the cancellation policy the guest accepted. On Revamp, the flexible option gives a refund only when a guest cancels before your cutoff, and non-refundable never refunds. Keep every message and any goodwill gesture on the platform: never ask for cash on the day or settle anything by a side transfer. If you have to cancel yourself, for weather or safety, tell guests as early as you can through Revamp and offer another date.

Hosting mistakes to avoid

• A meeting point that's only a street name
• A message that forgets the weather or the end time
• Starting late for one guest and running over for everyone
• Pushing on in bad weather to save the plan
• Guiding in a language you only half speak
• Posting guests' photos without asking
• Asking for a review while the group is still standing there

Your checklist

The day before

• Meeting message sent, with pin and start time
• Forecast checked, plan B ready
• First aid kit and phone charged

On the day

• Early at the meeting point, easy to recognise
• Names, plan and end time in the first five minutes
• Head count at every stop

After

• Thanks and a list of places to go next
• Review request the day after
• Late and no-show rules written in the listing

Questions hosts ask

How long should I wait for a late guest?
It's your choice, but decide it in advance and say it in your listing and meeting message. Then everyone knows the rule before the day.

Can I share my phone number with guests?
After the booking is confirmed, yes: Revamp's meeting message has a placeholder for it. Before a booking, keep all contact on the platform.

What if the weather turns on the day?
Follow your plan B and put safety first. If you can't run the tour safely, cancel early through Revamp and offer another date.

When should I ask for a review?
The day after works well: the day is fresh and guests aren't put on the spot. Customer Journey can send the request for you.

Do I need a licence or insurance to run tours?
It depends on what you do. Check with the relevant authority, and with an insurer or accountant, before you start.