What Are Services in SympleHost?
Services are anything you offer to guests beyond the accommodation itself — airport transfers, cooking classes, guided tours, spa treatments, cleaning, photography, and more. Each service gets its own booking page, pricing, availability calendar, and checkout flow.
Think of services as mini products that guests can browse and book, either during their stay or as standalone experiences. You can manage them yourself or link to an external partner who delivers the service.
When to Use Services
- You offer experiences or activities — city tours, wine tastings, adventure excursions
- You provide transport — airport transfers, chauffeur services
- You sell add-on services — professional cleaning, private chef, photography
- You work with local partners who provide services to your guests
- You want guests to book and pay online through your direct booking page
How to Create a Service
Creating a service is a 4-step process: Basics → Pricing → Availability → Policies. You can save after each step and come back later.
Step 1: Set Up the Basics
- Click Services in the sidebar, then click Listings.
- Click + Add New Service (purple button, top right).
- Fill in the Basic Information:
| Field | What to Enter | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Service Name | A clear, descriptive name — e.g. “Airport Transfer Service”, “Half-Day London Highlights Tour” | Yes |
| Category | Select the best fit from the dropdown (see category list below) | Yes |
| Location | Where the service takes place — start typing and select from the autocomplete | No |
| Service Description | Describe what the service includes, what guests can expect, and any highlights. 20–2,000 characters. | Yes |
Available categories: Chef, Local Tours, Groceries, Experience, Activities, Chauffeur, Photographer, Trainer, Equipment Rentals, Cleaning, Childcare, Beauty, Spa, Other.
💡 Tip: Not sure what to write for the description? Click the AI Enhance button (the sparkle icon next to the description field). As long as you’ve filled in the service name and category, SympleHost’s AI will generate a professional description for you. You can edit it afterward.
[Screenshot: The Basic Information form showing the Service Name, Category dropdown, Location field, and Description with the AI Enhance button]
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Upload Service Images — drag and drop or click Choose Files. Supported formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP (up to 10MB each). The first image becomes the primary photo shown on your service card.
-
Click Create Service.
Your service is saved as a Draft and you’re taken to the next step.
Step 2: Configure Pricing
After saving the basics, you’ll land on the Pricing page. Here you set how much the service costs.
Adding Service Rates
Each service can have one or more rates — different pricing tiers or packages. For example, a tour service might have a “Standard Tour” and a “Premium Private Tour” at different prices.
- Click + Add Rate.
- Fill in the rate details:
| Field | What to Enter |
|---|---|
| Rate Name | A label for this pricing tier — e.g. “Standard”, “Premium”, “Group of 4” |
| Description | What’s included at this price point (up to 500 characters) |
| Pricing Model | How the price is calculated (see options below) |
| Price | The base price in your account currency |
| Min Capacity | Minimum number of guests required to book |
| Max Capacity | Maximum guests allowed per booking |
| Notes | Any additional pricing notes (optional, up to 500 characters) |
Pricing model options:
| Model | How It Works | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Rate | One fixed price regardless of guest count | £150 for a private transfer |
| Per Person | Price multiplied by number of guests | £25 per person for a walking tour |
| Per Unit | Fixed price per item or unit | £40 per kayak rental |
| Per Group | Fixed price for the entire group | £200 for a group cooking class |
- Click Save on the rate.
- Add more rates if needed — for example, a “Solo” rate and a “Group” rate.
[Screenshot: The Pricing page showing a rate card with the name, pricing model, price, and capacity fields filled in]
💡 Tip: You can reorder rates using the up/down arrows, and toggle individual rates on or off with the Active switch.
Optional: Add-ons and Discounts
You can also configure:
- Add-ons — extras guests can select during booking (e.g. “Packed lunch +£10”, “Professional photos +£30”). Each add-on has a name, price, and optional description.
- Discounts — percentage or fixed-amount reductions (e.g. “Early bird 10% off”).
Click Next or Save to continue.
Step 3: Set Availability
This step controls when the service can be booked and how bookings work.
Choose Your Provider Type
First, tell SympleHost who delivers this service:
| Option | What It Means |
|---|---|
| I manage this service | You (or your team) deliver the service directly. You control the schedule and availability. |
| External partner | A third-party vendor delivers the service. Guests are directed to an external booking link. |
If You Manage the Service
-
Select a Booking Model:
- Scheduled Slots — guests book from available time slots you define
- On Demand — guests can book instantly when requested
- Custom Arrangement — booking details are arranged directly between you and the guest
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Set the Service Duration — how long the service takes (hours and minutes, minimum 15 minutes).
-
Configure Operating Hours — the days and times when this service is available:
- Click + Add Operating Hours
- Select the days (Monday through Sunday — you can select multiple)
- Set the Start Time and End Time
- Add more entries for different schedules (e.g. weekdays 9am–5pm, Saturdays 10am–2pm)
[Screenshot: The Operating Hours section showing a weekday schedule (Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00) and a weekend schedule (Sat, 10:00–14:00)]
- Set additional booking controls:
| Setting | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Min Time Between Bookings | Buffer time between one booking ending and the next starting (e.g. 30 minutes for cleanup) |
| Max Bookings Per Period | Limit how many bookings you accept per day, per guest, per stay, or per slot |
| Max Concurrent Requests | How many bookings can happen at the same time |
| Fulfillment Time | How quickly you confirm bookings (instant, 15 min, 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours) |
| Min Lead Time | How far in advance guests must book (e.g. 24 hours, 3 days) |
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Fill in the Requirements section so guests know what to expect:
- What’s Included — bullet-point list of what the service covers (e.g. “Transport to and from hotel”, “All equipment provided”)
- What’s Not Included — anything guests should be aware isn’t part of the service (e.g. “Meals and drinks”, “Personal insurance”)
- What to Bring — items guests should have with them (e.g. “Comfortable walking shoes”, “Sunscreen”)
- What Guests Need to Know — important information like fitness requirements or age restrictions
- Mandatory Forms and Form Links — if guests need to fill in a waiver or consent form before the service
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Optionally add Custom Instructions — any additional notes for the guest before or during the service.
If It’s an External Partner
- Enter Vendor Booking Instructions — how the booking works with your partner.
- Add the External Booking Link — the URL where guests will be directed to complete their booking (e.g.
https://partner-tours.com/booking).
Click Next or Save to continue.
Step 4: Set Policies
The final step covers payment, cancellation, and AI settings.
Payment Policy
- Toggle Require Deposit on if you want guests to pay a deposit at the time of booking.
- If enabled, choose the Deposit Type:
- Percentage — e.g. 25% of the total price
- Fixed Amount — e.g. £50 flat deposit
- Enter the Deposit Amount.
Cancellation Policy
Set up rules that tell guests what happens if they cancel:
- Click + Add Cancellation Rule.
- For each rule, enter:
- Timeframe — e.g. “More than 7 days before” or “Within 24 hours”
- Refund Percentage — 0% (no refund) to 100% (full refund)
- Conditions — any additional notes (optional)
- Add more rules for different timeframes. A typical setup might be:
- More than 7 days before → 100% refund
- 2–7 days before → 50% refund
- Less than 2 days before → No refund
[Screenshot: The Cancellation Policy section showing two rules — one for 7+ days (100% refund) and one for less than 48 hours (0% refund)]
AI Autopilot for Services
If you want Autopilot to handle guest inquiries about this service:
- Toggle Enable AI Autopilot on.
- Optionally enable Pre-Service Communication — Autopilot will send guests relevant information before their booking date.
- Add an Email Template with placeholders like
{{service_name}},{{guest_name}}, and{{booking_date}}that get filled in automatically.
Custom Conditions
Add any other terms or conditions in the Custom Conditions field (up to 2,000 characters).
Click Save & Finish.
Publishing Your Service
After completing all four steps, your service is saved as a Draft. To make it live:
- Go to Services → Listings.
- Find your service card.
- Click Publish.
Your service status changes from Draft (yellow badge) to Published (teal badge), and it becomes visible on your public booking page.
[Screenshot: A service card showing the “Published” status badge in teal, with Edit, Archive, and Delete action buttons]
💡 Tip: Click View Public Page (top of the Services page) to see what guests see when browsing your services.
Managing Your Service Workforce
If you have staff who deliver services (guides, drivers, instructors), manage them in the workforce section:
- Go to Services → Workforce in the sidebar.
- Click + Add Member.
- Enter their Full Name, Email, Phone, and select a Category (Tour Guide, Instructor, Therapist, Chef, Driver, or General).
- Click Send Invite.
Each workforce member gets a profile with performance stats, assigned services, and task tracking. You can filter the workforce list by category using the tabs at the top.
Viewing Service Bookings
There are two ways to see your service bookings:
- Services → Calendar — a calendar view showing all service bookings across your services. Switch between Day, Week, and Month views.
- Bookings → Services tab — the combined bookings page filtered to services.
Click any booking to see full details: guest info, selected rate, add-ons, total price, deposit status, and special requests. From here you can Confirm or Cancel pending bookings.
Service Statuses Explained
| Status | What It Means | Badge Color |
|---|---|---|
| Draft | Service is saved but not visible to guests. Still being set up. | Yellow |
| Published | Service is live and bookable by guests. | Teal |
| Archived | Service is no longer active but its data and booking history are preserved. | Gray |
You can archive a service instead of deleting it if you want to keep its history. Archived services can be unarchived at any time.
Troubleshooting
I can’t publish my service — the Publish button isn’t working
Your service may be missing required information. Check that all four steps are complete: basics (name, category, description), at least one active rate with pricing, availability settings, and at least one image. The system checks these before allowing publish.
Guests can’t see my service on the public booking page
Make sure the service status is Published (not Draft or Archived). Also check that at least one rate is marked as Active.
I want to temporarily stop accepting bookings for a service
Archive the service — go to Services → Listings, find the service card, and click Archive. This removes it from the public page without deleting it. Unarchive it when you’re ready to offer it again.
How do I delete a service?
You can only delete a service if it has no bookings. If bookings exist, archive it instead. To delete, click the Delete icon (trash can) on the service card and confirm.
My service shows a different currency than expected
Service pricing uses your account currency. Check Settings → General to verify your country and currency are set correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Services are bookable experiences, transfers, or add-ons — separate from your rental listings
- The 4-step wizard covers: Basics → Pricing → Availability → Policies
- Use multiple rates for different pricing tiers or packages
- Set operating hours and min lead time to control when guests can book
- Services start as Draft — click Publish when everything is ready
- Use the Workforce section to manage guides, drivers, and other service staff
Related Articles
- Creating a Reservation Manually
- How to Set Up Payments (Stripe Integration)
- Setting Up Autopilot — Automate Guest Messaging
- Welcome to SympleHost — Your First 15 Minutes