Welcome to the marketplace! Read on for the ins and outs of listing on retreat.guru
This article is written for Marketplace Hosts - centers and teachers who just wish to list their programs and events on retreat.guru. That is, for hosts who do not currently use the Retreat Guru RMS (Retreat Management System). Learn more about the Retreat Guru RMS.
Why list on retreat.guru?
Listing on our retreat marketplace helps you attract new participants from a global audience of retreat seekers. It's a space where a global community connects and can search for their next retreat, then book with you directly.
Centers
A Center page on retreat.guru is your Marketplace Profile. It acts as a home for your reviews, where you can showcase what makes you unique, tell your story, and set standards for the service guests can expect at your facility.
If you don't have a brick-and-mortar retreat center that's okay! Set this up as a brand page with imagery to show what retreat spaces can look like when on retreat with you. You can add the specifics to the Event listings about the space you'll be in for that retreat.
Set up your Marketplace Profile
Navigate to the Center Page from the admin side panel.
It's important to fill in all fields on this page as most fields from this profile will auto-populate into your events to save you time when creating your future retreats. Remember this is where past guests will leave reviews and where future guests will go to find more about you so be sure to add some extra love and special attention to each section.
Add at least 5 high-quality images, use images that showcase your center, and give an overall feel of the environment you provide. Our research shows the more high-quality imagery you have the more likely a guest is to book. These images should show potential guests what they could expect when arriving at your center, what your team is like, and what classes or meals may look like when on retreat. Your first photo will act as the featured image on search results. Check out Marketplace Photo Posting Policy to make sure your images are a good fit.
If you need help filling in the different text fields, click the blue question mark next to each field for some tips!
Events
An Event on the marketplace is your retreat listing. This is where you want to share the specifics of a particular retreat, program, or class you offer. Fill in all areas and paint a picture of what a guest could expect when attending this retreat with you. Using exact information like addresses or as close to it as possible helps you show up better in searches.
Event Dates
When setting up your events you have 3 different date types to choose from.
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- Standard - This retreat has a fixed start and end date.
- Package - This retreat is a set length but participants can choose their start date.
- Ongoing - This retreat option is for online courses where there is no set start or end date.
Registration Closing Date is used to stop registrations after a certain date.
Here is the setup for a retreat that starts on Aug. 21, 2021, and ends on Aug. 24, 2021. Guests must register before Aug. 9, 2021. The listing will be hidden on retreat.guru on Aug. 9, 2021
Event Status
The Event Status fields allows you to adjust the Status of the listings (Draft or Published), Remove the listing from the marketplace, Update (Save your work), Delete the listing or Duplicate it to save time on your next listing.
In this example the retreat is published but removed from the marketplace. You can use this setup for an event that is completed but currently fully booked. If a cancellation occurs you can un-check the box and quickly add it back to the marketplace.
Event Hosted Online
Check this box if your event is an online event. It will show up in the Online search area of the marketplace for greater visibility.
Pricing Options
Your pricing options should be for each different lodging option you offer for this retreat or for the different tiers of service you offer on this retreat. This needs to be the total price of the retreat cost for each option so the deposit is calculated properly.
Teachers
Teacher Pages work to provide another avenue for guests to find your retreats on the marketplace, while ensuring teachers and leaders get their own recognition. Guests can leave a review for a specific Teacher after they've completed a retreat which can improve your review score, increasing visibility.
Registrations
Stay organized with all your bookings. Your registration list will include all the information you need to connect with your registrations; name, date registered, program, stay dates, contact email, balance due after deposit payment, and their total registration amount.
When a guest registers for your program we send a confirmation email to them confirming their booking and advising they will hear from your center within 48 hours. We also send you an email confirming the booking with their contact information at the same time.
Payments, Commissions & Cancellation Policies
Check out our article on Marketplace Commissions and Payments for more information on this process or for more information on our cancellation policies for your deposits.
When a guest registers for your retreat they pay a 14% deposit on the total price of the retreat cost. This is the Retreat Guru commission for advertising your listings. We only ever charge for successful bookings, meaning we only get paid if you do too.
Cancellations & Refunds
We understand that when you list on retreat.guru, it's important your guests are taken care of properly. To ease the cancellation and refund process we ask you to discuss with the guest directly. This allows you an opportunity to save the booking or provide a different solution.
If the guest needs to cancel or does not attend the retreat you need to reach out to your friendly support guru with the booking information and we will cancel the registration and process a deposit refund when necessary. You do not need to send the guest to us for support with this.
Messages
On your event pages, there is an "Ask a question" option below the "Secure your spot" registration button.
When a guest clicks to Ask a question a message is sent to your message center. We also send you a copy to respond via email. The faster you reply to questions the better your search ranking is so it's best to reply as quickly as possible.
You can also set messages to allow desktop notifications to ensure you respond as quickly as possible.
Billing Details
For proper reporting and to meet our regulations Retreat Guru needs to know where your business is registered. This information is also used if you report a marketplace lead that connected with you on the marketplace or the guest heard of your center through Retreat Guru but booked directly on your website.
Please ensure this information is filled out and up to date.
If you have any other questions about providing this information please reach out to your friendly support guru.
Reset Your Password
If you'd like to update your password, log out of your account and click the forgot your password button on the login screen, follow the prompts. This will generate an email to help you update your password.
If you have any issues logging in contact support.
Need help?
We want you to be successful on the retreat.guru marketplace. The work you do is important and our goal to help more beings attend wakeful retreats can't be achieved without your success. Check out our Marketplace FAQ page for more information and if you still need some help don't hesitate to reach out for support, including technical support here.
Now it's time to sit back while the bookings roll in. Did you find this article helpful? Are you aware of any additional information we should add? Would you like to suggest a topic for another article? If so, please contact your friendly support guru.