I’m running into issues every time I deal with them.
The studio is almost always booked, and there’s never a “right time” to allow scouts in to check out the space.
And even when they do come, they’re not just scouting—they take photos, videos, talk a lot, and the whole thing ends up taking about 25 minutes on average. Out of 10 scouts, maybe 2 actually end up booking the studio.
Today, I made the mistake of letting in some rather impudent scouts who disrupted guests in the middle of their shoot.
So, how do you manage this?
Do you charge for scouting?
I really wish Peerspace offered a separate 30-minute “scouting booking” option.
Right now, the minimum I can offer is a 1-hour slot. And even if they agree to pay, that time often ends up blocked—time that could’ve gone to a paying guest.
Personally, I just see handling recces as a routine cost of doing business which effectively gets wrapped up into the price I charge for bookings. I don’t think there’s any culture of charging for recces in the industry, so doing so (even if only a nominal sum) could put people off.
I understand however that there are some people who simply don’t offer recces, and if asked they just politely decline and say that the photos/description on their profile give a full appraisal of what the location is like. You could consider that.
Personally I like recces, as it gives me an opportunity to get to know the hirer a bit, ‘sell’ the location to them, answer any questions they have, and go through the house rules. I’d estimate that around half of recces follow through into a booking for me.
Do you have a dedicated day for tours? We close for 4 hours on Tuesday to allow tours, outside of that we just send a pre-recorded walkthru video. Otherwise you’ll be constantly changing your schedule to fit theirs.