The Correct Private Tour Guide

A group of fifty curious people standing behind you can offer plenty to sweat about, whether this is your first or hundredth time acting as a tour guide.

Even in a city such as San Francisco, with plenty of things to see and do, it can be intimidating to lead a private group; it’s tempting to go into one-size-fits-all mode. You know the type of tour guide, the one who sounds as if he or she is reading from a teleprompter even if they’re not. They say the same thing today that they said yesterday and the day before. How special is that?

Yes, we agree that things generally somehow work out. Is that where you want to set the bar? Instead, why not consider a well-planned San Francisco corporate retreat for your group?

Going with a private host lends flexibility to your experience.

The adventure can focus on what’s most interesting to you and, more importantly, free your time so you can see some of the sights yourself. A good private tour guide is a facilitator for your group, helping the participants bond to enhance the experience. How much fun is it to see an awesome sight if there’s no one to share it with? The company and right dynamics only enhances the experience.

So how do you hire the correct corporate retreat host? What does he or she look like? And when I do speak to her or him, how do I know that person can do the job? We’re glad you asked. With a few simple questions and a keen ear, you can find out exactly what type of tour guide, and company really, is the right fit for you and your private group.

Do Your Research

First you need to research, which can be through a reference, such as someone who has used the tour company before, or you can use Google, which 99% of the first-time contractors of corporate retreats do. And once you make your list of the tour companies you think can help you (which in San Francisco are far fewer than you would think), go one step further.

Check out their websites, not only the words, but also the mood and the voice. What do they say? Are they a suit-and-tie company, a quirky, dance-around-the-city-in-costume operation? Or somewhere in between, an enterprise that can adapt to what your private group needs, whether professional or laidback, or both. By reading through their website, including their blogs, you can get a feel for how their voice relates to yours, what they believe, and you are one step closer to connecting to your  guide.

Contact Your Retreat Host

Next, reach out. And you can do this any way you prefer, although many like to do so through email. For example, for us, we use a request form, which tells us through a questionnaire everything we need to know about your group: the type of tour you desire, the number of people, and the budget you have in mind. This can save a lot of time on both the guide’s and guests’ side of the table. Last-minute inquiries can be accomplished by phone, although as the years go by (and technology takes root in our world even more), many more companies are encouraging email for their first contact.

Ask the Right Questions

If you passed the yes-we-can-do-this and rates tests, by this point you should have a rough quote and be almost ready to confirm a down payment. Now you should pick up the phone. We recommend this step 100%, because through voice, tone and how you get along with the person on the other end, you will see if the tour operator is the one for you or not.

Ask your questions: How long have you been guiding? Have you done this exact tour before? What do you recommend?

If your host knows his or her stuff, he/she believes more in showing you a good time in the city than in stuffing their wallet. Yes, they are in business and need to make money to keep the doors open, especially in the mother of expensive cities, San Francisco. However, the best private tour guide cares about every step of the way and making sure you see the wonderful city correctly. A good tour guide is a good listener and a good speaker. It’s in the voice and attitude. You’ll hear it and see it.

*As a side note, because you are NOT a tour guide, a lot of your previous research will most likely be incorrect, because the information on a city and how it evolves cannot be found on Trip Advisor or Wikipedia, no matter how much you read and search. Even online reviews can be bogus these days. If that’s the case and you accidentally studied the wrong thing, a kind private guide will let you down easy and slowly explain to you the right way to do things, which brings us to our next point.

Talk To Your Host

Problems in touring, as in relationships, come when there is a lack of communication. So to stop problems before they grow, talk to your tour guide. Tell things about your group that a questionnaire can’t answer, tell the guide what you expect (in a nice way, please), and get everything out in the open so your guide know what’s coming. Just say it.

Does Your Guide Listen?

This one took us a while to learn. When someone would call us, before the caller even finished the first sentence, we knew the tour she wanted and needed, how to perform it, and the steps for closing the deal and getting the customer and private group what they wanted. But over time, we noticed many customers wanted that tour, but many more wanted to feel listened to and valued before they booked. Does your tour guide company give that to you? If they are good, they will understand that one can always learn more information from listening, maybe even something they didn’t know but which is vital in performing a quality tour for this particular group.

Let Them Take Control

This is the last step, and we believe the most difficult for most potential private San Francisco tour clients to understand. The private tour guide is the professional for a reason. He was contracted to lead the ship. You can help, yes, but you need to let him take control. Let him go through the itinerary for you, let you know how you will be involved. After all, some group leaders want nothing to do with running a tour; others thrive on it. But you always have to let the guide be in control.

The saying “too many chiefs and not enough Indians” is never more true than on a tour wherein the group leader doesn’t let the guide take control. You can trust him!

And you will know that once you begin to go back and forth, when you see the company representative really is more than a friend, one who shows up on time and does what he says he’ll do. Does he set your worries at ease? Manage your expectations properly? These are all signs of a private guide who knows what he is doing, from a short, step-on guiding city tour, to a Yosemite digital detox trek.

Big cities such as New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco all have tour guides available to show your private group around.

But if you are going with the wrong person, or wrong tour operator, it can potentially ruin your tour or your week. One wrong thing said or bad mannerism and your corporate retreat can suffer. Or you could be terminally bored. That’s why, with careful screening, you can make sure you pick the right guide.

Moving fifty people around a congested city such as San Francisco, without feeling and looking like “tourists” is harder than you think. Find the right tour guide to help you out, and go with your gut feeling.