A guest is usually a person receiving a stay, visit, or hospitality service. A participant is a person taking part in a program, class, event, activity, or group experience.
The same person can be both. Use the role that matches the work you are managing.
When Is Someone a Guest?
Use the guest role when the important relationship is a stay, visit, room, accommodation, hospitality service, or similar guest experience.
Guest information may be connected to:
- A reservation or stay.
- Arrival and departure information.
- Room or accommodation details.
- Payments, documents, or service requests.
- Preferences and communication.
For the short definition, see Guest.
When Is Someone a Participant?
Use the participant role when the main question is whether the person is taking part in something.
Examples include a child in a camp program, a person registered for a class, an attendee at an event, or a member of a retreat group.
Participant information may include registration answers, attendance, eligibility, waivers, group assignment, schedule, or activity-specific details.
Can One Person Be Both?
Yes. A retreat attendee may sleep in a guest room and also participate in scheduled programs. A camper may stay overnight and take part in activities.
Do not create a second person just because the role changes. Keep one person record and connect it to the bookings, groups, or activities that explain each role when the setup allows it.
This follows the same idea explained in Customer vs. Guest vs. Member.
How Does Booking Ninjas Support These Roles?
Booking Ninjas' Guest Portal supports guest access to bookings, payments, documents, profile information, and service requests.
Its Group Booking tools support group organizers, participants, shared booking details, and multi-person booking activity.
The exact labels and fields should match the organization. See Customer Record for the record that can connect ongoing person or account information to related activity.
Sources and Further Reading
- Booking Ninjas: Guest Portal — covers guest profiles, bookings, payments, documents, and service requests.
- Booking Ninjas: Group Booking — covers multi-person bookings, organizers, participants, resources, and shared booking details.