Listing Guidelines for Exploryst
Listing Guidelines
A listing is a place or business’s page on Exploryst. It contains the location’s Popularity Ranking, traveler ratings, reviews, and photos. This page may also have content that the business provides, such as Management Photos and Management Responses to traveler reviews.
Anyone can request a new listing for an accommodation, attraction, or restaurant — and it’s free!
Are you an owner/manager trying to claim your business’s listing on Exploryst? Contact Exploryst HERE
Exploryst lists permanent places of interest to travelers. As long as we can verify that a business or place of interest adheres to our guidelines, we will add it to our site.
To view our listing guidelines, select the type of place you are interested in:
- Restaurants
- Things to Do include permanent attractions and points of interests.
- Tour operators, travel agencies, individuals, or businesses that operate tours, activities, and classes.
- Accommodations Hotels, B&Bs/Inns, and Specialty Lodging.
Before you submit your request, please be sure that the place or business that you want to list meets our criteria:
If it does meet our guidelines, submit your request through one of the following methods:
- If you are a traveler, add a place to Exploryst
- If you are a business representative of a restaurant or an attraction, please list your business on Exploryst
- If you are an individual tour guide or a business representative of a tour operator, travel agency, or business that offers activities, classes, or gear rentals, please complete the Contact Form and you will be contacted for more information
- Our editors cannot verify that the place or business meets our guidelines. This is due to insufficient information online.
- Our editors determined that the place or business does NOT meet our guidelines.
If you are browsing Exploryst and notice that information about a listing is missing or inaccurate, please let us know.
(If you are the owner or a registered representative of the business, please visit your Management Center.)
Restaurants and Things to Do
To submit updates to accommodations, restaurants, and things to do, navigate to the Contact Page and send us a message.
You can:
- update information about the listing
- let us know the listing is inappropriate for our guidelines
- let us know the listing is a duplicate of another listing
- let us know the listing closed permanently
- let us know the listing does not exist
Basic Requirements
Restaurants on Exploryst must meet all of the following criteria:
- Must serve prepared food
- Must serve the public; cannot require membership
- Must be open on a regularly scheduled basis
- Must be open for at least 12 consecutive weeks of the year
- Must maintain a permanent location in one city/town but can deliver to multiple cities/towns.
- Food trucks may be listed as long as their schedule and locations are posted online. Requests must include a valid website for confirmation.
The following DO qualify as a restaurant on Exploryst:
- Sit down
- Take out
- Delivery-only restaurants
- Fast food
- Cafes and coffee shops
- Bars and pubs that serve prepared food (burgers, fries, etc.)
- Chain restaurants
- Sandwich shops
- Tapas
- Diners
- Ice cream shops
- Dessert/pastry shops
- Food trucks as long as their schedule and locations are posted online
- Restaurants that require reservations
- Restaurants inside other businesses (e.g. a restaurant inside a retail store or a restaurant inside a hotel)
- Supermarkets that have a prepared food section and tables where you can dine
Restrictions
The following do NOT qualify as a restaurant on Exploryst:
- Delivery services – Delivery services are businesses that do not prepare their own food. These services pick up food prepared by restaurants and deliver it to customers.
- Services that deliver ingredients or groceries
- Catering
- Personal chefs who travel to and cook at various locations
- Banquet/wedding venues
- Cooking classes (request as Things to Do)
- Chocolate or candy stores that only sell boxed/packaged items (request as Things to Do)
- Pop-up or short-term restaurants
- Private clubs that require membership
- Bars/pubs that only serve light bar snacks (pretzels, crackers, nuts, etc.)
- Businesses providing pre-packaged meals that are ordered and paid for in advance
- Beverage establishments that serve only alcoholic drinks
- Places that only sell unprepared food
- When you eat a meal while watching a performance (request as Things to Do)
- When you eat a meal while riding a train or a boat (request as Things to Do)
Establishment Types
Each restaurant listing is assigned an establishment type. In some cases, two or more establishment types may be assigned to the same listing.
See Restaurant establishment types for descriptions of each type.
If a place or business meets our Restaurant listing guidelines, it will be assigned an establishment type. In some cases, two or more establishment types may be assigned to the same listing.
Establishment types include:
Bakeries
Bakeries typically share these characteristics:
- Offer bread, baked goods, sandwiches to go, coffee, tea, and soft drinks
- Do not offer full menus for lunch and dinner
- Usually do not serve alcohol
Bars & Pubs
Bars & Pubs typically share these characteristics:
- Serve pub-style food
- Have a bar section in addition to a sit-down/dine-in section
- Serve alcohol
Coffee & Tea
Coffee & Tea establishments typically share these characteristics:
- May offer light snacks (e.g. sandwiches, ready-made salads), but the main focus is coffee and tea
- Do not offer full menus for lunch and dinner
- May or may not offer food
- Usually do not serve alcohol
Dessert
Dessert establishments typically share these characteristics:
- Serve dessert foods, oftentimes sweet (e.g. chocolate shops with plated desserts, pastry shops, places specializing in cakes, cupcakes, ice cream, pies, etc.)
- Do not offer full menus for lunch and dinner
- Usually do not serve alcohol
Restaurants
Restaurants typically share these characteristics:
- Meal is served at a public location or delivered by the restaurant that prepared it
- Signage at the location shows the name of the restaurant
- Diners pay at the time of dining
- Individual/personal dining experience
- Diners order from a menu
Quick Bites
Quick bites typically share these characteristics:
- Diners pay before receiving their order
- Primarily a take out / take away establishment
- Drive through or pick up windows
- Does not include table service
- Limited seating
- Diners order from a limited menu
Delivery Only
Delivery Only establishments typically share these characteristics:
- Establishment prepares its own food
- Customers only order the food for delivery and cannot eat at the establishment
- Is not a delivery service that delivers food prepared by other establishments
Basic Requirements
Things to Do on Exploryst must meet the following criteria:
- Must be of interest to travelers
- Must be family-friendly
- Must be currently open or taking reservations for a future opening date
A Permanent Attraction/Point Of Interest (POI) is a permanent place in nature or one that is man-made that travelers may visit. Permanent Attractions/Points of Interest must meet the following guidelines:
- Must have an official name and a permanent address
- Must be open and available to the general public
- Must be open for at least 12 consecutive weeks of the year
Examples include, but are not limited to: shops, museums, nature areas, statues, and more. To sign up as a Permanent Attraction/Point Of Interest, go here.
Exceptions:
- Performances must operate at one venue for at least 24 consecutive weeks of the year.
- Events lasting less than 12 weeks must be non-traveling events happening at one location.
Restrictions
The following do NOT qualify to be listed as Things to Do:
- Cities, towns, or airports
- Businesses or clubs that require an application or membership to join/use the facilities
If a place or business meets our Things to Do listing guidelines, it may display in multiple categories:
Boat Tours & Water Sports include tours and experiences that involve boating, paddling, surfing, diving, and other water-related activities.
Casinos & Gaming include casinos, dog tracks, and horse tracks.
Classes & Workshops include single and/or multi-day classes and workshops lasting 30 days or fewer. Classes are led by a teacher or guide and allow travelers to learn, make, or build something at a permanent location.
Concerts & Shows include long-running shows at a permanent location. This includes plays, ballets, symphonies, operas, theater companies, and the theaters or venues where performances are held.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed:
- Performances operating less than 24 consecutive weeks of the year
- Traveling shows or shows on tour, which continuously move from one venue to another venue
Events listings are designed to show Exploryst travelers temporary Things to Do, such as festivals, parades, and things that happen on an annual basis in one location.
Food & Drink includes wineries, breweries, pub crawls, food tours, cooking classes, and farmers markets. (If the property serves food, you can request it as a restaurant instead.)
Fun & Games covers a range of activities, including (but not limited to) go-karts, bowling alleys, movie theaters, mini-golf, indoor rock climbing, live-escape games, and shooting ranges.
Museums include art, history, science, local interest, specialty, and archival museums.
Nature & Parks include mountains, beaches, caves, parks, and geologic formations.
Nightlife includes bars and clubs. Bars include all types of bars where people go for drinks (if the bar serves food, you can request it as a restaurant instead). Clubs include dance clubs and comedy clubs.
Outdoor Activities cover a range of outdoor experiences and places, including (but not limited to) treks, bike tours, horseback riding, scuba diving, hot air balloon rides, ski areas, parks, golf courses, and beaches. Gear rentals may qualify to be listed; allowed rentals include bicycles, skis, snowboards, snowmobiles, surfboards, boats, kayaks, segways, scooters, motorcycles, ATVs, or specialty/classic/sports cars.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed:
- Blood sports
- Multi-day surf camps
- Car rentals
- Rentals of electronic equipment (cell phones, tablets, GPS units, etc.)
- Rentals of personal items (baby strollers, beach umbrellas, cameras, etc.)
Shopping should have specific interest to travelers. This includes malls, specialty stores, antique stores, gift shops, and flea or street markets.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed:
- Businesses whose primary purpose is to provide a service such as money exchanges, banks, laundry services, electricians, plumbers, mechanics, and related services.
- Online-only businesses
- Pop-up, mobile, or non-permanent businesses
- Businesses that sell animals.
- Businesses whose primary purpose is selling guns.
- Businesses whose primary purpose is selling adult-oriented, erotic merchandise.
Sights & Landmarks cover a range of notable points of interest, including (but not limited to) monuments, statues, boardwalks, architecturally significant buildings, religious sites, ancient ruins, and historical sites.
Tours includes tour operators, organizers, agencies, individuals, or businesses that operate tours, activities, classes, cruises, and experiences for travelers.
Spas & Wellness includes traditional spa facilities (with massages or facials), gyms or health clubs with day passes, and yoga or Pilates studios with drop-in classes. Gyms or health clubs must offer day passes to travelers and not sample passes designed to promote joining a private club or signing up for membership.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed:
- Gyms that require membership
- Hair and nail salons
- Multi-day yoga retreats
- Mobile massage services
Transportation includes taxi services, ferries, trams, limos, public transportation systems, private shuttles, and other non-guided options.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed:
- Car rentals
- Ride-share companies
Traveler Resources include visitor centers, libraries, health clubs and other facilities that provide information and services to travelers.
Water & Amusement Parks include permanent, large-scale water parks, amusement parks, and theme parks.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed in Water & Amusement Parks. We list them in Fun & Games instead:
- Children’s play centers
- Public swimming pools
Zoos & Aquariums include include places where people can go to see or to interact with animals.
- The following do NOT qualify to be listed in Zoos & Aquariums. We list them in Nature & Parks instead:
- Farms with animals to pet
- Animal rehabilitation centers
- Other properties which are not formal zoos or aquariums
Basic Requirements
Accommodations on Exploryst must meet all of the following criteria:
- Must be open to the general public
- Must have an official name
- Must have an official address at a single, permanent location
- Must be open for 12 consecutive weeks of the year at a single, permanent location
- Must have multiple rooms/units
- Must be able to accommodate more than one guest/group of guests at a time
- Minimum stay should NOT be longer than 7 nights
- Must be currently open or taking reservations for a future opening date
Restrictions
The following do NOT qualify to be listed as accommodations:
- Property management companies
- Reservations/booking companies
- Multiple units under the same company, but located in different locations (e.g. a group of cabins located over a large mountain area)
- Any accommodation that is a section or group of rooms within another accommodation
- Possible exception: if the section is entirely separate (different building, entire floor, separate tower) and has an official name and separate business license
Accommodation Categories
Our editors assign each accommodation listing to one and only one accommodation category:
- Hotels – see requirements
- B&B and Inns – see requirements
- Specialty Lodging – see requirements
To be in a particular accommodation category, we need to verify ONE of the following:
- The accommodation meets the category requirements. We need to see the required services listed on the accommodation’s official website and any reservation partner’s website.
OR
- The accommodation holds an official business license issued by a local governmental or tourism authority, and that license identifies the specific type of accommodation as defined by local authorities.
We do NOT accept the following as licenses:
- Health permits
- Food and beverage licenses
- Tax documents
- Fire/police/safety permits
- Insurance documentation
- Any document not provided by an official governmental or tourism source
To be listed in Hotels, an accommodation must meet the following guidelines AND meet all of the following criteria:
- A front desk is open and staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
- Check-in hours can have a start time, but should not have a designated end time
- Daily housekeeping is included in the room rate
- Private bathroom for each unit
- Minimum stay should not be longer than 3 nights
To be listed in B&B and Inns, an accommodation must meet the following guidelinesthe following guidelines. AND meet all of the following criteria:
- Daily on-site management
- Daily housekeeping included in the room rate
- Minimum stay should not be longer than 3 nights
Note: We may, on a case-by-case basis, allow B&Bs with only one room. To qualify, the accommodation must be locally licensed to operate as a B&B, and it must be listed with local tourism authorities.
To be listed in Specialty Lodging, an accommodation must meet the following guidelines.
Any accommodation that offers shared (dorm-style) rooms will be considered a hostel and will be listed in Specialty Lodging.
Special interest accommodations will be listed in Specialty Lodging.
Depending on the type of business, our editors may take different actions. As restaurants and attractions tend to close and reopen quite often we flag these listings as CLOSED. Closed Accommodation listings are removed from our site.
If a listing temporarily closes for renovation or seasonal closure, we keep the listing on our site, and we do not mark it as closed.
What if a place or business moves to a new address?
Depending on the type of business, our editors may take different actions. Restaurants and attractions often move within the same city. In this situation, we update the address on the original listing. If they move to a different city, even if the location is just across the city border, the experience of the travelers will be impacted so we mark the original listing as MOVED and create a new one for the new address.
For accommodations, we treat the relocation as a closure, therefore we remove the original listing from our site and create a new one for the new address.
What if a business with a new name opens at the same address as the previous business?
This frequently happens for restaurants, but can also apply to other businesses. Our editors will mark the original listing as CLOSED and create a new listing for the new business. In order to update the existing listing, we must be able to verify that the business is exactly the same, other than the name change.