What we’re going through right now is unprecedented. For many small businesses, like ours, we have had to completely close down operations. While stressful in so many ways, we’re enjoying our downtime and looking forward to being able to offer our tours again, acknowledging that we will most likely have to make many changes in how we provide services to our guests.
As we plan for our future, we’re assessing what we’ve done right while determining how we can improve. Reading the Customer Feedback forms that we ask our guests to complete, I am grateful for all of the positive reviews. Yes, we do have wonderful guides – Georges, Fritz and Mark being our most experienced guides. The words that stand out in the reviews about the tours are “great, outstanding, excellent, awesome, exceptional, fantastic, amazing, fun and fabulous”. Our clients found our guides to be personable, courteous, knowledgeable, respectful and considerate. Yes, our guides are passionate about being outdoors and love sharing their knowledge of the area with all who visit. What we most appreciate hearing from our clients is that they learned a lot about New Mexico’s rich culture and history, as well as our diverse landscapes; that the trip was truly memorable for them.
Although many of our clients noted that there was nothing to improve, we had some insightful comments from others. We know that it is important to respond promptly to client inquiries. We learned that, while we as tour guides may have our good and bad days, we have to communicate well and keep the guests informed about what they will be experiencing and what they are seeing along the trails. We will be reviewing all of our tour descriptions and will make sure that we provide as much information about our adventures on our website as possible.
For our guests who opt for our fun off road adventures, we will let you know ahead of the tour that, yes, the Steyr Puch Pinzgauers and G Wagon are old open air military trucks and it can be challenging for our guides to speak audibly while the vehicles are in motion. We will make as many stops as we can along the journey to talk about the landscapes and the history of the region.
We will also send out basic facts about Santa Fe – what to wear, what to expect – prior to the trips. In this COVID-19 environment, we will be recommending that our clients bring face masks and we will set up processes for waivers and feedback forms to be completed online. The majority of our tours are private, and can be customized; for the near future, ALL of our tours will be private. We will not be putting two or more parties together in our vehicles or on the trails. Our guides will have face masks and we will ensure that they are healthy before heading out on a tour with our clients. We plan on providing tours that take our guests out into New Mexico’s open and wild spaces, with the opportunity to walk in nature and contemplate. We will continue to collaborate with our partners, like Passport to Pueblo Country and the Pojoaque Bison Farm, to offer authentic experiences in New Mexico.
As someone reading this blog, let us know what your travel plans are for the future and what you would like to see as you work with tour operators/outfitters like us. How can we make it easier for you to plan your visit to Santa Fe? What would you most like to experience, and what would make you feel safe about venturing out on a tour with us?
