A group white water rafting through rapids in an orange raft

How eola helps rafting centres get waivers signed before the day, keep track of rafts and guides, and fill more trips all year round.

A booking system made for rafting operators

Running a rafting centre means big groups, early starts and a river that won’t wait. Waivers need signing, every raft needs a guide and the right kit, and the phone keeps ringing with people who want to book for Saturday.

eola is a booking system built for activity businesses like yours. Here’s how it handles the busiest parts of a rafting day, and how it helps you sell more across the year.

Waivers and questionnaires done before the day

Customers sign your disclaimer and answer your questions online when they book, so nobody is filling in forms on a clipboard while the group waits by the river. If someone hasn’t signed, eola emails them a reminder.

Your team can see who has answered for each session, and fill in a questionnaire with a customer who rings up or arrives without finishing it.

On Pro, the AI questionnaire checker reads every completed questionnaire and flags the answers your guides should look at, such as a health condition or an answer that doesn’t meet the requirements you’ve set for the trip. It’s a second pair of eyes, not a replacement for your own checks.

Question packs and disclaimers are included on every plan. Our guide to managing questionnaires and question packs covers the details.

Rafts, kit and guides that never double-book

Every trip needs rafts, paddles, buoyancy aids and helmets, as well as a guide. With automated resource management, eola keeps track of your kit as bookings come in, so you never sell more places than you have rafts or wetsuits for. It’s part of the Pro plan.

Spare kit can earn money too. On Pro you can sell rentals, such as kayak or paddleboard hire, and eola keeps track of what’s available.

In the calendar, you can filter by resource to see how each raft or boat is booked, and change the capacity of a single session when the river level or the forecast means you’d rather take fewer people out.

Each guide has their own calendar, so you can see who’s available, assign them to trips and avoid double-booking anyone.

Add each guide’s qualifications, such as raft guide or first aid certificates, and eola lets you know six weeks before one expires. You can also set permissions for each member of your team.

Unlimited instructors, instructor calendars and instructor permissions are included on every plan.

Bookings day and night, on your website and the marketplace

Most people plan a rafting trip in the evening or at the weekend. The eola booking widget sits on your own website, so customers can choose a trip, add their group and pay in a few clicks, at any time of day.

You can also list your trips on the eola marketplace, where people search for things to do by area and activity. It’s included on every plan, and marketplace bookings come through your widget and show up in your reports like any other booking.

On the day, QR code check-in on Pro lets the front desk scan each group in from their booking confirmation email.

Rafting is seasonal, but your income doesn’t have to be. A few things that help:

Gift vouchers: sell credit vouchers or vouchers for a specific trip, so people buy in winter and book in spring. Credit vouchers are included on every plan.

Memberships: give regulars, such as club paddlers or local families, member prices and other benefits. Memberships are included on every plan.

Discount codes: fill quieter weekdays with a limited-time code for groups or locals. Discount codes are part of Pro.

Reviews: eola can ask every customer for a review after their trip, which helps new customers choose you.

Take it from Cardiff International White Water

Cardiff International White Water is one of the largest white water centres in the UK. They take bookings on eola for everything from mini rafting and family trips to extreme white water rafting and raft guide workshops.

Starter is £0 a month and Pro is £249 a month. Card payments have a 1.7% + 30p processing fee, and customers pay a 5% booking fee at checkout. See our pricing page for what each plan includes, or our rafting page for more.

Want to see how this could work for your business? Book a demo or get in touch with our team.

Waivers signed before the day, rafts and guides that never double-book, and bookings that keep coming in out of season. Here’s how eola works for rafting centres.

A woman on a laptop by a lake with a five-star review speech bubble

Why reviews matter for activity businesses, where to collect them and how to ask every customer, plus how eola can ask for you after each visit.

How to get more online reviews for your activity business

Before someone books an activity they’ve never tried, they want to know what other people thought. Reviews from real customers tell them it’s safe, fun and worth the money in a way your own marketing can’t.

The good news: most happy customers will leave a review if you ask at the right moment and make it easy. Here’s how.

Trust. People believe other customers more than they believe adverts.

Standing out. Google says positive reviews and helpful replies can help your business stand out when people search nearby.

Freshness. Recent reviews show you’re open, busy and looking after customers this season, not three years ago.

Pick one or two places and focus on them. For most activity businesses, Google is the first, because that’s where people search for things to do nearby. If you get a lot of visitors on holiday, add TripAdvisor. Facebook suits businesses with an active local following.

Ask straight after the visit, while the day is fresh. A thank-you email the same day works best.

Make it one click. Link straight to your review page, so nobody has to search for you.

Ask everyone, not only the customers you think loved it. It’s fairer, and it keeps your reviews honest.

Follow up once. A gentle reminder a week or two later catches people who meant to and forgot.

Reply to reviews, good and bad. It shows future customers you’re listening.

Share the best ones on your website and social media.

With review links, you add up to three review links in eola, and eola asks every customer for a review in the thank-you email after their visit, with a follow-up two weeks later. Our guide to review links shows how to set it up.

Every business gets a bad review sometimes. How you respond matters more than the review itself. Read our guide to managing bad online reviews.

Reviews tell new customers your activity is worth booking. Here’s where to collect them, how to ask every customer, and how eola can ask for you.

How to get more online reviews for your activity business

Why reviews matter

Where to collect them

How to ask

Let eola ask for you

When a review isn’t good

See eola in action

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