Experience setup

Use public, hidden, and private-link Experiences

Choose whether a CoverCount Experience should be hidden, publicly listed, or bookable only by direct link.

Updated 2026-06-22

Experience visibility controls whether guests can book an Experience and where they can find it.

CoverCount supports three visibility states:

  • Hidden: not bookable by guests.
  • Public: listed on the public booking page and bookable.
  • Unlisted: bookable by direct link, but not listed on the public booking page.

Use visibility intentionally. It is one of the most important controls for launching a clean booking menu.

Hidden

Use Hidden while an Experience is being drafted or paused.

Hidden is right when:

  • You are still writing the description.
  • Schedule or tables are not assigned yet.
  • Payment rules are incomplete.
  • Staff still need to review the workflow.
  • The offering is no longer available.

Guests cannot book a hidden Experience. Staff can continue configuring it.

Public

Use Public when guests should discover the Experience from the main booking page.

Public is right for:

  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Brunch
  • Standard tasting
  • Reserve tasting
  • Normal tasting-room visits
  • Any offering that should be available without a special link

Before making an Experience public, test it from the guest side and confirm availability appears as expected.

Unlisted

Use Unlisted when guests should book only from a direct link.

Unlisted is useful for:

  • Member-only tastings
  • Invite-only previews
  • Private tasting links
  • Soft-launch booking paths
  • Partner or concierge links
  • Limited campaigns that should not appear on the main booking page

An unlisted Experience is still bookable. It is simply hidden from the public list.

For direct link setup, see Use direct booking links for CoverCount reservations.

Example Direct Link

Use the Experience slug in the direct booking URL:

https://explore.covercount.io/oak-and-vine/reserve?experience=reserve-tasting

Add tracking parameters when sharing the link in a campaign:

https://explore.covercount.io/oak-and-vine/reserve?experience=reserve-tasting&utm_source=email&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=member-preview

Recommended Launch Flow

Use this sequence for a new Experience:

  1. Create it as Hidden.
  2. Add name, description, duration, party-size limit, schedule, and table assignments.
  3. Add questions, deposits, card holds, or pacing if needed.
  4. Switch to Unlisted for internal or invite-only testing.
  5. Test the direct link on desktop and mobile.
  6. Switch to Public only when it should appear on the main booking page.

Common Mistakes

Making an Experience public before assigning tables

Guests may see no availability if the Experience has no eligible tables or areas.

Using hidden when you meant private-link

Hidden means guests cannot book. Use Unlisted when guests should book from a direct link.

Forgetting to test the exact link

If a direct link includes the wrong Experience slug, guests may land on the broader booking picker or no availability path. Test the published URL before sharing it.

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