Service lifecycle

Your service goes through four states that match real-world event flow: Setup (you're preparing privately, only you and invited testers can chat with Hostigram, with a daily message cap of 25), Active (your service is live, guests can scan your QR code or visit your share link, with full plan capacity), Wind-down (the event has ended, existing conversations can finish, but no new sessions are accepted), and Archived (the service is closed, data is preserved but inaccessible to guests). You can see your current state as a badge on your service card and in the Edit page.

Guest chat opens automatically 7 days before your event start date. This pre-event window lets guests ask questions ahead of arrival, directions, what to pack, parking, check-in times, without overwhelming you. You don't need to do anything: as long as your service has an active plan and an event date set, the 7-day window kicks in automatically. Before that window, the service stays in Setup mode and only you and invited testers can chat.

Without an event date, your service stays in Setup mode indefinitely. You can still build your knowledge base, test the assistant, and invite co-hosts, but guests can't access the chat. To go live, either set an event date (the service will activate automatically 7 days before) or use the manual 'Go Live' button on the Lifecycle Action card. Properties without an event date can also be taken live manually whenever you're ready.

Yes, use the manual 'Go Live' action on the Lifecycle Action card in your service's Edit page. This takes your service active immediately, regardless of the event date. The 7-day automatic window is just a convenient default for hosts who want hands-off activation; manual control is always available.

The indigo 'Pre-event window' banner appears on your service card and dashboard when your service is within 7 days of its event start date and the chat is now open to guests. It's a heads-up that guests can start asking questions, a good moment to double-check your knowledge base, broadcast a welcome update, or verify your access settings.

Event dates power automation: the 7-day pre-event chat window, the auto Go-Live transition, and the auto Wind-down after your event ends. They also help guests see context (event countdown, dates in confirmations). For properties without fixed dates (e.g., always-on rentals), you can skip the date and activate manually, but for groups and events, a date is required to publish a plan.

Yes, with limits to stay fair to your guests. In Setup, any date change is allowed. Once Active, you can extend dates (push them later) but not pull them earlier. In Wind-down or Archived, dates are locked. Open the Event Schedule card on the service's Edit page to make changes.

For events spanning multiple days, set both the event start date and end date on the activation page or in the Event Schedule card. Guest chat opens 7 days before the start date and stays open through the end date. After the end date, the service moves to Wind-down, existing conversations can finish, but no new guests can join. This matches the natural flow of weddings, conferences, festivals, and similar multi-day gatherings.

Open your service from the Host Dashboard, click into Edit, and find the Lifecycle Action card. Click 'Move to Setup' to enter setup mode. This protects your service from premature exposure while you build your knowledge base and test with co-hosts and testers. You can move back to active anytime.

Two ways: (1) Manually, click 'Go Live' from the Lifecycle Action card in the Edit page and confirm in the dialog. (2) Automatically, set an event start date in the Event Schedule section. At 4 AM on that date, your service automatically transitions to active. We'll send you a notification email when it does.

If you set an event end date in the Event Schedule section, your service automatically transitions to wind-down at 4 AM the day after that date. New sessions stop being accepted, but existing conversations can finish. You'll receive a notification email.

It depends on your plan tier. Short tiers (3-Day, Group 3-Day, Micro Event): 24 hours grace. Medium tiers (Weekly, Monthly, Small/Medium Event, Small/Medium Group, Property Starter): 48 hours grace. Large tiers (Large Event, Large/Medium Group, Property Business/Professional): 72 hours grace. After the grace period, your service auto-archives. You can manually archive at any time, or reactivate from wind-down if you need more time.

Yes, but with restrictions to keep things fair to your guests. In setup state, any date change is allowed. In active state, you can extend dates (push them later) but not move them earlier. In wind-down or archived, dates are locked. Open the Event Schedule card in the Edit page to make changes.

Your data and chat history are preserved according to your plan's retention period (typically 90, 180, or 210 days depending on tier). You can export conversations from your dashboard. After retention expires, data is permanently deleted. Need to reactivate an archived service? Contact support at [email protected].

Lifecycle and billing track different things. Lifecycle (Setup, Active, Wind-down, Archived) controls WHO can access your service. Billing (free, trial, paid) controls plan capacity and duration. They're independent. For example, a service in trial billing can be in Setup mode (private to testers/co-hosts) or Active mode (live to all guests). When trial expires, billing stops but lifecycle state stays the same, guests just can't connect because there's no active subscription.