The Gesture That Started It All

Where Guesture began — and why we believe in something far more powerful than just a place to stay.

Somewhere between a spare room and a spare moment, a business was born.

We didn’t start Guesture with a five-year plan. There were no investors, no glossy brochures, no shiny logos. Just a small flat in Newport, two full-time jobs, and a feeling that maybe — just maybe — we could offer something the big platforms couldn’t.

That something was a gesture. A quiet one.

A cup of tea left out after a late check-in. A light left on by the stairs. A folded note in Portuguese for a guest flying in from Lisbon. Not a policy. Not a feature. A feeling.

We didn’t call it that at the time.

But it was the beginning of Guesture.

It was never about luxury. It was about listening.

Our guests came from everywhere — a family relocating from South Africa, a solo traveller escaping the buzz of London, a couple who hadn’t had a proper break in years.

Sometimes they needed nothing more than crisp linen and fast Wi-Fi.

Sometimes they needed someone to pressurise a boiler at 8:00am.

Or deliver a birthday cake.

Or find a Marvel action figure for a little boy still dizzy from a long-haul flight.

And we would do it — not because it was “included.”

But because it was us.

That’s what makes Guesture different. The guest doesn’t meet a brand. They meet Pedro. Or Alina. And they remember how it felt.

We realised something early on: the smallest moments carry the greatest weight.

In hotel school, they teach you how to fold towels and manage complaints. But they don’t teach you how to notice things.

Like the way someone holds themselves when they’re anxious.

Or how a handwritten note can feel like a hug.

They don’t teach you that a gesture, when done well, disappears. It doesn’t call attention to itself.

It simply makes someone feel… safe.

Guesture is a collection of gestures. Woven together like a story.

Today, we host in Cardiff, Newport, Bristol — and soon, Portugal. Our homes are thoughtfully prepared, professionally managed, and beautifully designed.

But what we’re really offering isn’t a property. It’s a promise.

That no matter how far you’ve travelled, or how tired you might be,

you’ll be met with something sincere.

A warm welcome.

A human host.

A little gesture.

That changes everything.

Because that’s what started it all. And it’s what keeps us going.

💭 Written by Pedro and Alina Reis

Co-founders of Guesture – The Hosting Experts