The interior of a cabin in the woodsPhoto by Nachelle Nocom on Unsplash

Disclaimer Not Financial Advice.

Cutting expenses is at the top of every rural accommodation's "to do" list. With reduced expenses, you can allocate more funds to critical areas such as property improvements, salaries and benefits, marketing and sales, and the guest experience.

Saying it is easy but putting it into practice is not so easy. That is why it is important to know where to start and what tips to follow since many accommodation owners have closed for not correctly managing their finances. It is not enough to have a beautiful home and happy clients, although it does help.

Here are some tips for reducing costs and investing more capital in your rural home.

Ecological measures

The environmental benefits of "going green" are well documented, but the associated cost savings also deserve significant attention. While the initial investment is generally required to upgrade existing equipment, the ecology allows rural lodgings to realize long-term savings. Some of the more popular sustainability-oriented programs used by independents include:

• Change from incandescent bulbs to longer-lasting and energy-saving LED and/or CFL bulbs
• Regulate energy consumption with energy-efficient heating and ventilation systems
• Allow optional daily housekeeping to reduce the use of laundry and room products

Measurement and analysis programs

Implementing measurement and analysis programs in the rural tourism sector can generate valuable data points that owners can use to make cost-saving decisions. Similar to the practices used by restaurants to reduce food waste and keep costs stable, country houses can develop creative ways to measure various types of consumption, analyze data, and identify solutions to reduce and/or eliminate waste to reduce operating costs.

Migration to the Cloud

The transition from tourism operations to cloud-based rural accommodation management software has a wide range of benefits, including long-term cost savings. With cloud-based software, owners eliminate the need for expensive products and services associated with on-premises systems, such as specialized hardware, servers, licenses, software packages, and service agreements. In addition, many cloud-based software solutions allow free direct bookings through the farmhouse websites - cost savings that can be passed on to guests. With cloud-based software, cottages have the opportunity to improve operational efficiency while reducing the cost of running day-to-day operations.

Take advantage of social media advertising

Traditional advertising is expensive. Paid advertising on social media is much less expensive. Social media ads are also less expensive to produce, although it is increasingly common to see fancy video ads on your Facebook or Twitter account, the most profitable social ads are still simple and very cheap ads.

You don't have to pay for advertising on social media. By spending time and staff engaging your property's clients and building your social media following organically, you can reach thousands of current or potential clients without spending a penny.

It is important to make smart investments, in services that will mean happier and more willing guests to return. That's why it's important to focus on the guest experience and a mobile digital environment.