Have you ever dreamed of working from home, renting out a gîte in France? Given the fabulous French properties on offer, running a holiday business seems like an easy route to life in France, especially as you don’t need particular qualifications, or even fluent French to get started. However, there’s a lot more to hospitality than decorating a room and handing over the keys. To be successful, it helps to get as much insight as possible and these top tips for running a successful gîte business in France will help.
Plan to succeed
In the Dordogne department in southwest France, Rupert Springfield runs two highly successful gîtes, Le Mas & Le Mazet, with his Dutch husband Franck van der Hooft. From the outside it looks easy – a flourishing business that they run from home, living in one of France’s prettiest landscapes – but none of their success was an accident.
“We did a ton of research,” explains Rupert. “Back in 2013, we were living in Amsterdam, but once we’d decided to move here to run a gîte business, we defined our criteria. We needed a property big enough to generate an income for both of us, fantastic views were non-negotiable, as was privacy for us and for our guests. We spent two years on house-hunting trips, tightening our focus bit by bit, studied what guests would be looking for. And we eventually found our dream property in May 2015.”
Putting in the groundwork
By the time the sale was completed in September, they’d finalised architectural plans and even lined up their builders, who worked full time for eight months. This allowed Rupert and Franck to open Le Mas & Le Mazet in June 2016 ready for the summer season.
“Looking back, we were pretty naïve and made rookie errors,” smiles Rupert, “but having given up our careers to do this, we had no choice but to make it work. Our design decisions were definitely sound, and our marketing was very effective, giving us a lot of press coverage, but expert advice early on would have generated us more bookings, built our confidence and reassured us that we were compliant with the myriad rules and regulations.”
Gîte Guru: Insights and experience
Rupert and Franck had to adapt to new challenges including Brexit and the pandemic, constantly improving their business to achieve the gîte-owner’s triple goal: a long season, a high occupancy rate and loyal returning guests.
“In 2020, we were approached by a couple opening a gîte similar to ours, also in the Dordogne,” says Rupert. “They wanted our ‘recipe for success’ based on what we had learned over the years. That led us to start Gîte Guru, offering gîte owners a fast-track access to a wealth of experience, using our insights to boost their business into a different league.”
Gîte Guru has since supported owners covering all styles of property, from one-bedroom gîtes to vast châteaux. They advise on everything from layout and renovation plans and French taxation issues, to marketing, using social media, creating your website and answering booking enquiries and how to furnish your property most effectively. Thanks to their own learning curve and dedication, Rupert and Franck have become the go-to guys if you want to optimise your gîte business in France.
Rupert’s top tips for running a successful gîte business in France
Cast a wide net
To maximise your bookings, broaden your criteria as much as you can. Any restrictions will reduce your occupancy, so ensure that your property will appeal to the widest possible audience, and when possible, offer flexible arrival and departure days. Ensure that your website is easy to navigate and make everything seamless so that booking becomes a frictionless process. For example, we say to clients, yes – you will pay a fee for accepting credit card payments, but those could be bookings that would otherwise slip through the net.
Take charge of your own marketing
Even if you are based in another country, it’s best to keep control of your own marketing. There are agencies offering the perceived luxury of promoting your gîte for you, but they can charge up to 20% commission and focus on filling your summer weeks, which are the easiest for you to sell anyway. Some agencies use blanket marketing campaigns including advertising you on Airbnb, charging you 20% commission when Airbnb only charges them 3%. By doing your own marketing, and being proactive, you can target your audience, keep costs down and focus on promoting the challenging periods outside of the summer.
Make your product unforgettable
You have to stand out from the crowd. The Gîtes de France® network says that there are over 58,000 certified gîtes in France, plus another 186,000 furnished holiday rentals (Source: Gîtes de France) so how will yours stand out? Gone are the days when a gîte could be a barn that’s had a lick of paint and filled with some mismatched furniture. Today’s tourists are looking for fascinating architectural features, a memorable experience, creature comforts and a location that makes them long to return.
Provide what people actually want
Great hospitality is about providing what your guests want – and more. You might feel that unplugging is good for people, but most families want the option of kids’ TV so they can stay a little longer in bed, watch a match or stream a series. They probably don’t have a pool or table tennis at home, but they often expect them on holiday when they’re hoping to enjoy a bit of outdoor living. We’ve gathered so much experience over the years that Gîte Guru provides an eight-page checklist of all the items that guests will expect to find in a French gîte. That helps our clients to focus on what’s important.
Understand your costs
Okay, this might sound a bit boring but it’s vital. As important as calculating your potential revenue, you have to get a grip of your costs – utilities, changeover, laundry, marketing and more. Taxation of gîtes is complicated and ever-changing, so we paint the fiscal landscape for our clients and give them a briefing document of questions for their accountant. An accountant can cost as little as 600 euros a year, ensuring that you don’t pay too much tax whilst fulfilling your fiscal responsibilities.
Stand up for your business
This is a practical, financial tip and it varies for each person. Define your own terms when it comes to essentials such as your cancellation policy: how much flexibility are you prepared to offer, what will you refund, up to what date? If a guest books a fortnight in the summer and they cancel a month before whilst receiving a full refund (Airbnb’s strictest cancellation policy for new listings), can you handle it? Look out for yourself and your business because no one else is going to. We learned a lot of this the hard way, so it’s great to be able to share that experience and help others avoid costly mistakes.
Ask for a free consultation
If you’d like to find out how Gîte Guru can help you with your gîte project, get in touch to set up an online meeting free of charge. Whether you’re in the planning stages or looking to boost an existing business, Gîte Guru’s insights could save you a lot of heartache and at the same time, make a tangible difference to your bottom line.
Visit www.giteguru.com for more details and take a look at their popular Instagram page @gite.guru, where Rupert shares the latest news, tips and updates relevant for gîte owners.
