Lodging & short-term rentals
Books and taxes for independent motels.
Nightly walk-ins paid in cash, a handful of weekly renters, a booking site payout twice a month, and an old building that always needs something fixed. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
August came in at $13,600. Cash paid at the desk is kept in its own line from the Booking.com payout, so nothing at the register goes unaccounted for.
- Front desk cash depositsNightly rooms
- Booking.com payoutNightly rooms
- Weekly renter, unit 14Weekly stays
- ABC Supply, roofing patchRepairs
- Regional ice and vendingAmenities
Why your books are different
An independent motel's books go wrong in the same few places.
You are running a hotel without a franchise system tracking any of it for you. A generalist sees a bank deposit and a stack of receipts. Your business runs on cash at the desk, weekly renters who are not quite guests and not quite tenants, and a building that turns every repair into a judgment call.
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1
Cash at the desk is easy to undercount
A guest pays $85 in cash for a night and it goes in the drawer, not always into a system that ends up in the books. Without a habit of recording it daily, cash revenue quietly leaks out of the numbers.
What we doBuilds a simple daily cash log into your routine so every dollar at the desk lands in the books the same day it comes in. -
2
Weekly renters are not the same as nightly guests
A renter staying month after month starts to look like a tenant, not a hotel guest, which can affect how the stay is taxed locally and whether occupancy tax even applies.
What we doKeeps weekly and extended stays on their own line so the accountant can flag when a renter's status might be changing. -
3
Repairs on an older building pile up fast
A roof patch, a new water heater, and a run of plumbing calls in the same season can look like the property is falling apart when it is really just an old building's normal maintenance rhythm.
What we doTracks repair spending against the season so a heavy maintenance month reads as expected, not alarming. -
4
A room renovation is not the same as fixing a leak
Redoing a block of rooms with new beds, flooring, and fixtures is a bigger investment than a repair, and filing it as a routine expense misses how it should be written off.
What we doFlags larger renovation projects the day they start so the accountant sorts them from routine repairs.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for an independent motel.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Nightly roomsCash, card, and booking site payouts for single-night and short stays.
- Weekly staysRenters paying by the week, kept apart from nightly guests.
- Vending and amenitiesIce machine, vending, and any coin laundry on site.
- Booking site payoutsBooking.com, Expedia, and similar sites, net of their commission.
Money out
- Repairs and maintenancePlumbing, roofing, HVAC, and the routine upkeep of an older property.
- Housekeeping and suppliesLinens, cleaning supplies, and staff who turn over rooms.
- UtilitiesElectric, water, and gas across a full building of rooms.
- Front desk payrollWages for anyone working the desk, including night shifts.
- Insurance and licensingProperty insurance, lodging license, and local permit fees.
- Booking site commissionsWhat Booking.com or Expedia keep before you get paid.
What we watch for you
- Occupancy rate
Rooms filled against rooms available, the clearest sign of a strong or slow stretch.
- Cash versus card and booking site mix
How much comes in at the desk versus through a booking site, worth watching as habits shift.
- Repair spending by season
Maintenance cost tracked against the time of year, so it is clear when a heavy month is normal.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things independent motel owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Send me what you remember and any receipts you kept. I will log it as best I can and set up a simple daily habit so it does not happen again.
It might. That kind of stay can start to look different from a regular guest for tax purposes. I flagged it so the accountant can take a look at how it should be treated.
That is a bigger project than a repair, so I am logging it separately. The accountant will look at your whole year and decide how much comes off now versus over time.
The tax side
The tax side of running an independent motel.
Most of what goes wrong here is cash that never gets recorded and repairs that pile up without a pattern anyone tracks. Both get cleaner once the books catch every dollar the same week it moves.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Cash income is still incomeCash paid at the desk is taxable the same as a card payment or booking site payout, whether or not it ever touches a bank account. Gus builds a habit of logging it daily so nothing gets missed.
- Room renovations versus repairsNew flooring, fixtures, or furniture across several rooms is usually a property improvement written off over years, while patching a single leak is a repair deducted right away. Gus flags the larger projects so the accountant sorts them correctly.
- Contractor 1099sA handyman, plumber, or housekeeper not on payroll paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps the list all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost profitable motel owners can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, with limits above $201,750 taxable income single or $403,500 joint. It comes out right when the books are accurate all year.
Deductions independent motels miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Plumbing and HVAC repairs
- Roofing patches and gutter work
- Linens and towel replacement
- Ice machine and vending stock
- Front desk software or ledger tools
- Signage and exterior lighting
- Parking lot repaving
- Cleaning supplies and equipment
- Booking site commissions
- Local lodging permit fees
- Uniforms for front desk staff
- Mileage for supply runs
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
An independent motel year, kept every month.
Highway traffic and repair needs come whenever they come. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, contractor 1099s are ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether the summer travel season is running ahead of or behind last year.
- October
Before the slow season
Before winter traffic quiets down, Gus looks at any repairs or upgrades worth doing before December while cash flow is stronger.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for independent motels. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions independent motel owners ask first.
How does Gus handle cash paid at the front desk?
He builds a simple daily log into your routine so cash gets recorded the same day it comes in, then it goes into the books the same as any card or booking site payment.
We have a few long-term weekly renters. Does that change our books?
It can. Gus keeps weekly and extended stays on their own line, and flags when a renter's stay might need different tax treatment so the accountant can look at it.
Do we need a franchise system to use Goatkeeper?
No. Gus works from your bank statements and however you already track bookings, whether that is a notebook, a spreadsheet, or a booking site dashboard.
We just fixed the roof after a storm. Is that fully deductible this year?
Usually a repair like a roof patch is deductible right away, while a full roof replacement is typically written off over years. Gus flags the amount and the accountant sorts which one it is.
Our records are a shoebox of receipts. Can Gus work with that?
Yes. Send what you have. Gus sorts it, the accountant checks it, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in lodging & short-term rentals
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Bed & breakfasts
- Country inns & lodges
- Event venues with on-site lodging
- Farm stays
- Hostels
- Mid-term rental operators (travel nurses)
- Wellness & retreat centers
- Airbnb co-hosting businesses
- Boutique hotels
- Extended stay & corporate housing
- Luxury villa rentals
- Short-term rental hosts (Airbnb / VRBO)
- Short-term rental property managers
- Vacation rental management (beach / mountain)
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever