It is one of the most successful guestranches in the region, maybe even in thenation. To study the success of The HideoutLodge and Guest Ranch, owned by theFlitner and De Cabooter family of Shell,Wyo., is like taking crash courses in animalhusbandry, marketing and tourism.

Four generations have called theWyoming land home and making their livingin the agricultural industry. Flitner cattle andhorses have grazed the Shell Canyon area innorth central Wyoming since 1906.

Like most farm ranch families over theyears, the Flitners have had to expand theiroperation and think outside of the box tocontinue living a rural lifestyle.

It began when David Flitner introducedguided hunting services, but when third gen-eration David Flitner met and marriedEuropean Paula De Cabooter the Flitnersventured into high quality guest ranch vaca-tions.

Paula’s cosmopolitan culture and interna-tional traveling experience, combined withthe Flitner ranching heritage and David’svision, have made the Hideout what it istoday.

Peter De Cabooter first came to his auntand uncle’s Wyoming ranch 15 years ago toenjoy a yearly vacation, while working for aglobal company. Gradually using the ranch asa corporate retreat, De Cabooter says manyteam-building exercises were developedaround ranch work practices.

Three years ago De Cabooter moved to theU.S. permanently to begin managing theHideout and its guest services.

The Hideout is not simply a dude ranch.Guests are able to work alongside the Flitnersand The Hideout guest ranch wranglers, whoare still actively ranching. With more than250,000 acres of land stretching from Cody,Wyoming east to the Big Horns gathering hors-es and cattle on the wide expanse can be a greatlesson in cowboying.

Many of the dudes, find The Hideout to bean educational experience with some of theperks of a truly great vacation added in.

Guests to the ranch are able to take in stock-manship and natural horsemanship classes andare give the opportunity to be part of theAmerican West even if it is for a short stay. Fly-fishing, hiking, horseback riding and fine diningare also part of the package.

While the picturesque scenery, family histo-ry and location to nearby Yellowstone Nationalare huge selling points for the Hideout, it isboth family’s never ending ideas that havehelped keep the Hideout providing incomeyear-round.

“The secret to surviving is the diversity of thebusiness, and keep challenging ourselves oncontinuous basis” says De Cabooter. One

needs to listen to the market, the guests and fol-low new trends while preserving a tradition.Change is the only sure thing in life. The onlyway to manage change is to proactively antici-pate change. This allows you to remain in con-trol and incorporate what is important to thefamilies.

The Hideout believes in offering the best.From their website to the people they employquality is expected and delivered.

The “extras” in marketing and customerservice efforts have paid-off for the guest ranch.Prospective guests are sent a DVD of what theycan expect of their stay at the Hideout and after

their stay, a photo CD with images of their timespent in Wyoming is sent to them.

Hideout guests are treated to meals preparedby culinary chefs, skilled cowboys handle theirhorse riding adventures and other staff triestheir utmost to fulfill requests.

In the off seasons, the De Cabooters andFlitners attempt to utilize their facilities with dif-ferent events. Photographers are invited tocome spend time shooting western scenes andwildlife. And an annual chocolate tasting hasbeen instituted to showcase the Hideout and thenewly created Trapper Creek Lodge & SupperClub’s Lodge chef’s talent. Just over a year agothis restaurant / Supper Club was opened in theelegant Trapper Creek Lodge, another initiativethat integrates well with the guest ranch.

“A lot of farmers and ranchers around theworld are conservative,” says De Cabooter ofthe Hideouts European and Wyoming ranchingheritage. “We have a lot of debate and thinkinghere. We are able to offer the best of the twofamilies.”

New ideas are the way to new income. “Ifyou determine breaking even as a success thenyou will break even. If you determine making aprofit as a success then you will make a profit,”says De Cabooter.

Marketing the Hideout

Peter De Cabooter manages agreat deal of the promotions for theHideout Lodge and Guest Ranch.He says he has learned:

1. Having a website is a must. DeCabooter says a website is the easi-est way to begin promoting yourbusiness. He advises spendingmoney and energy on a web opti-mizer, which will help your site befound by web search engines.

2. Language and wording areimportant. What you read or don’tread about a business affects youroverall decision about their services.Language and wording is importantboth in print advertisements andonline. Website search engines willseek out keywords. The more rele-vant and updated you can keep yourwebsite the better.

3. Give just a little backgroundinformation. When you have a 4thgeneration ranch to promote, it can

be easy to get swept up in the histor-ical details. Instead, give a short-ened family background in your pro-motional materials. While your fami-ly story is interesting, it is the guestswho are number one and need toknow what services will be providedto them. Do not take up valuablespace with your life story. It is notabout you, it is about them. Alwaysask yourself the question : Does itadd value to our guests and cus-tomers ?

4. Media coverage can be benefi-cial. The Hideout offers interestedmembers of the media to stay and bea guest for several days to reallyunderstand the experience and cul-ture of ranching in Wyoming. If pos-sible, Cabooter says this is one of thebest ways to handle media as itoffers them hands on, real-life experi-ences they can’t misinterpret.

5. Word-of-mouth can be invalu-able. The cheapest form of promo-tion is people talking positively about

your operation. If people leave hav-ing truly had a great experience theywill remember, they will certainly talkabout it and tell others, resulting inmore business for you.

6. How to communicate a brandname and image. Reflect carefullywhat you would like your brandname to communicate. Can youdeliver? Can your organization deliv-er? Does your brand image fit yourcompany culture? Don’t take anyshortcuts, says De Cabooter.Consistency and walking the talk isthe message. It takes a long time tobuild up a brand name and image; ittakes little to destroy it. Especially inrecession years it is tempting to takeshortcuts.

7. Don’t be afraid to be yourself.Do not try to be something you arenot, or that does not reflect your cul-ture and beliefs. De Cabooter saysauthenticity is rare these days. It canonly exist if guests and customers feelyou breed and live what you preach.