Well we are ready to sell.......to some one who could allow us the time to re locate
and honour next years reservations. It is time for us to slow down.
But I have no idea where you want to be or what your budget is.
We are amongst the vines nearest known places Bergerac and St Emilion.
My reply was intended to be helpful Luca, until you actually live in France and get first hand experience of the bureaucracy and the amount of taxation/cotisations taken from businesses,it looks good from the outside perspective. Good weather, good food, friendly people,great roads but the reality is the same as everywhere, any business needs a good income and luck along the way to survive in the modern world. France has a lot of quirky regulations to get your head around, even the locals can't work them all out.
If you have a top up income like part time work or a pension it takes the pressure off in lean times and you will enjoy what you are doing a lot more. Good luck in your venture.
Is this discussion for real ? Looking to move to France, want to start a chambres d’hôtes business, send details of your business' for sale, and NOT bothered about where it is? Come on......
If you offer evening meals your guests will make their choice, they will not be demanding it.
Do not offer what you are not able or willing to do.
Peter, if they are staying more than one night ( fair enough after a day's long travel, children etc), let them have the first evening meal with you.
If they also demand the following night's supper with you - and remember it will be an extension of that morning's breakfast - be prepared for an evening horribly similar to the first.
I seem to remember that dropping in breakfast time mentions of ebola/ dengue fever did the trick...
Yes, you are talking about "Table d'Hôte" Jane.
You are quite right.
Peter, if you provide evening meals you are expected to eat the same meal with your guests.
This is to differentiate you from an hotel.
Yes, Bourges is ok - I've been to a few 'printemps' over the years and have had a good time. I'm glad you have all-year round customers.
Quite agree John though we have stayed in some Table d'Hôte and they have ok especially when the nearest restos have been a trek from the lodging but I much prefer to investigate local eating places.
I'm aiming to open as a Chambre d'Hôte in january and i'm lucky to have some great restos within walking distance.
Greetings Peter - a quick google of Bourges should answer that.
Coupled by the fact we are only a couple of hours South of Paris(Weekenders)
Pretty medieval cathedral city (ditto)
Home to several colleges, including military, music and fine arts ( lecturers, students)
etc etc
I guess she meant Table d'Hote, Peter.
We used to do that with our B&B but 1/ It was allot of work with little return and 2/ being in a town that has many restaurants made us realise that the clients did not have much of a sense of adventure / were 'careful with their money' ie the supper table was seldom a source of intellectual stimulation.
What do you mean Jane, "eat one meal with your guests" ???
I know you have to provide a breakfast but that's all, isn't it ?
I've stayed in dozens of B & B in France and never heard of this rule. Some B & Bs have offered Table d'Hôte which was optional.
Please explain.
Luca, are you aware that if you have a chamber d'hote you are obliged to eat one meal a day, preferably the evening meal, with your guests?
This is because the hotels in France do not like competition.
Hi John. Is Bourges a well visited place ? If so, what is the attraction of your area for all-year round tourists ?
I would have thought the only area you would get maximum bookings would be the Paris area. I suppose somewhere like Lourdes wouldn't be too bad though i've visited the town often between november and march and it has been relatively empty, many hotels are closed.
Actually Jennie S has come up with some good points, Luca.
You need to have a business that is not susceptible to seasonal variabilities.
So you need to be in a ' destination 'place visited year round ( because of an important historical monument , you are the half way stop between two major destinations ie Calais / Spanish border , visiting students/lecturers due to local instructional establishments etc)
She is right about B&Bs being a problematical single income source.We are lucky, we tick all the above boxes but none the less we would have to work ourselves to a cinder if we did not have additional ( hard earned!) back up income.
Check out the local competition and the websites designed to help your enterprise ( avoiding the ones that demand an upfront fee)
Oh yes - learn French.They have created a multi headed monster called bureaucracy.
Bon chance!
Can you keep your tone a little politer please Luca? And whilst I remember, please change your profile picture for a photograph as per our T&C. Thanks!
Thank you Peter, got the link of your place and will talk with my wife tonight. Cheers
Hi Lesley, I am surely interested. Would you send me a link of your advert so I can have a look please? Via private message if you prefer.
So… what’s your suggestion? Just buy a big box and hide inside? From a former estate agent I’d expect something more helpful
Good luck, not meaning to be negative but unless you are in the South of France by the coast or Brittany, you will need a second income, very difficult to make ends meet just by a B&B.
You will need to be very competitive, either by standards or appealing to a niche market. I was an estate agent during my years in France so have seen all the failures,the forced sales of B&Bs' but not many successes. The season is quite limited too, due in no small part to the school holidays and then there is the competition from other countries who charge much less than France can.
Lots of research needed without rose tinted tourist glasses.