Patricia, funny enough we used to go on holiday via Chez Nous, but personally would not put an ad with them, as I have heard from few people, very little action from them, but everything is relative, as you can have as super duper fab place possible, but you still have to get the customers, and I for one do not have a magic wand! So good luck, and don’t be shy if you need some more info…but I would focus on getting a nice and easy accessible website up and running, have a look around incl us and how other people have done theirs… ;)PS! Would it not be more cost effective if you had all 3 gîtes under ‘one roof’ with is Chez Nous, if they’ll let you, and your website or info page with lots of info would then tell potential guests what you and your place is about…including telling them who you are etc… 
I cannot thank you enough for all the time you have taken to give me these tips. I am very grateful!
I have done most of the main things you mention but have made careful note of some of the little bits and pieces as I might not have thought of them.
My husband work in computers and it took him months to get the website up and running and he says it still needs tweaking! I won’t hold my breath!
We used to rent out our flat in London with Airbnb so again we are waiting to improve the profile on that. Chez Nous is active but I have revised my pricing for HomeAway because I did more research and felt that the new numbers were more realistic. I have two HomeAway listings and will put on the third when I have the energy. Our numbers are: 6064443 and 6066051. They are very recent so are waiting for approval so you may not be able to see them yet. I contacted Chez Nous to ask if there was any way that I could put the three Gites on separately without having to duplicate all the information which is the same and they have not even got back to me so I’m annoyed with them!
I keep plodding on anyway in the hopes that something will happen soon!
Thank-you so much for all your wisdom - wish me luck!
Pat
Hi Eva, if you are interested, my husband and I are opening an art gallery in Cordes-sur-Ciel in the Tarn and are up for shameless promotion!!! Though technically not an expat as I am French, I have lived my whole adult life in the UK, having left France when I was a student. Coming back after 22 years has been a steep learning curve, especially when dealing with admin and French bureaucracy! My husband is English, so he is a proper expat. Before moving here in July I was a Drama teacher at a high school and my husband was a part-time teacher of art and an artist. I make jewellery and he paints, and our shop will sell (hopefully!!!) our creations. When the shop is up-and-running I am hoping to start some Drama classes again. Laurence
I am searching for fellow working Expats for a book!
My Expat Life series is featured on my blog That's Hamori! under the header My Expat Life but also been picked up by a few different magazines both online and offline.
If anyone has an interesting business they have created in France and wants to shamelessly promote themselves using me, I am game!
Eva x
Homeaway is good, we have advertised with them for years, what sort of 'account' have you with them, as there are different? Let me know what number you are, and I shall look you up...we are No 465083...www.aixpontroyal.com & our B&B is www.lepetitfiguier.com are our two websites.
Hold on to your horses, don't drop your price, as that could possibly look like everybody else might have to do the same, and you end up where you were before. Assume you have looked at locals who do exactly what you are doing, to compare prices?
Make sure to have a good website and with lots of information (have a look at 'Things to do' on our website, which took me ages to make...and I am still waiting for our man to sort dates and info on both websites...grrr...another thing I do want to be in charge of, as then I can change as and when I want to, rather than having to wait and pay someone to do what you, and only you know so well).
I would also get on Airbnb, the only thing that slightly irritates me is that you can only 'speak' to potential customers 'on their website', so forget about letting people have your website, any communication about prices etc. when they book, they will give your guest your contact number. Also they will ask you straight after you guest have left for you to leave a comment as to whether you would like to recommend them elsewhere, how were they etc.
I have personally very seldom not commented on people, and people who have been exceptionally friendly have just come with a unnecessary comment (only one couple, but I was totally taken back) but hey, you win some and you loose some, as we all know there are nasty manipulative people all around!
As I do not know your place, but have you thought of contacting Alastair Sawday? They will send a local agent round to see you, and you have to be accepted (his places are special places to stay) + pay a annual fee, which is not cheap, but just think of any costs, as how much you get back in weekly rent, and you'll soon be OK.
Have you got a booking condition typed up? You absolutely need this with a refundable damage deposit, and you should promise to pay this back in 14 days after departure! It has to be detailed to protect you, but also them, and if they do not like it, well, stuff them, as then they are possibly only there to cause problems...I have just had a French lady giving me the third degree interrogation, never ending questions (ie this was for our apartment...were they apartments below...several emails later, were there apartment on the 3rd floor too...well, it's an apartment for goodness sake) and eventually I emailed her our booking conditions, then more questions and replying that they did not have pets and they did not smoke, which they of course did not need to tell us, as this what the booking conditions is there for, you sign it return it with all your details, not rocket science, but it seems to be to some! Do not send them your banking details until you have received the signed and properly filled in booking conditions! (Airbnb holds the money and take a very small percentage and you'll be paid a few days into guests stay or just after they have departed).
Be clear about your arrival day and departure day and timing, as guests tend to forget that you do actually also have a life! Let them know when you will be around, you are not a hotel! I find that potential guests are sooo busy looking around, they forget to actually look at other than the cover photo and even that I am sure they forget, so where possible include this in your email/reply to potential guests!
We have change-over day in our apartment as Friday, simply for the reason we have done this trip by car sooo many times, to your region and later always right down to the Cote d'Azur, as the traffic on Saturday is just terrible! However, I am sure you know this, people just do not look and see what right in front of their eyes, and for me despite having mentioned twice at the top that our change-over day in capital letters. They ask about prices and the rest. I never ever give anybody a discount, as people are taking the mickey, the season is short, and I personally will rather not have people staying, as they seems to have more 'cheap' requests, which can be difficult to say no to!
Our change-over day has on a rare occasion been moved, but only because have helped previous guests arriving and departing on different days than the norm, else I mock up the whole season!
Here at our B&B I have the problem that people do not want to leave, yes, it sound like I'm bragging, but it happened a few times, so last year I served breakfast from 08.30-10.00 and departure by 10.30. This year breakfast will be served from 08.30-09.30 and departure at 10.00, as I actually also have a life, and often more people arriving later the same day, and as I only have a cleaning lady once a week, it's me who has to do all the work including shopping, washing drying, take bedding to get this ironed, so plenty to do!
Do you do a welcome pack + fresh flowers?
Assume you have lots of brochures etc for guests to take or flick through and also a guest book?
Do you ask people to comment on TripAdvisor (yes, I know there are those who do not like TripAdvisor), but to us, being new in this business, we have already had someone coming via TripAdvisor...a lady that had look at our pics, and thought she had played in this old house of ours as a little girl! So she and her husband, two very nice retired professors from Paris, could tell me a lot + about the grand bastide opposite, where she also played as a child. Great fun. They are now renovating her mother's old house in the village... :)
Anyway Patricia, I am sure your eyes are very tired by all I have written, but let me know if I can do anything.
Have a nice weekend...sunny greetings from Provence... Lis ;)
Hi Lis,
Thanks so much for your reply. It made me feel connected. I am in the north of the Dordogne in a small town called Piegut Pluviers. It is very nice here and people are very friendly. However, I get frustrated because my husband has to continue to go back and forth. He ends up so tired that he doesn’t get much done so I end up having to pay people to do any work that needs doing which is depleting our resources fast.
Also I am going under in a sea of paperwork which is hard to understand. I have someone who translates things when I need it but she doesn’t seem to understand why I get frustrated with it because she has been here for so long and doesn’t understand my anxiety about it all.
The other main thing that we have is getting business into the Gites. At the moment we have had no enquiries at all. I am wondering if we should bring our prices so low that we cannot be ignored but then risk not being able to make ends meet.
Like you, there are things that we would like to be able to do to the Gites and the main house but just cannot afford to get done without earning some money.
Sorry to moan but I got so low after Christmas that I was ready to sell up and return to the UK out of desperation as at the moment it is all money going out and nothing coming in.
If we can start earning it will help but I am running out of ideas about how to draw people to us. I have registered and advertised with the local Office de Tourisme, registered with Chez Nous and have just set up with Home and Away - I am now just keeping my fingers crossed.
If and when we get guests I am hoping that I can keep up with all the work as it is an unknown quantity to me as yet.
Any tips you may have would be gratefully received.
Kindest regards
Patricia
Hi Colin,
Your facebook link doesn't appear to be working.
Regards,
Chris
Hi Patricia,
Hi Patricia, I run a small B&B and a 2-bed apartment here in Provence (but in the colder months is very quiet here), and have done this since summer 2014. It's been tough doing most things including unpacking tons of stuff in the cold in Spring 2014 (still got more to unpack)! My husband too is working in the UK (he says he's working to keep me in the lifestyle I have come accustomed to, but the truth possibly is that we have a lot of cost sorting things in this lovely old house of ours) and until recently he only came here for a long weekend every 4 weeks, at least this year he'll be coming every 3 weeks, and he is still arriving Thursday morning working all Friday and all Monday where I take him back to the airport (Marseille) in the evening. Working remotely seems to work, conference calls and the rest, but obviously not all the time, but we're hoping, so watch this space as they say. At least we had a lovely Golden Retriever puppy just before Christmas in 2015, and he keep me company! Good luck! Where are you? :)
Crumb, this is one heck of a list now.
Well, here goes... I'm teaching esl English at a university outside of Paris. It's not what I want to do. I'd really like to do Communications and PR (my real metier and qualification) but can't land a job here. Know a lot about water demand management for utilities and councils. My book site is http://www.followmyheart.co (not .com) and my blog can be found at http://francesbigadventure.blogspot.com as Frances Lawson. twitter is @parisnewbie. Check out my lInkedIn profile at https://fr.linkedin.com/in/francesharrisoncommunications . Would like to get back to my professional bellydancing but no teachers anywhere near me to keep me sharp. Past extra in Hollywood movies.
Just had a look. Recommend you put a map of France showing your location as well as your description. Such a visual would really help visitors.
A little future a field visit caroleandstevebb.com for a great vacance in St Martin d’Ardeche. We also have a brocante shop which we wish to empty. Everything from old furniture to pottery to cd’s ,golf clubs,collectors items. Selling at very low prices. Ideal for vide grenier or to fill your own shops. We have a selection of new British union jack mugs. Can send pics. Email cbrownsnb@aol.com
Thanks Carole
I know I've already posted but would just like to add that I am now a Usborne books distributor too.
To keep up to date with all my work, my website is http://helenlaziouroger.wix.com/microentrepreneur
I am also now blogging for The English Informer in France
For those in the Ségala (Tarn/Aveyron) I'm a tri-lingual buraliste selling all sorts of cigarettes, cigars, tobacco, rolling paper, tubes, accessories. FDJ : Loto, Euromillions, ParionSport. Electronic cigarettes and e-liquide, batteries, watch batteries (which I change) and other bits and bobs.
Le Jean Guillaume, 22 place Gambetta, 81400 Carmaux.
I am RA Martin from Sausalito, Ca. originally, living now in the Charente in a falling down Chateau. I read Tarot/cartomancy for the locals/expats and for events internationally I have a blog abracadabratarot (http://ramartin-rudy.blogspot.fr/
and a facebook page, ramartin.35. I also write celtic fairytales: magicaladventuresofvoyager.com, about a border collie searching for his true home. Cin Cin
Great stuff! As long as you don’t reenact the French Revolution we are OK!
Hi all,
I'm loving reading what you are all up to, and now have so many of your links open in Chrome that I have a fab afternoon ahead of me going through them :)
I’m introducing the Q&A aspect of my professional activity at French Admin Solutions where members can ask their questions, not only on starting and running their professional activity in France, but on buying, renting or renovating their home or their car here, or understanding their French health cover or taxes...
My answers are current and up to date, and respond specifically to your personal situation, taking you through the steps you need to take to solve the problem at hand.
Members also have access to an extensive Resources library, with easy links to government declaration forms and sites, and all French Admin Solutions info packages.
I can also be reached via my FB page: French Admin Solutions
Radio Producer for www.JazzRepublicRadio.eu - An eclectic mix of old favourites and new discoveries! Anything goes with Jazz, anytime! Mix some Jazz, Blues, a little Motown, a sprinkle of Funk and a dash of Soul!
Our website offers complimentary Jazz TV, Jazz Magazine, featured monthly artist, Jazz history and more...
Read about us in the Press section - Le Lettre Pro (Top Radio Station Magazine of France).
Patron/partners: StudioLaTour - Maquiz'Art Winter Jazz Program - Eymet - The Jam Session - Dot Time Records - TargetSpot -Paper Li - FilmOn Live.
New projects: Recently appointed as Editor in Chief for Jazz in Europe online digital magazine - 22K readership
All of the above have their respective FaceBook, Twitter and YouTube channels.
That sounds great! I have three cats and am always looking for eco friendly stuff and unusual collars for them. Have made a note of your site!
Hi everyone...
Well what do I do? A good question... maybe easier to ask what i don't do.
Well first up... my husband and i run a B&B and gite in the Auvergne... you can find all about this on www.laplatriere.co.uk
and I'm also a qualified psychotherapist and counsellor so you can find out all onwww.fastforwardtherapies.co.uk
I love working with people and empowering them achieve their goals aswell as helping people make sense of their emotional difficulties and move on. I've also produced books and cds as well as audio download format for people who prefer to go to self-help products.
I especially specialise in quitting smoking and have a site dedicated to this www.want-to-stop-smoking.com and have written several books on the subject and created a complete package containing hypnosis audios, guidebook and workbook called the 'I-QuiT smoking programme which I've just launched.
With the rest of my time... well I love to travel when i get the opportunity, and relax...preferably by the pool with a G&T !!
I'm on facebook if you want to join me and on Twitter and Linked in...
My husband is in the same business as you but at present is stuck working from England and only getting home to France at weekends. We therefore have envy for your situation as my husband has had difficulty in persuading employers contracting him to let him work remotely.
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated!