Wendy

47Ablah-blah-blah...whatever. Have a very merry and SUCCESSFUL Xmas[:D][:D][:D]  

We keep only the booking info sent by them when they book ( name and credit card details, for the time they are here), or by the reservation system. After they have left and room is inspected and okayed we shred their CC details. We do not ask for passports or place of origin/birth. We have lost a valuable watch in an Etap room and contacted the hotel a couple of hours later...funny how the cleaners never seem to find anything[:@] We inspect our rooms during our guests checking out procedure (I inspect while he chats to them in the office). We do not do this in all cases but you do get to know when you need to do it. We only keep what the comptable needs for the taxes...not guests personal stuff...just booking sheet and receipts. We have had plenty of Mr and Mrs Mouse types who pay 'in cash'. Generally, they pay up front...no credit card confirmation prior = no room unless paid in full beforehand. We service the rooms daily to keep a check on any 'damage'. Don't worry about that[;-)]. But who they are, or where they come from, or who they have come with, is none of my concern.  

Okay, so now I know why the guy on the end has one hand hidden and is smiling...[;-)]

Oh my god...when did Led Zeppelin move to France with their bikes![:-))] Aren't you guys supposed to be on tour now?[;-)]

Hi Cathy, there is no real 'link' to this story but it is in the French News, December edition, under 'Card Games' in the Consumer Problems page. It was Novotel in Orleans who asked the British guest for his personal info. Illegal. He is European and therefore not a 'foreigner' and so not required to comply. Any European guest in France must be treated as would a French guest be treated. Either way, this law is outdated. As I have stated earlier, our local police/gendarmes have never been round in four years to check on or collect this personal information on our guests. We simply do not ask for such details. Once a guest has checked out we destroy/shred their credit card details for their, and our security.  One thing I would like to ask people like Quillan is this; what do you do with your guests personal information once you have handed it over to the authorities?. How do you store it?. How secure is it?. I would not like to know that our personal details were being stored in some stranger's computer for god-knows-how-long after we had left their premises. We book, we stay, we pay. That's all the owner needs to know.      

[quote user="Bugbear"] Crikey, that is boring. You've never done the 'chasing around the woods naked' or the famous ritual with the male chicken then ? Now, where's me stick with the feathers on................................[Www] [/quote] Oh please, I just need a great pic for my blog...where do you live BB and let me know when you get your hands on a male chook next. One thing though...it's a bit cold now isn't it?...[:D].

4JAJM (still a pain to write). Let me explain...'near full occupancy all year round' is quite a different thing to 'many successful B&B's in France'. 'Successful' may mean a variety of things...from a great summer season, to guests who return year after year. 'Near full occupancy all year round' simply means a full house pretty much when most of us are B&B'ers/hoteliers are shivering in the winter and waiting for the spring/summer to bring business again to our doors. And another thing; we B&B/hotel owners very often have to be something 'other than ourselves'. Whether we feel ill, tired or exhausted, we still have to put on a [:)] face for our guests. No matter how we feel. So yes, at times we are being 'some one other than ourselves'. It's called 'business'. I am having the 'entire Xmas period off' because I have chosen to. My family deserve it. We are going south to Valencia for Xmas this year and hope to be wearing t-shirts on Xmas Day, rather than stoking the fireplace here and spending a fortune on heating. I say 'hopefully'. We usually close for Xmas day/boxing day anyway. Antonia...yes, on my blog I have spoken about how active many of the villagers are, male and female. Those who still WORK that it is. That is the baker, the tabac owner, and the man who delivers the gas bottles around the village. He is quite old and still keeps going. A shame other 'retired' men there cannot find something just as worthwhile to do all day except play boules. And sit. And smoke. But they seem happy enough, so good luck to them. We all know that the women never retire...as in all cultures. If 4JAJM wishes to consult the archives here he/she/it will find that I have contributed muchly to various forums here with many a civil word in between. May I suggest one thing to you for a new years resolution?...find a more practical forum name for yourself. Something nice and cuddly[:P]. Nice to know some have visited my blog though![:)].        

Geordie Gal, my word you certainly have misconstrued what has been written. Just read back my dear. I wrote that I knew of only ONE B&B  that operated all year round, and that particular B&B is situated near DisneyLand Paris. We do not operate B&B strictly, we are a hotel. And we ain't nowhere NEAR Le Mickey...never said we were!. Please quote here, verbatim, where I stated WE were the ONLY successful B&B near DisneyLand? I think you will find I did not[:)] We work pretty much close to 360 days a year, I do not always wish we did but we do all the same. Although we have closed for the entire Xmas period this year for the first time. One whole week to ourselves!!. And yes, 'they' do come back, not everyone though and you cannot expect all to as people visit different regions each time[:)] No, I do not know where you live, but anyone here on this forum,in this business, will tell you just how competitive the Chambres d'hote/B&B industry is here in France. Yes, there are many successful Brit-run B&B's here in France, of course there are!. I hope you are in an area where you have the monopoly and are nice and busy...honestly!. Forgive me for saying this, but you really do come across as being very wet behind the ears with regards to this trade. Running B&B/hotel tends to toughen one up a bit...you seem quite 'sensitive'. It worries me to think how you would cope with difficult/complaining guest/s if you think that I am 'nasty'[blink]. Don't take everything so personally!.

Eos, welcome to the world of hospitality. Just accept that not everyone will be happy all the time; it is human nature. Some are just miserable types who are even more so when they go on holiday. Believe it or not but there are some who really do expect a red carpet to be rolled out for them to walk on. Continue taking pride in your property and seeing the majority of your guests enjoy themselves. Makes you wonder why some people ever bother to leave home in the first place.

One thing you have to realise though is that that some 'couples' checking in want their privacy respected. Not all couples you may meet will be married... We have had quite a few people spend a weekend here; they have booked over the phone, in 'her' name, and paid their bill on departure in cash. For obvious reasons. To ask them to record their personal details on their visit, to me, would be an invasion of privacy. If you wish to apply this condition to your guests then do so; but all the same, respect those guests who want to stay with you 'incognito'. And you will meet them from time to time[:)]  

Hi Magnolia, first off good luck with your new venture!. You are on the right track except with line (3). We never record or hand in the personal data of individuals, foreign or otherwise, to the local police. We have been here in this business for 4 years and have never done this and the police have never bothered to ask us for it. One reason is that collecting this data can only really be restricted to non-Europeans strictly, if you wish to do it at all. Asking the non-french but other European people, i.e. british, italian, spanish, etc, is against European law as they are not 'foreigners' anywhere in Europe and must be treated as the French are in this country. We came up against this policy in Italy recently where a British lady running a hotel in Savona asked us to fill out a form detailing our personal info. She said she had to hand it in to the local police the next day. The OH refused on the grounds that he is British, therefore European and not a 'foreigner'. We did not fill her form in and she had to wear it or lose a booking. She wore it. Don't make more work for yourself than you already have.      

Maybe we should get some tampax to the old guys in my village and then they can lead such an active a life as you do?. By the way, my Grandad was Welsh. Haven't found anything to knock about 'em yet.

Actually there is one Welshman, a very ancient one, living in the next village. He cornered us last year at one of those 'do's' that the Maire likes to hold now and then. The wine was laid on abundantly and he had obviously got stuck in. He spoke to me at very close range for about 20 minutes about...well...I honestly cannot tell you. Never understood a word. But you could have lit a match off his breath. Never seen him since. Than ks for that tip though, I'll remember to take the brolly in the morning[:D]

I take it as a compliment when KK calls me 'rude'[:)] Here my little welsh leek...have one on me[B]

47AJM (what a pain that is to type in) the reason I visit a boulangerie at 6.30 am is because I run a hotel just outside a village in verrry rural France. My guests like to eat early. There is your question answered[:)]. There are many successful B&B's in France, many of them owned and operated by British expats...most of them would be in at the boulangerie pretty much the same time as I am if they like to serve their guests freshly made pastries and bread for their brekkie. However, those that are fully occupied pretty much 360 days a year would not be in the majority. We personally know of  many who have packed it in and sold up to say such is the norm. Anyone on this forum in the B&B business will tell you that. Running a B&B here in France earns you pocket money, really good pocket money if you are in the right area, a nice living if you get it right. But you only have to read the posts in the B&B forum to see just how much hard work and how damn competitive it is. If GG has shifted into an area where the guests will be bashing down her door 52 weeks a year then good luck to her!. I suggest she keeps her location a secret though[;-)]. We could do with a good carpenter in this area. The locals don't want the work[8-)]. She ain't so gobby when it comes to speaking French Bugbear sweetie[:P]  

GG are you kidding...where in France do you live? what is a French village that has no elderly men sitting around in groups from dawn to dusk?. I hope there is plenty of woodwork that needs doing in your area. I only personally know of one B&B in France that has near full occupancy pretty much all year round and that one is right near to Disneyland Paris. They only close at Xmas for a couple of days. I will be interested to read your posts in 12 months time. Scooby, I have noticed the women lean out their windows now and then but I always see the same male faces day in and day out sitting or standing around. I go in to the village to the boulangerie and there they are, at 6.30am, 7.am. Still there at midday too. The place is deserted between midday and two so they must have homes to go to. Afternoon, there they are all again. Obviously retired French women know how to keep themselves busy, albeit around the house, but when French men retire they seem to be at a loose end activity-wise. I have read that the same situation exists in most of Spain. And have I seen the same sights down there as here. Men - sitting. Can it be that the women chase them out of the house?. It must be pretty depressing for the young ones to look around them and see what lies ahead for them.  

Yes, but it's the older men who have the 'sitting' thing down to a fine art here. What a waste of life.

Gluestick, thats the problem. People like yourself perpetuate this myth that the French, as a people, are 'generous', 'welcoming', 'helpful' and, here's the favourite...'charming'. Not ALL the time, and not everywhere!. Please excuse those of us who beg to differ...or DARE to differ. We only speak from experience[:)] Anyway. I am still here and will be until this place is sold. I only agreed to come here to allow the 'other half' to satisfy his long held dream to live here and own his own business. Now he knows better...you live and learn.  And he certainly has. While I have found the locals to be friendly I would not include the description 'welcoming'. I have found life in rural France to be uninspiring and, frankly, bloody boring. Whilst I am happy for those who have come here and found their 'niche', and I envy them in some ways, it really pisses me off when those who have come here and not found their 'Shangri La' - and admit to such - are referred to as ingrates, or failures. Or are responsible for their own dissatisfaction. It either works or it dosen't; we have worked our backsides off here; we expected all the good things France has to offer and, in many cases, met with otherwise. Not our fault. But then France is made up of lots of 'fantastic' and just as much 'disappointing'. Depends where you are. But at least we gave it a go and got it out of our system.[;-)]        

One thing that strikes me about France is the 'boredom' factor that you see in the villages and towns here. Groups of teenagers sitting around on the weekends doing nothing. No work because all the shops are closed. And the men: middle aged to elderly men all sitting in groups from dawn to dusk with nothing at all to do except watch the buses go by and smoke. I see the same old fellows sitting on the bus bench at 7am. They are still there at midday. Venture into the village near 6pm and there they all still are, just sitting. At the weekends the teens add to the numbers 'just sitting'. Pathetic. 

[:D][:D]...If it wasn't all so ridiculous...

Katie, I refer to Gluestick's post 29/11th at 22.16pm I thought I was the only wind-up merchant here! How dare you usurp my reason for living!! By the way...how in any way shape or form are these riots 'muslim' based?. The rioters are not screaming about Allah, nor waving flags nor condemning Christianity or 'The`West'. Simply non-French national thugs clashing with the racist French police.    

Tigerfeet, re: your op; we no longer use French accountancy firms, we especially avoid those who advertise 'we serve the english speaking community'. Been there, done that, still wearing the scars. We do not drive a French make of car or use French Insurance firms. Once again avoided those who advertise 'we serve the english speaking community'. Been there, done that, still wearing the scars. The local French tradesmen will not do a job for under 500 euro's. We use an excellent Dutch electrician located 45 minutes away from us in Olet (can highly recommend this guy).We do our own plumbing. Basically we blacklist any tradesman who refuses to do emergency work on a Sunday...even though we ask them to name their price to attend. Funny how all on our blacklist are French.          

Please Scooby, I am trying for all day Sunday opening right now...to mention 24 hour opening 7 days a week would be too much to handle for the French. Imagine... all those young people they would have to employ to relieve those exhausted from their 35 hours a week![;-)]. And with all those young people working, who else would sit around the villages in bored groups on Sunday afternoons...besides the men?[:)]      

Yeah we have had same and such. Here are the common denominators: 'Doctor' The number '4' whether it be people, singles, couples or rooms. '10' meaning the number of days required. They never ask for two, three or five days. The booking enq is always for a minimum of 10 days. 'Rates for the entire period' Offer of '100% deposit' by card/cheque Basically check the grammar. And the names are usually pretty pretentious.

However your situation is not the norm here; so why should it not be the same here as in your region?. France needs to unite as a country and adopt the same policies. It is particularly annoying to know how many youth are unemployed in our own area yet the local supermarket is staffed by over-50's and in my four years here have never sighted a new and young face in the place?.  I still cannot see why the French cannot work on a Sunday. All day Sunday at that. And right across the board. Let the young 'uns do the work so that they are not sitting around the villages doing nothing...and doing 'nothing' in groups.