Gites/Chambre d'hotes - most popular format (2 bed/3 bed/large groups etc)??

[Abbaye]

Hi folks, We are now starting to plan our renovation. We cannot decide how best to format our accommodation to provide rental income. We have a bit of a blank canvas and therefore several possibilities. We either renovate our main house plus an attached annex which could provide an additional 3 beds plus kitchen/living area - thought we may be able to do this so that the two could be let to a large group. Or we leave our house for a few years and renovate the longere which could be split into 3 x 2 bed cottages or 2 x larger cottages. Can anyone impart pearls of wisdom as to what is the most popular size of gite (2 bed/3 bed/larger group??) - and whether a mixture of gites and chambres d'hotes is wise? Thanks so much Slacko

[londoneye]

I can't help you from experience.   I am sure some people on here can and will in due course.

If I were in your situation I would find around 20 - 30 gites in your area, on internet and check their bookings.    You might start to get an idea of which size of gites are most likely to be booked in your area.   I am assuming that different areas are likely to attract a different clientelle (sp ?).

[Ian]

Although I don't run a "gite complex" - I do have 3 holiday apartments in the old town of Nice that I rent out, so do have a little experience.  Check out www.holiday-rentals.co.uk , an english language site that covers France very well.  This should give you loads of ideas regarding pricing, demand (you can see how booked up people are) etc for different sized gites.

One thing you will notice is "photograph-ability" is critical in generating income - if the gite looks great in the pics it will rent out. So be careful squeezing in that extra wall/bedroom that it doesn't make the gite look poky in the photos. (get a wide angle camera too)

One other aspect you may consider is "exit strategy" - I know you are just setting up and selling on seems a lifetime away, but I know of several gite complex owners who are struggling to sell at anything close to the asset value of their "3-4 houses".  Is there a way with your conversion that you would be able to sell off one of the gites (on its own) at a later stage. Selling piecemeal is often the only exit strategy that delivers the return on investment most gite owners feel their property and hard work deserves.

Best of luck,

Ian

[Abbaye]

Thanks, v helpful info ....

[LEO]

[quote user="Abbaye"]Thanks, v helpful info ....[/quote]

Ian is talking sense.

 Your exit strategy is much more important in France than it would be , say if you were in the UK

If I were you I would do a lot of research /number crunching before outlaying large sums of money!