Telephones

[Kitty]

[quote user="Keith"]Oh, our mini-bars don’t contain alcoholic drinks.[/quote]

Keith

What sort of things do you stock in your mini-bar?  Not just cold drinks, I assume?  What sort of mini-bars are they (fridges? those things with a glass front?)?  Do you stock British things?  My husband runs our UK B&B (while I'm painting my nails in France [Www] in between looking after 4 children....) and we've been wondering what extras to offer.

Have you ever had anyone refuse to pay for the mini-bar?  Or do a runner?

 

[Geordie girl]

Slippers???????????????????

[cassis]

Keith, Keith, Keith

Congratulations on not sounding more condescending.

Wonderful advice and I'm sure you stay on the right side of all the laws - no prostitutes in the bar.  [:D]

I'm stunned by this ordinary place you found for 60k four years ago, in a "location, location, location" location where guests are happy to spend 100€ a night and the same again on extras.  Hats off, chapeau and blow me, you've done well. 

Mucho respecto.

[jon]

cassis what was all that about?

[Chancer]

[quote user="cassis"]Keith, Keith, Keith

Congratulations on not sounding more condescending.

Wonderful advice and I'm sure you stay on the right side of all the laws - no prostitutes in the bar.  [:D]

I'm stunned by this ordinary place you found for 60k four years ago, in a "location, location, location" location where guests are happy to spend 100€ a night and the same again on extras.  Hats off, chapeau and blow me, you've done well. 

Mucho respecto.
[/quote]

Well the last proprietor of my abode (a 5 room hotel bought for 2/3 of the price of Keiths and also 4 years ago) had a similar business model.

The whole of the ground floor was/is a bar, the rooms above were rented by the hour so they got astonishing occupancy rates and the "extras taken" were a large multiple of the room rates.

Sadly some of the neighbouring bar/cafe owners complained about the bordello to the Gendarmes and the rest is history!

[jon]

One last try Keith....where are you based...

Or is it a real secret?

[Quillan]

I give you this link which I believe is the place we are talking about, if it is not then I apologize [;-)] .

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Five-Star-B-B-Business-Property-France-Earn-min-40k-pa_W0QQitemZ300190626412QQihZ020QQcategoryZ88433QQcmdZViewItem

A quick quote from Jon - "floral curtain and floral bed spreads ....everything very clean...and sorry to say a little boring."

 

[jon]

Quinllan...is this a joke?
This is far from being a luxury/designer decorated B and B

Perhaps Keith will come forward and direct us to his area and the rooms which achieve such good revenue.I am sure if all this is not ppart of a fairy tale then we will be enlightened.

Burgandy...yes perhaps.

[cassis]

[quote user="J.R."]

[quote user="cassis"]Keith, Keith, Keith

Congratulations on not sounding more condescending.

Wonderful advice and I'm sure you stay on the right side of all the laws - no prostitutes in the bar.  [:D]

I'm stunned by this ordinary place you found for 60k four years ago, in a "location, location, location" location where guests are happy to spend 100€ a night and the same again on extras.  Hats off, chapeau and blow me, you've done well. 

Mucho respecto.

[/quote]

Well the last proprietor of my abode (a 5 room hotel bought for 2/3 of the price of Keiths and also 4 years ago) had a similar business model.

The whole of the ground floor was/is a bar, the rooms above were rented by the hour so they got astonishing occupancy rates and the "extras taken" were a large multiple of the room rates.

Sadly some of the neighbouring bar/cafe owners complained about the bordello to the Gendarmes and the rest is history!

[/quote]

He should have got proper signed permission from Marie [;-)] then all would have been okay.

[cassis]

[quote user="jon"]

Perhaps Keith will come forward and direct us to his area and the rooms which achieve such good revenue.I am sure if all this is not ppart of a fairy tale then we will be enlightened.

[/quote]

Sorry, I didn't make myself clear earlier, Jon.

I don't think 70-80k a year from renting 4 rooms at 100€ a night is an unreasonable expectation. 

Presumably most of the rest is evening meals?  So you could feasibly get to 120k. 

But it's the 60k property investment that gets me. [blink]

However, Keith should probably keep his own counsel - he's revealed too much already! [:D]

[jon]

Cassis...Ok..

We all know that ...for a start that  for the first few years it would be a little foolish to expect more than 20% occupancy...lets say...ie 6 weeks per year.

yield per week.....dependant on what you offer....and where you are.And what other things you can offer......personally without other people providing the service....ie cookery tutorial will be given by us.

Just to offer a comparison.....in UK my London buisness needed 2.000 pounds per week to brake even...that was due to rent and rates plus cost of sales.We employed one person.Of course ...on top of that I had to pay for exspenses of running a home...which was at a different address.Just a point.

I do agree that to find an attractive property which attracts good clients....even four years ago would exceed 80.000 pounds....unless Keith made an especially good find.

We have been looking for years......and nothing is entirtely perfect.......but I feel that I have made the right decision.

So Keith qwould love to be aquianted with your website?

 

 

[cassis]

I guess it'd be wise not to bank on too high an occupancy rate, but an average 50-60% year round after a couple of years is do-able, even in a rural location which is not a tourist trap.

I'd really like a few of those guys spending 400€ a night on extras, though!  That gasts my flabber.  I can't begin to imagine what they pay for - it has to be more than the aforementioned pair of souvenir slippers.  I'm going to have to find a brain to storm with.

[quote user="jon"]

I do agree that to find an attractive property

which attracts good clients....even four years ago would exceed 80.000

pounds....unless Keith made an especially good find.

 [/quote]

Reckon you could do it for 60k euros?

[quote user="jon"]So Keith would love to be acquianted with your website? [/quote]

The sausage one or the one about corsets?

[cassis]

[quote user="Quillan"]

I give you this link which I believe is the place we are talking about, if it is not then I apologize [;-)] .

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Five-Star-B-B-Business-Property-France-Earn-min-40k-pa_W0QQitemZ300190626412QQihZ020QQcategoryZ88433QQcmdZViewItem

A quick quote from Jon - "floral curtain and floral bed spreads ....everything very clean...and sorry to say a little boring."

 

[/quote]

Not quite what I was expecting, Quillan.  But looks spot on. Also  http://www.morvanbandb.com/ .

I see where all the extras money comes from now - it's from the 25€ a night for the high chair.  Some people must take several.

[Clair]

It looks v. clean, but not quite the decor had imagined... [8-)] Is this an upmarket youth hostel?

[jon]

That just can not be Keiths place!
However if he does not reply ....then it must be.Over to you Keith.

 

[Quillan]

[quote user="cassis"][quote user="Quillan"]

I give you this link which I believe is the place we are talking about, if it is not then I apologize [;-)] .

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Five-Star-B-B-Business-Property-France-Earn-min-40k-pa_W0QQitemZ300190626412QQihZ020QQcategoryZ88433QQcmdZViewItem

A quick quote from Jon - "floral curtain and floral bed spreads ....everything very clean...and sorry to say a little boring."

 

[/quote]

Not quite what I was expecting, Quillan.  But looks spot on. Also  http://www.morvanbandb.com/ .

I see where all the extras money comes from now - it's from the 25€ a night for the high chair.  Some people must take several.
[/quote]

I could be wrong but I was always under the impression that by defnition a B&B is exactly that, Bed and Breakfast, and that in France as a CdH (B&B's do not 'exist' in France they are called Chambre d'Hôtes) you are not allowed (by law) to charge extra for breakfast either unless you are a hotel. I am 99% certain on this but am quite happy to be corrected.

Edit - Sorry I was refering to the prices on the website you gave.

[Russethouse]

I think the message with the cot /high chair rate is "we do not want children here" but lack the guts to say so.[6]

As for a bed and breakfast that charges 10€ for continental breakfast, especially at the prices quoted......Sorry - I'm not in the more money than sense bracket - yet.

Perhaps this is just one property in Keiths portfolio ?

[Chancer]

[quote user="cassis"][quote user="jon"]

.

[/quote]


I don't think 70-80k a year from renting 4 rooms at 100€ a night is an unreasonable expectation. 

Presumably most of the rest is evening meals? 

 [:D]
[/quote]

 

They only offer an optional continental breakfast so we will have to continue guessing where guests spend an average of 150 Euros per day on extras unless they are the (and I quote) extras offered in the Cynthia Payne movie[:D]

I did wonder whether they charge for the usage of the UK 13 amp sockets like the mini-bar, but the American guests would not pay 500 euros extra per day for them[:D]

[Chancer]

Who is going to start the bidding at 2 pence[6]

We might even be able to get it up to a couple of quid!

[Will]

At least it's clean.

 

[Russethouse]

[quote user="J.R."]

Who is going to start the bidding at 2 pence[6]

We might even be able to get it up to a couple of quid!

[/quote]

Scroll down and read the small print ![:)]

[Framboise]

I have just had a look at this deluxe establishment's website.

Whilst its OK, clean and tidy in a modest sort of fashion, I don't think I could categorise this as 4* accommodation or am I judging it by what I would expect from English 4*?    Perhaps French 4* different in some way?   And has it been accepted or even categorised by the local Tourist Board as 4*?    Enlighten me please.   [:)] 

[Danny]

Who changed the thread title to secrets? Naughty.

The french property specialists Bijou de Morvan http://www.bijoudumorvan.com/ have this very property on their website. Strangely, not many others though.

Enlightener web designs did build the website and they apparently come under the WCS group of companies. Maybe the contact - keith - on the ebay ad knows what ties all these mysteries together.

This does not help Keith with his phone question though.

Nice to see you back, Cassis

Danny

[lizzy h]

it seems strangly funny that Kieth has suddenly gone silent!

 I would just like to add my say, I have read and laughed my way through this post, the majority of us who are interested in this are b and b owners, and I for one class myself as having a good buisness, and could never in a million years (even with americans) get 500 euros worth of extras a day, are your rooms 6 bedded suites that are locked so people cannot go out so they stay in drinking champagne and eating luxery snacks allday, as you say you have no outdoor space that speaks for itself, breakfast is out cos it has to be included in the price

even at 30 euros ahead for evening meals for 6 (of course wine inc) thats no where near,

I'm sorry but in my personal opinion I think you are taking the  p***, I am sorry if I'm wrong, so nows time to let us know how you are so brillant, and what all these legal extras are,

[RedRooster]

I can't help but feel most of the peeps on this thread have more than a touch of the green eyed monster.  It's a sad fact that when someone is doing well and making a success of their business/life, then others, particularly the Brits, just love spendng their time knocking them down, making spiteful unhelpful comments, and showing a really unpleasant side of human nature.  Keith was only after some advice about a telephone system...he didn't ask whether people felt putting phones into a B&B would win a popularity contest...blimey, if we can't answer his phone query, then why can't we just be pleased for him that he's made such a go of things and leave it at that?

Good on you Keith..I for one think what you've done is fantastic and it just goes to show that good research, hard work and imgination goes a long way to making a business work. (Sorry, don't know the answer to the phone query BTW, but will ask a friend who used to work for BT and see if they can shed some light...)