Telephones

[Clair]

[quote user="RedRooster"]... 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?[/quote]

But it was Keith who offered to give some business lessons... [Www]

[quote user="Keith"]... Also, as our B&B grossed

just shy of €120k last year maybe I could give (some of you) some

business lessons.[/quote]

[lizzy h]

No not at all if you are inferring its me I wish everyone in this business all the best and have on several occasions given advice to people however you may note he offered up the information on this outgoings and people did not ask it, and us just being curious would love his advice and help on how to do better, but he does not seem to be very forthcoming with the details; if he did not want to go down that line he should have never freely given this info, I for one speak honestly on this forum and would never exsadurate as I know thats theres alot more experienced people out there to knock me down!

[jon]

It is simple.

I am more than happy to see people aime for the higher end of the market...and these people will understand my exsperiences and asperations.You can achieve  plus of 100 euros a night with all the right trimmings...equivalent of decor to 4 star hotel.As I have said before...and with really good food....all this with an inbred reputation...a destination B and B in a destination area...with nice gardens.

I know that some of you...most of you feel comfortable with simplicity and less obligation to work.....and your taste and style probably a little different to mine.

If the property which you have shown as being Keiths....then I am afraid I would never be able to discibe that much more than a one star.To be able to attract the spenders .....well unlikely.

As Keith has not come forward....well I cam only presume that the whole thing was ajoke?Why someone would wish to play such a joke...I am not sure.

It seems that what you see is not what you get in this world.

 

[Russethouse]

We have a regular poster here who often says 'if it looks to be good to be true it usually is'

To be honest if I am going to pay 100€ a night I would go for a hotel, and if you start to offer choice at mealtimes, wine etc you swiftly stop really being a B&B and become a boutique hotel - thats fine, but in France don't you have to be careful about the rules and regulations and just what you are allowed to do under the B&B banner?

[cassis]

[quote user="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...)

[/quote]

Welcome to the forum, Red Rooster.

You are absolutely right - the OP's doing a brilliant job getting 150€ a night and 120k euros a year.  His only mistake was revealing what a stunning success he has made of such an unpromising establishment.  I would normally go for a room in a small chateau or similar for that money but I'll clearly have to revise my views about what is available at that price.

chateau in burgundy

Or not.

[jon]

Keith has gone into hiding....but his school is a great idea.

[jon]

Who is your regular contributor who suggests" that if it looks too good to be true"etc?

I get the point of your second paragraph but    I also can say that a boutique hotel " real hotel it is your choice.

However if nothing goes horribly wrong I am going to have a really nice project , some contented clients and hopefully earn enough money to enjoy my life.

 

[jon]

Having trouble with the computor....what I was trying to explain was....

If  someone prefers to operate their B and B at a level similar to that of a boutique hotel there is no problem unless they actually break the law ...and as long as they  and pay the taxes.Surely one does not break the law by making an establishement very comfort and possibly unique.Even in four star hotels there is not always a helping hand with the lugage....and the restaurant closes early.....sometimes at 9pm

My clients will be able to linger over dinner and the lounging facilities are for them to enjoy.

Sometimes I enjoy staying in a hotel....

 

 

[Russethouse]

[quote user="jon"]

Keith has gone into hiding....but his school is a great idea.

[/quote]

Oh, it's a school  ? How enterprising ! Of course had he said so in the first place he might have saved a lot of comment, c'est la vie.

No, there is law about running an upmarket B&B as long as you are registered correctly and have the correct licenses.

Are there any hotels anywhere near you Jon ?

 

[RedRooster]

Hi there Cassis, yes, I would agree with you about your preference for a small chateau or similar for the money - me too, every time.  Having said that, it's not certain that Keith's place is the one in the links in previous replies, is it? (again, admit it looks a likely candidate and Keith has chosen not to deny or confirm it...but generally if it waddles like a duck, quacks like a duck etc then it's probably a duck!!) 

[Danny]

RedRooster,

I think the balance of probability swings towards it being one and the same http://www.completefrance.com/cs/forums/1140407/ShowPost.aspx

Danny

[RedRooster]

You're right Danny, definitely a duck!

[Rob Roy]

My goodness, I've only been away one night and this thread has exploded!!

I was looking at the link to the e-bay site that Quillan posted and my husband walked past and asked what I was looking at and where it was - his comment?  

"You can stay in Formula 1 for 30 euros a night".

Enough said.  

[Kitty]

Oh dear, Keith must feel that he is being killed with a thousand pin pricks.  Some of you in here are like school bullies.  He came onto the Forum, asking a perfectly legitimate and interesting question, and within hours was being told off for not being a B&B or CdH or for having boring decor or a million and one little 'crimes'.  His short message about his income was probably run off in a couple of minutes when he was feeling rather peed off.  But he is enterprising and obviously filled with business ideas.  If I was him, I'm not sure how I would feel right now.  So perhaps we should just lay off and wish him success.

 

[Russethouse]

As has previousley been mentioned, Keith rather put himself in this position

... Also, as our B&B grossed just shy of €120k last year maybe I could give (some of you) some business lessons

Jon thinks it's a school, others think its the place that look like a rather cheaper stopover. If  Keith wants to offer people some business lessons it may just be better to demonstrate that he is doing it from a position of strength.

[jon]

Funny thing Russet House.....there is a hotel in the village..

So what is the point?
I have to say...talking about schools...are you a headmistress?

[Patf]

Perhaps Keith's business skills are more in the area of buying a property, doing it up, equipping and selling.  Otherwise why is there no alcohol in the minibars?

[Chancer]

I admire the way he has reached a large audience of potential buyers through the E-Bay auction and also to a certain degree through the discussion that he has generated on here[:)]

Regarding E-Bay is he bending the system or is that a legitimate auction?

Do they just get their listing fee or is there a commision payable?

Given that he is inviting people to make direct contact and I also doubt that many people would want a bid of 250K to be visible on the internet I assume that a private deal would be done.

All in all very enterprising and if it is legit or if a loophole, not likely to be plugged, something that I and others may consider.

Opinions please!

[jon]

Lots of people have skills in doing things up.....not having alcohol in the mini bars is a matter of law...I believe...however I am uncertain of many aspects relating to Keiths extras....If you area hotel you charge for breakfast some hotelks charge as much as 15 euros for a very very simple breakfast.

But as I have said before....if that web site realates to his up market Chambre d hote....to me it resembles that of a formula one style.

But he has disappeared...has he not.

Some years ago I bought a n interesting property near St Malo which we did not keep for more than a few years....the pressures of restaurant life in London did not give us time or energy to explore the properties full potential.Despite the local immobiliers suggestions of price...I achieved almost double to their figures and made a profit for us and the French funds.I used by contacts and inspired the market with interest...after recieving about 80 calls and a few vistgs to the house a couple fell in love with it.So all parties were happy...I still like the area...and was delighted to have known and loved the hous

 

[Russethouse]

[quote user="J.R."]

I admire the way he has reached a large audience of potential buyers through the E-Bay auction and also to a certain degree through the discussion that he has generated on here[:)]

Regarding E-Bay is he bending the system or is that a legitimate auction?

Do they just get their listing fee or is there a commision payable?

Given that he is inviting people to make direct contact and I also doubt that many people would want a bid of 250K to be visible on the internet I assume that a private deal would be done.

All in all very enterprising and if it is legit or if a loophole, not likely to be plugged, something that I and others may consider.

Opinions please!

[/quote]

You realise he is just auctioning a brochure or selling pack, don't you ?

[Quillan]

[quote user="Cathy"]

Oh dear, Keith must feel that he is being killed with a thousand pin pricks.  Some of you in here are like school bullies.  He came onto the Forum, asking a perfectly legitimate and interesting question, and within hours was being told off for not being a B&B or CdH or for having boring decor or a million and one little 'crimes'.  His short message about his income was probably run off in a couple of minutes when he was feeling rather peed off.  But he is enterprising and obviously filled with business ideas.  If I was him, I'm not sure how I would feel right now.  So perhaps we should just lay off and wish him success.

[/quote]

He probably does now but he did rather shoot himself in the foot.

There are laws in France about B&B/CdH as there are for Hotels and they have to be obeyed. There are many who operate outside these laws and big efforts are being made to catch these people and make sure they are running correctly which is why compulsory registration was bought in at the end of 2007. My suspicion is he may know a lot about the hospitality business but little about the legality of running such a place in France which you can see by looking at his posts here and the data on his website.

If there is a law then to break it is a crime be it small or large.

There are also big penalties for falsely describing your accommodation with fines from between 3,750 and 7,500 Euros depending on if its your first offence. There are laws on supplying tea, coffee and juice at breakfast and a licence is required.  Serving meals at night requires a licence as well.

Now I am not accusing Keith of doing anything illegal but there are those out there that are and hopefully they will get caught. Many of us here who own B&B/Cdh work very hard, ensure we meet these laws, pay our tax's etc and if somebody appears to be breaking them we quite rightly get upset. This is a hard business, guests see us pottering about being nice and helpful but have little idea as to what goes on in the back office, kitchen and laundry room.

There are several questions some would like answered because if the data given is correct then we would like to know how to make this amount of money on what is claimed to be a regular basis. I would be the first to put my hand up and say if it's true then yes I am jealous and 'green with envy' and want to know more so I too can boost my income

The property on Ebay is, without doubt, his and there are little details in the listing and on the website given that confirm this. There is one issue regarding breakfast for which you cannot charge for if you are a B&B. This could of course be an optional extra breakfast on top of his normal one but then he could have come back and explain that and it should of course be on tariff page of his website. Under his special offers if you book now you can get 7 nights for the price of 5 and it runs all year based on the fact that it does not say to the contrary. Sure some of us also make offers (we do 3 for 2 but only out of season and we state that). Perhaps he can do this with the extras he offers that are not mentioned anywhere. If it's that easy to make so much money then why give such a large discount in peak season. In fact why sell, unless there is a health issue or somethings, as this appears to be a right little gold mine. I think the answer lies in him selling the property and he wants as many confirmed bookings on the books to make it more attractive to a potential buyer plus the ability to show earning potential but it has to be said on what you can see and what is claimed (about) 120,000 a year seems an awful lot and anyone buying should get an accountant to 'do' the books very carefully.

I also think that in a way this is a bit of advertising for selling the place but it's back fired. I mean to say if I could earn that sort of money with his place I would flog my mine and buy his and I am sure I wouldn't be first in the queue.

If, on the other hand, its all innocent, the data give is correct and all is above board then I most humbly apologise and am very sorry to have caused offence.

Mini Bar - As far as I am aware to sell alcohol via a mini bar will require a bar licence or something special. A restaurant licence wont cover you because you have to have a 3 course meal. This is probably why he only sells soft drinks.

Anyway I guess we will never know.

[Caussenarde]

He said the place grossed 120k pa.

Well if it is the one in Morvan, then no wonder...there is a credit card charge of 500 euros per stay....[I]

It is refundable, so no there impact on nett income, but think about the gross turnover......

If you look at a business, do take note of the turnover, but  look hardest at the margin.

[jon]

Looks like we will never know....I am not too sure of how many Americans pass by Morvan.

 

 

[Chancer]

[quote user="Caussenarde"]He said the place grossed 120k pa.

If you look at a business, do take note of the turnover, but  look hardest at the margin.[/quote]

 

Turnover is vanity

Profit is sanity

[sid]

[quote user="Quillan"]

.... There are laws on supplying tea, coffee and juice at breakfast and a licence is required.  Serving meals at night requires a licence as well.

[/quote]

Wow! I'm curious; we don't run CdH but we know people who do and this has never come up before. Could you point me towards some relevant legislation, a web site, perhaps?

Sid