bed making

[Wilko]

Hi

Spent last evening with 3 other couples who have B&Bs in our area. Two of them said that they didn't make the beds on a daily basis for their clients. I just wondered how many of you B&Bers out there make or do not make the beds on a daily basis.

Rgds Wilko

[mint]

Have stayed in many b & bs and small hotels in France.  Have only come across one place where the bed was not made daily.  Haven't been back there since though we have been back to most of the others!

[Pads]

As its bed and breakfast I would of thought the bed and the breakfast would be part of the service that the people were paying for, its a bit like asking them to wash up there own breakfast dishes [blink] 

If it was a self service place then they would make there own bed and wash their dishes [:)]

[Quillan]

[quote user="Pads"]

As its bed and breakfast I would of thought the bed and the breakfast would be part of the service that the people were paying for, its a bit like asking them to wash up there own breakfast dishes [blink] 

If it was a self service place then they would make there own bed and wash their dishes [:)]

[/quote]

Actually your comment is not far from the truth. There is no such thing as a B&B in France, it's called a Chambres dhôtes which translates to 'room of hosts'. The idea is that you stay in a house with a family and share the accommodation and food with them which is why if you have evening meals it's called Table d'hôte, 'table of hosts'. The host typically, in days gone past, would have been the farmers wife and most CDH's would have been working farms, it was a way for the farmers wife to make some pin money if she had a spare room (hence shared bathrooms in days gone past). Taking that in to account the farmers wife would normally be working on the farm and would not be able (time wise) to give the same sort of service as a hotel i.e. make the beds every day although there are rules on when the bed linen and towels must be changed.

The English are the ones that have probably had the biggest impact in basically copying the B&B establishment from the UK (where standars are normally very high and more akin to a small hotel) to France and have raised the quality of accommodation and the way it's run over the years. Most English run CDH market themselves at the UK where people expect things that would not have necessarily have been done or supplied in a CDH, like making beds and cleaning the room every day, providing tea and coffee and in some cases TV's in the room.

Some English running CDH's, and I include myself, try to run along the lines of a CDH but change it slightly to accommodate the growing European and world market. As Pads has said there are things like made beds (en-suite bathrooms) that they expect as 'international' travelers. Even the French owners have realised this and have 'upped' their game and are now providing more sophisticated levels of service and accomodation.

The biggest problem is the inconsistency in quality and service that is found amongst CDH's, Gites etc which is why ALL CHD's, Gites, Gite, d'etape, Gite Communal, Gite de Group and Gite d'enfants must be registered via the local mayors office by the 31st December 2007. This is the first stage of 'sorting out' and standardising this business and hopefully over the coming years guests will be able to find the same, constant, standard and level of service wherever they go in France.

In answer to the OP make the beds and clean the room every day, check the toilet rolls, empty the bin and replenish the consumables like tea coffee etc. I think, although not compulsory, doing these things will only enhance your reputation but ensure you get repeat business.

[Wilko]

Exactly Quillan....this was the point made to me by both of the couples ie that C d'Hs were not expected to make the beds. I just wondered how many B&Brs do or don't.........we certainly do !.........................Tho if we all agree not to it would be a little less work for all !!!!

Rgds Wilko

[Quillan]

[quote user="Wilko"]

Exactly Quillan....this was the point made to me by both of the couples ie that C d'Hs were not expected to make the beds. I just wondered how many B&Brs do or don't.........we certainly do !.........................Tho if we all agree not to it would be a little less work for all !!!!

Rgds Wilko

[/quote]

How about putting a washing machine in the hall and bucket and mop in the bedroom with a set of clean sheets and towels, do you think we could train guests to do a change over when they leave [;-)] . After all us CDH/B&B owners sit around all day with nothing to do leading a life of Riley [:D] . As a friend says you looked after our CDH a couple of years ago who runs a pub back in the UK "Give me the pub any day, it's easier" mind you having never run a pub in my life (drunk in a few mind) I would never know if it's true. I mean they look like they have an easy life, pulling pints and being the jovial host, I could do that [;-)] .

[Cendrillon]

Some good observations from everyone.

quillan said
"In answer to the OP make the beds and clean the room every day, check the toilet rolls, empty the bin and replenish the consumables like tea coffee etc. I think, although not compulsory, doing these things will only enhance your reputation but ensure you get repeat business."

You can also then justify charging a good rate and making a sensible income from your B&B.

If beds are not going to be made on a daily basis and the above services are not provided then I would expect to pay a very small amount for the room.

[Frank]

Hi

Just reading the info re Bed making and I noted from Quillans reply the reference to registering at the mayors office.  Is there a website with the information regarding this legislation that I can visit as its the first I have heard of this ruling!!  Is it for all types of Gite/CDH whether registered with other bodies or not?   Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

Jetlag

[Quillan]

[quote user="jetlag"]

Hi

Just reading the info re Bed making and I noted from Quillans reply the reference to registering at the mayors office.  Is there a website with the information regarding this legislation that I can visit as its the first I have heard of this ruling!!  Is it for all types of Gite/CDH whether registered with other bodies or not?   Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

Jetlag

[/quote]

This is a new law that came in to place on the 4th August 2007. All CDH and Gite owners or owners of communal accommodation such as dormitory etc must register with the local mayor by the 31st December 2007. If you are a CDH then there you must comply with the current regulations namely a maximum of 5 rooms and basic hygiene standards. There is a 10,000 Euro fine for not registering according to the letter I received with my form. You need to prove you have given the form in as well, I got my mayors office to stamp and date mine then give me a copy.

The new law can be seen here.:

http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnTexteDeJorf?numjo=ECER0759563D

Our mayor was given a 'pack' by the prefecture with envelops for the Tresor Public and the Chamber of Commerce for him to send further copies of the completed form. The form is pretty naf and looks like it was done by a secretary somewhere in MS Word so my guess is each department or region is dealing with this differently i.e. some have forms and others don't.

This has nothing to do with being registered with GDF or Clevacances, anyone having a Gite or CDH must do this.

[Pads]

Just another little thought on weather to make the beds or not...............

If you go in daily to make the beds, you can then check asto any damage that might of been done and sort it before they up and leave you with the bill to fix it, also a room that is kept tidy is given more respect and hopfully kept that way, if they think you arnt going to check every day people will just lie on the beds with there shoes on ect.............. (I know some people do anyway)[I]  

[Frank]

Hi Quillan

Thanks for the link and info, but I must be missing something because I cannot find any reference to gites even after I have translated the page.  Would the Chamber of Commerce know as I could ask them when I register next month or shall I just go the mayors office.  Also, if the tressor public have forms etc, does this mean there is a fee??  Thanks again

Jetlag

[Wendy]

We service rooms on a daily basis. If the bed is unmade then we make it up. We dont have the laundry budget of a Hilton so we change the bed linen every 3 days, when guests are in that long of course. We make one exception, and I wonder if Quillan has noticed this: if we see that the guests have made their own bed then we leave the bed as it is. To us this says 'leave it alone'. I know because we have stayed in many B&B's/hotels and at times have not wanted our room 'disturbed'. We have had several guests in who have asked us at the off to stay out of their room for the duration of their stay. So, even though daily servicing is a habit here we still enquire each day as to whether our guests wish their room to be serviced. Most say 'yes', a few say 'no'.

In all, guests like their beds made up on a daily basis but do notice, as we have, that if they make up their own bed then just leave it as it is. Some people are fussy about how their bed is.  We have applied this practice and have never had any complaints. If you have plenty of bed linen then change such on a daily basis if you wish, but such a service is usually a hotel kind of thing. Not a B&B feature.

 

 

[Quillan]

[quote user="jetlag"]

Hi Quillan

Thanks for the link and info, but I must be missing something because I cannot find any reference to gites even after I have translated the page.  Would the Chamber of Commerce know as I could ask them when I register next month or shall I just go the mayors office.  Also, if the tressor public have forms etc, does this mean there is a fee??  Thanks again

Jetlag

[/quote]

Sorry I have been on holiday.

The form I received is from the Mairie and has six boxes for you to select the type of accommodation you have and they are as follows

Chambres d'hôte

Gite ou centre équestre

Gite d'étape

Gite Communal ou intercommunal

Gite de groupe

Gite d'enfants

As I said the form is a bit amateurish in it's construction. The mayor was asked to photocopy it and forward copies on to Chamber of Commerce and Tressor Public. That's about all I know I am afraid. As normal however it will differ from one region/area to another.

If I were you I would go and ask the mayor just to be on the safe side.