So what exactly is a B & B ??

[parischic]

As a newbie, with a lot to learn, and having read with interest recent posts on the What Do You give your Guests For Breakfast ? thread and others  -- thought I'd better start at the beginning (a bit like Delia Smith describing how to boil an egg!!)

So, what exactly is the definition of a B & B (British) and what is the definition of a "Chambre d'Hôtes" (French)? Are they the same or different ? What services do you provide ? With my extremely limited experience, seems that folks have widely differing views about this.

[ChezShells]

With B&B, Chambre D'hotes obviously a bed and breakfast, dont think you can serve evening meals think this is Table D'Hotes or it maybe you cant sell wine, must be included, im sure someonce can clarify.

With a gite however, you cannot supply food or charge for any extras like bikes, you can only charge for cleaning upto €50

Not sure if this is what you were looking for but usefull info.

Your local tourism office within the council will be able to advise for free, it was a while before we did and wished we had done this as soon as we moved here, grants can be given.

[Cerise]

I think this is a question a bit like 'What is a hotel?'  Anything from a Formule 1 to the Ritz is the answer and likewise for CdH or B & B (don't think they are different).

Our personal philosophy is that it is like staying with friends but you don't have to help with the washing up!  We try to treat our guests accordingly, but they must also accept that it is our home.  For example, this evening we have friends popping round for aperos as all the guests (for once) are eating out.  Any guests who happen to be around at apero time can join in but we don't not have our friends round just because we do CdH. We also do lots of things for our guests that perhaps a hotel wouldn't do - e.g. take them with us if we are going out, organise days out for them and try to be as helpful as possible.

Having said that, there is a CdH nearby where you can only arrive at a certain time, you have to be out during the day (no sitting around on the terrace with a book) and where the only contact guests have with the owner is when she hands them a key.  Breakfast there is help yourself from a breadbin and a thermos jug.

Today, we have had guests in and out all morning - currently one room is having a siesta, another person is sunning on the terrace, and the others are out somewhere but will almost certainly arrive back if I happen to put the kettle on

We like our busy life and I (mostly) enjoy the guests.  By giving them lots of personal attention we get a fair bit of repeat business.  However, that is not to say that all CdH should be run like ours - I really think that that is the essence that Cdh are all different depending on the people running it.

Maggi

[mascamps.com]

I don't know about the UK based B&B's, but in France a chambres d'hotes is:

1. a private house;

2. that takes up to 15 paying guests at a time; and

3. accommodates them in a maximum of 5 rooms (6 if the 6th offers disabled access).

 

You can offer evening meals but they are quite limited in that you can only have one meal (ie no restaurant style choices) and it must be for a fixed price. Generally the price will include wine (generally speaking it can't be sold separately as a CdH wouldn't have a drinks license allowing them to do that).

 

However, although the above is (I hope) the accepted definition of a CdH, you'll still find places with up to 30 rooms calling themselves a CdH. I think you'll find that the consensus on this forum is that you're definitely not talking B&B/CdH when you've got 30 rooms (there's generally a "bit" of debate about the 6th room).

 

 

Arnold