Anybody running gites?

[Le Vette]

I'm just curious, because we have a gite which has been very successful for the last two years but this year our bookings are massively reduced.

In 2014 we didn't start marketing until May but sold 14 weeks, last year we sold 23 weeks. This year at this point we only have two weeks sold, where we already had about 12 weeks sold at this point last year.

I'm assuming that both Brexit and the shenanigans at Calais are to blame, but is anybody else noticing this big drop in bookings, or is it just us?

[Terryg4]

It's a problem with our 3 bed gite but not with the two bed although bookings are a bit slow.
We've assumed the same as you, hopefully we will get a rush!

Terry


ETA

Sorry, not allowed.

Edited by Big Al. on Tuesday 28th June 22:50

[Fatt McMissile]

We have 39 weeks booked over our three gites and two things stand out as unusual: only seven of those weeks are new business, the rest are repeat bookings; we still have seven peak weeks unbooked.
We're not too worried about the end of September weeks as they usually book later in the year and we'll more than likely fill some of the peak weeks, but considering that last year we had excellent weather in Brittany for most of the season we would have expected a rush of new business this year.
Steve

[Herdwick]

Not quite Gites, but we are involved with 3 apartments on the S coast of France, and all 3 are around half of what they were at this point last year. Mainly rented to Brits in the past.

[rdjohn]

Fatt McMissile said:

We have 39 weeks booked over our three gites and two things stand out as unusual: only seven of those weeks are new business, the rest are repeat bookings; we still have seven peak weeks unbooked.
We're not too worried about the end of September weeks as they usually book later in the year and we'll more than likely fill some of the peak weeks, but considering that last year we had excellent weather in Brittany for most of the season we would have expected a rush of new business this year.
Steve

Our experience exactly this year. In previous years, since 2006, we have had very little availability at the end of February. This year we have very few new bookings.

FWIW, I think the likes of AirB&B and Homeaway have also skewed the market significantly. Once upon a time, ChezNous had the French market to themselves, but are now almost invisible compared to these giant companies marketing on a world-wide basis and being all-things-for-all-comers. Specialising in nothing but making money by planting in the minds of people booking that the property owners advertising on their websites might not be honest, so they will hold the cash and skim 8% in the case of TripAdvsor.

We are already hoping there may be a last-minute rush after the vote, but certainly are not banking on it. We were with some French friends last night who have been running Gites since 1995, they also are experiencing a disastrous year for bookings. It's almost a relief to know that we are not alone.

[smifffymoto]

When you look how much money is behind the likes of Air bnb and Home away group they begin to look like the only players in town.

[Le Vette]

That may be so, but as I mentioned before, our bookings through HomeAway have been minimal over the past two years...

[rdjohn]

Le Vette said:

That may be so, but as I mentioned before, our bookings through HomeAway have been minimal over the past two years...

As I mentioned before they skew the market, by equalising everything. A holiday in France is treated identically to every other self-catering holiday, from a luxury villa in Bermuda to a mattress on the floor in Slovenia.

Historically Gites de France, built up a tradition of Anglofiles taking their summer breaks in rural France. That concept seems to have changed quite radically, very recently.

I drove home from southern Spain over the weekend, the numbers of UK registered cars on the road was minute compared to previous years.

Brittany Ferries used to dominate western channel crossing, but they offer far fewer sailings than they ever used to. I will use the tunnel to Dover next week and am sure there will be as many Polish, Dutch and Belgian cars visiting Britain rather than Brits returning home after an Easter break in France.

[Terryg4]

We have also found in the 12 years we have been running ours is that the type of people coming has also changed.
It could be us but it would seem that they have gone down a notch!

[Terryg4]

How's everyone's bookings now?

We are still short in our 3 bed gite with a marked absence of credible enquiries?

Brexit?

[Le Vette]

Plenty of available weeks here through the main summer season. It's picked up a little since I first posted, but we've still only sold six weeks... Hoping that once the vote has passed and the situation in Calais is no longer on front pages then people will realise that they actually need a holiday!

[majordad]

Any update ?

[Le Vette]

Sold 10 weeks now, so not too bad. Still way under half of last year's though, but friends who've got gites report similar bookings drought ...

[smifffymoto]

Don't blame Brexit.I know an American family who have been looking to visit France and hotels out are their price range in Paris are now in the price range.Prices have been reducing for months,more security related than anything else

[rdjohn]

A very different year for us, we still have 4 weeks available in August. Normally, they would have been booked before the end of January. Perhaps that is the issue, the Paris and Brussels attacks came in the prime booking period. I can't see there being many last minute decisions this year.

Hopefully next year will be better.

[Terryg4]

Currently empty , the first time at this time of the year in 12 seasons.
Our 2 bed is then fairly OK but our 3 bed is empty for another 4 weeks.

Brexit? Airbnb? who knows , lets just hope for next year

Terry

[Fatt McMissile]

We've picked up four more weeks to 43 over the three gites, only one of the four is new business though. We're still hoping for some more September lettings during the summer. We're way off last year's 69 weeks although financially it's not appeared so bad so far, but will be now with current exchange rates.

rdj said: "Hopefully next year will be better."
I sincerely hope you're right!
Steve

[Le Vette]

I confess I haven't really looked into using it or whether it's appropriate, but does anybody use AirBnB to market their gites?

[rdjohn]

Le Vette said:

I confess I haven't really looked into using it or whether it's appropriate, but does anybody use AirBnB to market their gites?

Have looked at it and rejected. They charge effectively 18% for their service. 3% to the owner, 12% charges to the renter, plus a 3.5% if there is a currency implication with their card. They take the full amount of cash up front from the renter and pay the owner within a week of arrival of the renter, provided they are happy.

Our friends are using it and did get some last minute bookings for odd days from Americans last year, but absolutely nothing this year.

Other problems is they price everything by the night, so trying to organise Sat to Sat changeovers goes out of the window.

They are ideal if you have a mattress in London and are looking for pocket money rather than running a business with taxes to pay.

[Terryg4]

We set one of our gites up on Airbnb in desperation , currently we have had no enquiries.

We managed to set a Saturday changeover and we got past "instant book" by registering on the French site first and then changing the language, so people can just enquire.

It's not a good situation :-(