The dream for many people is to move to France and combine this with running a BandB or a Chambre d’Hote, and there is a very strong demand for good quality BandB accommodation in many parts of France.
Several properties we are offering from the real estate site on Coast and Country are ideal for a Bed and Breakfast operation.
It can be a very satifying thing to do, Carole and I did this for six years in our home in Nizas, although most of the time we rented as apartments rather than as a bed and breakfast.
I usually advise anyone considering this move to only look at offering top quality accommodation and not to go for the budget end of the market, this is catered for by the low cost hotels like Formule, Etap and Camponile with good clean ccommodation from 30 euro a night for up to four people.
If you offer something better then, depending on the level of comfort, the location and the facilities you can charge from 40 euro to 90 euro a night for two or three people
The key for selecting a property for a successful BandB is choosing the right location in the right town. I know I am stating the obvious, but I have seen very significant changes in the demographics of accommodation over the last fifteen years in France, especially in Languedoc.
What may have worked successfully in 1999 may be an uphill struggle now. It is not just that property prices have increased substantially, but there has also been a disproportionate increase in vacation rentals combined with a change in the type of accommodation required.
To buy a property and then make a living from it is difficult, to buy a home with five BandB and sufficient space for yourself and the clients, within half an hour of the Mediterranean will cost a minimum of 500,000 euro – the income for this at an average of 60 euro a night is a maximum of about 4 percent return on your capital assuming 100 percent capacity – in reality you would get less than 2 percent return on your total capital investment as a BandB and this includes your time, feeding and cleaning, but you do have a home and a lifestyle.