Change in regulations - displaying prices

[vacancesthezan]

We are on the mailing list for Julie at lescogiteurs. This is probably the French equivalent of LMH!

We know that there has always been a requirement for hotels (and B&Bs) to display their prices near the main door however this has now been changed and includes all holiday accommodation in France.

What do you do for your property? Are you planning on making any changes?

In this age of internet and booking on line it all seems a bit unnecessary. We dont get much passing trade (and even then they have usually had a look at our site first!). We have never seen prices displayed outside a B&B in France but maybe we are just not looking.

We wonder if there is a consensus amongst LMHers as to how they plan to ensure that they adhere to the new regulations (or not!)?

[Dusty]

Hi, we run a couple of gites and cant see the point of this new legislation. We never get anyone wondering in off the street to enquire regarding our prices as everyone who enters our properties has already booked and hence knows the price already. Equally I cannot see how this legislation is going to be policed or even what value it is to the consumer as even if the provider tries to overcharge someone then the prices they would display would reflect the highest charge.
Another piece of useless legislation from our overpaid bureaucrats in Brussels.

[louloup]

I'm going to comply with the new law because I have been controlled for so many things that I'm sure they will check on me!

My tarifs sign will have the prices in a very small font and there will be a big notice saying that I never accept last minute bookings.

I presume it is intended to prevent us greedy proprietors from inviting people into our homes and then presenting them with a huge bill at the end of their stay.

The reality is that I wouldn't feel comfortable anyway inviting strangers into my home and couldn't cope with last minute guests. There doesn't seem to be any real understanding of the difference between us and a chain of hotels.

[Moliere]

Another piece of useless legislation from our overpaid bureaucrats in Brussels.

I think this is French legislation; the last time I looked, Brussels was in Belgium.

Mols

[FelicityA]

Another piece of useless legislation from our overpaid bureaucrats in Brussels.

I think this is French legislation; the last time I looked, Brussels was in Belgium.

Mols

i think Dusty was making a fair point/assumption as most crackpot ideas come out of Brussels!

[Moliere]

Oh, another Euroseptic - seems to be mode du jour nowadays.

Mols

[AndrewH]

Another piece of useless legislation from our overpaid bureaucrats in Brussels.

No, I think this is home-grown French legislation. There are directives from the EU on the subject of price displays ranging from menus in restaurants to hairdressers (all of which seem sensible to me), but nothing regarding self-catering accommodation, that I can find. Never heard of such a thing in the EU state where I live.

[Dusty]

I stand corrected Moliere, clearly I should have said overpaid bureaucrats in Paris

[Cassis]

In this age of internet and booking on line it all seems a bit unnecessary. We dont get much passing trade (and even then they have usually had a look at our site first!). We have never seen prices displayed outside a B&B in France but maybe we are just not looking.

All a load of crap, isn't it? When we were with Gites de France we kept a sign tucked behind the front door and also in each room which included price among other things. It was in case of a spot check, but in ten years no-one came to see us from GdF and we dumped them this year anyway.

The only notice visible from the outside is on a wee sign through the glass of the front door that says whether we're open or closed, and the price is in teeny-tiny midget spider writing at the bottom.

We don't accept passing trade as a rule anyway - if they haven't booked we tend to say we're full unless we're really sorry for them for some reason.

[Moliere]

I stand corrected Moliere, clearly I should have said overpaid bureaucrats in Paris

Absolutely, Dusty - without geography we'd all be lost!

Mols

[Garipiere]

The " Arreté du 18 décembre 2015 concernant la publicité des prix des hébergements touristiques", the regulation in question applies to Hotels de tourisme ( hotels ), résidences de tourisme ( tourist residences ), chambres d'hôte( B and Bs), Villages de vacances ( holiday villages ) and any other commercial tourist residences but " meublés de tourisme " i.e. gites are specifically excluded.