Lay My Hat

I'm confused...
We run gites & chambres d'hôte and I also run day (& residential) textile classes. Because of the lockdown we are, of course, closed. No classes, no gite/B&B guests... That was my understanding of the lockdown rules.

Today there's a story on BBC news about a a chalet refusing to refund money to guests who have had to cancel their holiday. It says: "Although non-essential travel was banned both by France and the UK on 24 March the French government decreed that hotels and other lodgings can remain open".

Is that correct? I don't see how we can be expected to be open. Is it to prevent us claiming for lack of income? I thought it said that non-essential places that hosted the public had to close.

So far as I understand it ...
In order to leave where we are living we have to fill in an attestation.
Nowhere on the attestation does it say we can travel for holiday reasons.
Some hotels are staying open in order to offer accommodation for people who have to travel for business purposes.
Some gites are staying open to accommodate essential workers or those who have returned to France and have no other accommodation.

I think the guests can fight the refusal of the chalet to refund at least part of their money.

SPJ wrote:So far as I understand it ...
In order to leave where we are living we have to fill in an attestation.
Nowhere on the attestation does it say we can travel for holiday reasons.
Some hotels are staying open in order to offer accommodation for people who have to travel for business purposes.
Some gites are staying open to accommodate essential workers or those who have returned to France and have no other accommodation.

I think the guests can fight the refusal of the chalet to refund at least part of their money.

That’s my understanding as well.

No-one in France is allowed to travel for holiday or leisure reason and the borders are shut to all apart from returning French nationals.

Unless you’re housing essential workers or having been requested to house someone by the local authorities, you should be shut.

Under the recent directive the Chalet should offer an alternative date or refund the money within an 18 month period. We havent been told to close but client have been told they cant come! Which makes it impossible to claim on insurance.

https://charentestourisme.com/ressource ... dium=email

https://charentestourisme.com/covid-19/ ... dium=email

Finally, they seem to be getting their collective acts together.

We have just had an email from our tourist office with a copy of the minutes of a meeting at the Prefecture of the Herault region dated yesterday.

B&B and holiday rentals should be closed. There are a small number of exceptions. This order is valid until 11th May.

At least this should allow people to claim off their holiday insurance if they were due to visit our region in the next month.

I feel sure that other regions either have or will be making similar demands

VT

Thank you for this info VT.
Does anyone know if the Deux Sevres has implemented this official closure yet?
Stay safe everyone

My understanding is that the regulations apply France wide but if in doubt check with your Mairie, Tourist Board or Prefecture for your Departement - the horse's mouth!

For those who haven't yet found it this gouvernment website gives information and answers most of the common questions on all aspects of the lockdown
https://www.gouvernement.fr/info-corona ... rch-[gouv]
All you have to do is click on the 'questions/réponses' box and follow your nose.
Under the section there 'Réglementation du confinement' you will find :
Les locations de vacances sont-elles interdites ?
Oui.

Hope that helps, folks!

Thank you Gillian and Circé.
I was having trouble finding the info on other more 'local' office websites.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. I was correct then - we're not meant to be open. The BBC news article about the ski chalet just confused me!

Well well, France to be exempt from UK quarantine restrictions. So maybe I will, after all, have UK guests arriving on 20th June. I better get down to the cottage and start cleaning.

Personally I would not be rushing to do any cleaning just yet...!

Circé wrote:Personally I would not be rushing to do any cleaning just yet...!

I'd rather get it all ready early. so that the cottage can be pristine at least a week before they are due to arrive. I will then go in the day before wearing mask and disposable gloves and go over every surface with an alcoholic cleanser or hot soapy water.
There's no way I want to be doing any of this in a rush at the last minute.
My concern is not just that they may bring the virus with them but that I may be an asymptomatic carrier and give it to them.

SPJ wrote:

Circé wrote:Personally I would not be rushing to do any cleaning just yet...!

I'd rather get it all ready early. so that the cottage can be pristine at least a week before they are due to arrive. I will then go in the day before wearing mask and disposable gloves and go over every surface with an alcoholic cleanser or hot soapy water.
There's no way I want to be doing any of this in a rush at the last minute.
My concern is not just that they may bring the virus with them but that I may be an asymptomatic carrier and give it to them.

The trouble is, the travelling restrictions are not lifted in the UK yet. I know France are outside the new quarantine restrictions that are being brought in, but there is no suggestion anyone can go on holiday yet.

I would wait a bit longer before you do anything.

Well Circé and Zebedee, you can say "I told you so". I'm deeply relieved to say our guests have just cancelled and, bless them, rebooked for next year.
I would have coped but am very grateful I don't have to. Not least because all sorts of scenarios have been running through my head.
What if they fall ill while they are here? It may be a common cold, but who knows and so far as I can gather at the moment all and sundry in France are not able to get tests. So we would have to assume they have COVID-19 and we would all be in quarantine.
Alternative scenario. They become ill after they get home, they let me know, the new guests are in and we are all in quarantine.

I'm hoping by the time we are able to welcome guests a lot of this will have been sorted out. I didn't fancy being one of the first gites to have to face these issues.