In the past, bed and breakfasts in France were seen as places where people went to get away from it all and relax in remote rural locations off the beaten track, often in converted farm buildings or old village houses. It is only recently that people in towns and cities have begun turning over rooms in their houses to visitors. How this will affect the hotels which were the mainstays of urban tourist accomodation up to now is not yet clear.
Some believe that the people who stay in bed and breakfasts are a different tourist demographic to those who stay in hotels and, if this is so, hotels should remain unaffected by this development. However, according to owners of these establishments, professional clients represent a significant portion of the guests in bed and breakfasts. Also, more and more young couples are seeking out this type of accomodation, which may have repercussions on hoteliers in the future.
The reasons for the increase in popularity of urban bed and breakfast accomodation offerings are multiple. For some, their preference is due to the personal touch offered by privately run guesthouses, for others it is due to the healthy evening meals they offer, but for many it is simply a question of value for money. More and more guesthouses are offering double and family rooms which frequently have lower prices for a superior range of amenities and a better location than hotels in the same towns or cities. Visit http://www.francebedandbreakfasts.com to find accomodation options of this type.
