“Occupancy rate increased by 200% in February 2021 compared to February 2020,” stresses Stephane Freneau, president of the Gîtes de France association in Seine-et-Marne. For accommodations in the section, there was a before and after reservation but in the right direction this time. However, the onset of the health crisis forced these institutions to ignore the entire month of April, which usually starts the peak season. Helen Babyjay, who runs with her husband Guillaume, notes, “We’ve had a lot of cancellations when we had a record start to the year and April was full.” Fontaine de de, A weekly tour featuring about fifteen places near Fontainebleau Forest.
The dismantling then completely changed the situation with an explosion of last-minute bookings. “We’ve never seen that before, Helen Baibigi is still amazed. We went from zero occupancy to the first 100% containment in May and were full all summer.” Same story for Jerome Pellissier who lived, Orsonville Farm, In Villiers-en-Bières, recorded an increase in the occupancy rate, from 67% in 2019 to more than 80% in the 2020 fiscal year.
Go green for an hour from Paris
At the end of the first reservation, the Seine-et-Marne residences were well received by Ile-de-France residents looking for fresh air and large green spaces near their homes. “I had the impression that I was a psychologist in front of people who needed some fresh air,” Jerome Pellissier laughs.
In addition to being able to go green an hour from Paris, “customers are also attracted to short circuits and small local shops like the farmhouse local,” according to Stephen Freneau, who also insists on the strict implementation of the health charter by the union reassuring visitors. For Jerome Pellissier, the inhabitants of Ile-de-France made it possible to fill in the absence of Belgian, German and Dutch tourists who stop at his lodges on the southern route. Trade clients also played a role in compensating foreign tourists. This is how Fontaine du Dy currently accommodates employees of regional companies who have come to work in the Paris region.
Bis bis this year?
The day after Emmanuel Macron’s latest announcement, the Gîtes de France keyboard rang continuously. Stéphane Verynaud, who has had a guesthouse in Ury since 2014, explains a phenomenon confirmed by Hélène Paepegaey: “Former clients” called on Wednesday to see if they could come during this new confinement. “
However, Seine-et-Marne gites owners prefer to be careful about the outlook. “Given the uncertainty in the health context, people only book the last minute now,” notes Jerome Pellissier, whose calendar currently has no reservations this summer. However, the start of the year proves that the Lodges’ success remains unabated at Seine-et-Marne. On the contrary, it is continuing its momentum with an occupancy rate that already exceeds 50% during the first three months of all 400 buildings in the department. Enough to encourage some to take the initiative, as Stéphane Verynaud invokes: “Recently dozens of residences were opened in Seine-et-Marne with well-known project leaders.”
