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Is breakfast mandatory in France???
Hello again Fodorites,
I just received a response from a B&B in France that says I MUST purchase breakfast, that it is the law in France. Is this true? The B&B's website has one price for the room and another price for the breakfast so I told her we choose not to have breakfast. She said we must or we can't stay there. Has anyone else run into this? It adds another $24 US dollars onto the price of the room per night and that is over our budget. As it is the room is 10 euro more than is posted on their website. Now another 8 euro per person per night for four nights. It equals out to over $150 more than I originally planned for the four days. I've got other B&Bs to reserve so I just want to be prepared. Thank you...again, Michele |
Of course, it is not the law. But it is legal if a B&B or hotel makes it mandatory. It's up to their policy.
It's just like any other business. They make their price and either you accept it or not. If it is over your budget choose another one. It is as simple as that. |
They told you it's the LAW? Just for that reason, I personally would stay elsewhere (and I wouldn't pay $12 per person for breakfast anywhere!).
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I have never had to have/pay for breakfasts in France at hotels. Don't know about B&Bs, but I think the second B stands for breakfast.
Kevin runs a B&B in Provence - perhaps he can shed some light on this.. |
Here is what the B&B owner wrote me
"in France , the legislation about the B&B is clear: we have to serve the breakfast ... In our prices, we made the choice to give the price of the room and the price of the breakfast just when for medical reason, for example, or by exception when somebody have to go really early, we do not prepare and invoice the breakfast.. But the normal case included the breakfast .." I think they should include it in the prices of the room...$12.00 is just too much for breakfast...no matter how good it is. Thank you, Michele |
Would you have been okay with paying the $12 for breakfast if it had been included in the room price to begin with?
I don't think that's a lot to pay for a breakfast--it's certainly less than you'd pay in a hotel, where it would cost more like 15 Euros. |
At least IME, it was never mandatory, though my visit was almost a year ago.
A breakfast at 8 euro really isn't that expensive. BTW, that's what I had felt in the past, so I would drag my husband out on the street for "cheaper" breakfast. What I found out was that it would easily cost €5 for a croissant, a glass of OJ, and a cup of coffee at a boulangerie. While that's often enough for me at breakfast, my husband always longed for more food, and definitely more than 1 glass of OJ and more than 1 cup of coffee. In many France B&Bs the breakfast is a <i>buffet</i>. That is not the case in Paris hotels, but even at those, we can drink 3 glass of OJ and 3 cups of coffee if we want. So in hindsight, €8 or €10 really isn't that bad of a deal for breakfast at the B&B. But having said that, if I were you, I would pick another B&B instead that fits your budget. |
I don't know if it's the law or not, but at a hotel in France I ALWAYS opt out of the breakfast, which is usually about 10-12 euro for croissant, bread, jam, butter, coffee. I can get the same deal at a local café for half that, and the people watching is better.
If they had one price for the room and another for breakfast, I would be skeptical that it's the law they have to charge you for both. |
Thank you everyone for you input.
I think what bothered me most was that on their website it states 70 euro per room. Then they email me and state it is now 80 euro a room then email again saying we must buy breakfast at 8 euro each. So it jumped from 70 euro to 96 euro / night. $98 to $134...that's a big jump. A difference of $145 for 4 nights. If the 70 euro included breakfast then that would have been fine, as it is within our budget...breakfast included or not. Oh well, live and learn...that's happening a lot lately! I just wanted to be prepared for the other bookings we will be making, but now as I go over my notes it is the only B&B on my list that lists the price for the room and breakfast separately. Thank you again, Michele |
Several years ago a Parisian told me that there is a law requiring hotels to charge separately for breakfast, premised on the understanding that one should not pay if one does not eat it. That's one of the reasons that when you do avail yourself in the breakfast room the server asks for your room number. I have no way to verify that, but do know tat on occasions that I have stayed in hotels and did not eat breakfast the charge was removed from my bill, with no need to proffer a medical excuse.
That said, 8€ for breakfast is not that bad a deal. |
Even though 8€ doesn't sounds like that much, when you multiply it by 2 (or more) and then by the number of days, it does add up. For our upcoming two week trip, that would be 16€ X 14 = 224€ or about $325 for breakfasts. That is why we will eat breakfast in our apartment most of the time. I had rather spend that money on lunch or dinner!
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Michelle, reread her letter. She is bullying you into buying breakfast.
Accomadation in France is listed by stars. Stars are awarded by the amount of certain amenenties. For instance, a two star hotel must offer breakfast. A three star must have an elevator, etc. She has told you she is required to offer breakfast, and that HER rule is that she insists you must buy it, the legislation does not state you must buy it, but that she must offer it. She is free to make that her rule if she wishes, but, I would NEVER stay at a place where she is so sneaky to word things the way she did, what crap.. " medical reasons" what the heck does that mean,, ,have you ever heard of someone medically not being able to take breakfast,, ha, I am sure no French person would accept that lame excuse. I would also be curious to price difference. Can't you find somewhere else that operates a little more ethically. Even if they insist on breakfast but at least honestly state it is there policy, not the LAW ( that is such a joke) . |
There may be a legal or fiscal distinction between a hotel (a business providing accommodation) and a B&B (someone providing accommodation in a spare room in their own home). There is a legal distinction in Italy where a B&B can, I believe, have up to three guest rooms.
French hotels traditionally charged per room, and breakfast was always extra, charged per person. There is certainly no legal obligation to pay for breakfast in a French hotel. A B&B is different and is not subject to the same laws and tax requirements as a hotel. In this case, if you think the B&B is too expensive, then the solution is simple: don't stay there. |
The unlimited buffet in Ibis hotels is 8 euros.
I can imagine a B&B making breakfast obligatory, because they don't have many rooms and probably a good part of their profit margin comes from breakfast -- especially people who have paid for it and don't eat it! |
Michele -
The French do in fact have quite specific laws governing rules and regulations for hotels and chambres d'hôtes (B&B as an official designation does not exist in France to my knowledge). In order to be considered and registered as a "Chambres d'hôtes" you must provide guests a night's stay with breakfast included in the price. This means you cannot offer two seperate services (the bed and then the breakfast independently). So the owner of the place you mentioned is accurately quoting the law as best I can tell. They should no doubt be more clear on their web site in stating the total price (and then perhaps mentioning that 8 euros of that represents breakfast). Most places (ours included) don't break out the cost of the breakfast, but just make it clear it's included in the price. I don't run a hotel so I can't swear to this, but my understanding is that hotels by contrast offer breakfast as a service independent of the bed. -Kevin |
Hi michele_d; We leave for France this Friday. Of our nine overnightstops eight 'include' breakfast. You should just avoid this property. There are so many wonderful places to stay in France. ENJOY Iris
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Hello all of you helpful Fodorites!
Thank you for all your input. I have canceled with that particular B&B and already have a reservation (as of ten minutes ago)with another lovely little B&B for 60 euro a night including breakfast. It gets high recommendations on TripAdvisor and is in my price range. It was my first choice originally, then second, then first, then second... so now it is my first! All is well! Thank you, Michele |
Bottom line--they can say you must have breakfast if they want to. And you will probably find that even if you have breakfast of coffee and a croissant in a cafe it will be 5E. Do the math. Or choose another place.
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HI M,
AFAIK, the law in France is that bkfst is separate, and that you don't have to have it. I learned this from reading the notice on the back of the door in various hotels and B&Bs. Get another B&B. ((I)) |
Ira
Re-read Kevin's post. He owns a lovely BB/Chambres d'hotes in Provence - so he should know. Perhaps the Chambres d'hotes where you read about the "optional" breakfast, was not a "registered" Chambres d'hotes. Stu Dudley |
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