End-of-year: lodging struggles to fill up

At the end of the year, tourists are not flocking to the “cité Sourdine,” and accommodation bookings are down.

At the end of the year, tourists are not flocking to the “cité Sourdine,” and accommodation bookings are down.
Despite the partial lifting of the lockdown, the hospitality sector remains heavily affected during this holiday season.
At La Clef Decamp, a rental company based in Villedieu since 2015 with nineteen gîtes across Normandy, Loire-Atlantique, and the Somme, Christmas bookings are slow.
“Usually, this is a very popular period for our clients, and we are fully booked early in the year,” says manager Jennifer Decamp. “As of now, half of our gîtes remain empty. Because of the virus, people have given up gathering for this traditionally family-oriented holiday. We still hope to get some last-minute bookings, even though it’s always more difficult for our staff to manage.”
The trend is better for the second week of the holidays. “Then we are fully booked, and about half of our clients had reserved well in advance. We are favored by our concept: in this particular period, clients tend to choose accommodations where they can cook.” La Clef Decamp employs ten full-time staff and ten contractors, some of whom are currently on partial unemployment. “Bookings are minimal.” The situation is similar at the Hotel Le Fruitier. While the hotel has 51 rooms, director Nathalie Lebargy reports unusually low occupancy, with only two to ten rooms booked per day. “We had cancellations due to the closure of the pool and wellness area at our annex, Domaine des Chevaliers, included in the original packages,” says the director. “The period between Christmas and New Year’s Day is usually our busiest. But so far, bookings are minimal. It’s a catastrophic situation.”

Published on 24 December 2020 in Ouest-France.