At La Clef Decamp, the gîtes are multiplying
Jennifer Decamp and Sébastien Cordon have created La Clef Decamp, a company that rents out charming gîtes in Normandy, Loire-Atlantique and the Somme.
The company
“I love creating,” says Jennifer Decamp, manager of La Clef Decamp and originally from Amiens (Somme). After an initial professional career as an equestrian journalist, she moved into the gîte rental business. “I had a beautiful and large property in Tamerville, near Valognes, and the idea came to me to convert it into gîtes. That’s how it all began.”
The 37-year-old entrepreneur has expanded her portfolio of four-star charming gîtes to La Baule, Amiens, Donville-les-Bains and Granville. At the same time, she met a Norman, Sébastien Cordon, whom she married, and with whom she set about developing gîtes in Villedieu and La Chaise-Baudouin. “It was he who gave me the idea of calling our company La Clef Decamp, a playful nod to my surname.”
A complex of 19 gîtes
A first house (previously owned by Dr Delassus) was purchased on rue Carnot. The second, which had belonged to former county councillor Jean-Yves Guillou, is rented and has also been converted into gîtes. In the same spirit, two new gîtes have just opened on rue du Dr-Havard. “We have also just bought the house on the corner at the top of rue Jules-Ferry.”
The local gîtes are respectively named Villa Dei (capacity of 15 guests), Villa de Malte (21 guests), and Villa et cour du Paradis (25 guests). “The future gîte on rue Jules-Ferry will be designed to host seminars.”
As of 1 January, La Clef Decamp will have 18 holiday cottages in operation, rising to 19 by 20 May. In addition, a newly opened office on Rue Carnot has been set up to manage the company’s operations; the firm also offers the hire of reception furniture and games, a portable selfie photo booth (for weddings, birthdays, etc.) and home staging services. “We mainly rent out the gîtes on weekends during the year. In summer, they are more often rented by the week.”
The clientele consists of families and groups, with many Parisians and some foreign visitors. “For the end-of-year holidays, we were fully booked. For management, we have staff assigned to each of our gîtes to ensure guest reception and cleaning.”
Jennifer and Sébastien believe they are now contributing to the city’s tourism growth. “Many of our guests discover Villedieu and tell us they would like to come back.”
Published on 1 January 2020 in Ouest-France.