When planning a vacation, travellers have a choice of several types of accommodation. While the hotel is considered the traditional form of accommodation, other forms have emerged to adapt to the new expectations of travellers. Today, each option has its own characteristics and adapts to each type of budget. With more than 156,000 tourist establishments listed in 2016, the accommodation offer in France has continued to evolve to meet the needs of a diverse clientele.
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The Hotels
These establishments offer room rental by the night. Various services are offered: room service, gym, wellness areas… A catering service is also provided for meals. Unlike chain hotels, independent hotels do not belong to a large group. The owner is autonomous in the management of his establishment. The hotel is a type of accommodation for both holidaymakers and business travellers. Motels are a sub-category of hotels. They operate on the same principle, the only particularity is that they are located close to major roads.
Les Gîtes
The lodgings are considered to be furnished for tourism. They can take different forms: a villa, an apartment, a farmhouse, a studio … The rentals are fully furnished and functional to allow travellers to spend a stay in complete autonomy. There are several sub-categories of lodgings. The gîte d’atape is for mobile travellers (hikers, sportsmen…) looking for a place to stay for a night. It is located close to hiking trails and places of pilgrimage. As for the group gîte, it is a lodging that can accommodate a large capacity of travellers, ideal for family reunions.
Guest rooms
Based on hospitality and exchange, the bed and breakfast corresponds to the renting of a room in the inhabitant’s home for a short or long stay. The owner shares the common areas of his house with other travellers. Breakfast is included in the reservation. In addition, the owner can propose a table d’hotels. The objective is to gather travellers around a meal concocted by the host for a convivial moment. This type of accommodation is ideal for travellers seeking authenticity and experience.
The camping
Initially, the campsite only offered the rental of pitches where you could pitch your tent or park your vehicle. However, this type of accommodation has evolved to adapt to new trends. Nowadays, a traveller can rent a mobile home, a bungalow or a chalet for a more comfortable stay away from the traditional and rustic image of the campsite. Services can be offered: activities, swimming pool, restaurant service… Most of the time, these accommodations are located near quiet and pleasant places (near the sea, the mountains or the lakes). Camping is the option chosen by travellers wishing to experience a stay in the heart of nature.
The youth hostel
As the preferred accommodation for young travellers, the youth hostel is the solution for small budgets. This solution proposes to stay in common dormitories. Travellers share common areas (kitchen, sanitary facilities, living room…). Youth hostels promote encounters by organizing events. The atmosphere is festive and friendly. It is an economical accommodation option that is ideal for solo travellers.
Holidays villages
As the preferred accommodation for young travellers, the youth hostel is the solution for small budgets. This solution proposes to stay in common dormitories. Travellers share common areas (kitchen, sanitary facilities, living room…). Youth hostels promote encounters by organizing events. The atmosphere is festive and friendly. It is an economical accommodation option that is ideal for solo travellers.
Holidays villages
Situated on the outskirts of tourist resorts, holiday villages offer group or individual accommodation for rent. Most of the time, “all-inclusive” packages are offered to travellers. Including accommodation and catering, these offers appeal to travellers wishing to indulge themselves during their stay. The holiday villages offer leisure facilities and common services (bar, swimming pool, children’s club…). This type of accommodation is very popular with families.
Faced with a plethora of offers, travellers can quickly find themselves lost when it comes to choosing accommodation. Thus, a classification system emerged to sort the dwellings according to specific criteria. With the exception of guest rooms and youth hostels, all tourist accommodation is likely to be classified on a scale of 1 to 5. The aim of this classification is to help travellers find accommodation that best meets their expectations, but also to guarantee a certain level of quality.
