Gîtes de France
In case a picturesque country house, a farm house, or a holiday apartment is more to your liking, the website of the association “Gîtes de France” will help you find the an accommodation for your holiday in France. On the website, you will be able to directly look at the various offers and book online. But before you begin your reservation, here’s some information on “Gîtes de France”.
What is "Gîtes de France"?
"Gîtes de France" is a large guest-house network in France and a quality label that guarantees comfortable holiday stays, which meet the needs of vacationers seeking authentic French countryside housing. The label "Gîtes de France" is awarded by the French "département" (France is divided into 101 geographical parts, called "départements") the house is located in.
A "gîte" is an independant rental rented per week (usually from Saturday to Saturday), for a week-end or for short stays. Each guest house is entirely furnished and normally includes a living room, bedrooms, one or several bathrooms and a kitchen. Depending on the size of the guest house, the "gîtes de France" can accommodate a couple, a family or a whole group of friends.
What is guaranteed under the label "Gîte de France"?
This label guarantees for each guest-house the respect of a compliance with a national charter of quality and specific standards of comfort. The guest houses labeled “Gîtes de France” are subject to a classification that consists of a rating system from 1 to 5. Accommodations therefore go from the simplest (1) to the best comfort (5). This classification is reviewed at least every 5 years by the label “Gîtes de France”. In addition to comfort and specific development requirements, a guest house is labeled “Gîte de France” only if it meets safety standards (drinking water, electrical safety, fire safety, and accessibility to the elderly).
Further information: on this article of the Gîtes de France website
How can I check if the guest house is labeled "Gîte de France"?
After completing the certification process, a guest house is allowed to put up the logo "Gîte de France" at its entrance. When booking, ask the host for a precise description of the accommodation and for the class ranking that was assigned to it. On the pictures of the guest house or when arriving there, make sure that the logo is placed near the lodging.
Who does one address to dispute the classification of the lodging?
If there is an issue during your stay and you dispute the comfort requirements provided by the host, you can contact directly Gîtes de France through their online forms and choose the type of your request.
As Gîtes de France is acting as an intermediary you can contact them only for issues relating to:
- the online booking process (payment issue for example);
- the stay itself (you dispute the comfort requirements provided by the host for example). Here Gîte de France will take your demand into account only if you sent it in the 3 days after the check-inn. Otherwise the host is the only one competent to deal with your request;
- the protection of your data collected by Gîte de France.
If you are unable to come a solution with Gîtes de France, do not hesitate to contact the European Consumer Centre of your country.
If you live in France and you have a dispute with Gîtes de France, contact a French consumers' association.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EISMEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.