Hotels and the French, a thwarted summer love

• Like every summer, France remains the European country where holidaymakers stay the least in hotels.

• An exception which is partly explained by the love of the French for seasonal rentals.

• But more than a disavowal for the hotels, it is rather a constraint.

Just as summer has its fair share of holiday romances, it also harbors disaffections.

“Only” 29% of French holidaymakers will sleep in a hotel during their stay this summer, compared to an average of 46% for Europeans, according to the latest barometer from Europ Assistance*.

France even ranks dead last.

A striking difference and a continuous trend for several years, according to the agency.

So what, the French would not like the Sofitels, the apricot jam jar for breakfast because there is no longer the strawberry one, the kingsize beds and the room services?

Not sure.

Attempt to explain.

More than a disavowal for the hotel, it is probably necessary to see there a love for seasonal rentals, a Franco-French passion: 39% of holidaymakers in the country make this choice, against 30% on average in Europe.

And for good reason: France has four million second homes, says sociologist Jean Viard: "It's much more, in proportion, than any other European country".

This specialist in social times and vacations explains that “the French left the countryside much later than in other Nations, most of them keeping their homes.

Of the four million farms that there were in 1945, 400,000 have been transformed into seasonal rentals, not to mention those rented under the radar.

You guys, I'll never forget you

These many second homes lead to the second part of the favorite accommodation of French people on vacation: the good old squat with friends or family.

“Here too, the trend in France is much higher than in Europe: 29% of travelers opt for this option, a downward trend compared to 2021”, indicates Francine Abgrall, director of the Travel Business Line at Europ Assistance France. .

The explanation is simple: it is more pleasant to sleep with friends who live in Nice, Montpellier or Argelès-sur-Mer rather than in Dresden, Leicester or Namur.

According to a study by the Ministry of the Environment in 2017, 8.1 million people in France live within 10 km of the coast, including 1.1 million within 500 meters.

Corocic'eau, therefore.

And this avoids one of the constraints of the hotel: the imposed schedules.

“The French are very attached to independence and free holidays, more than in the majority of countries”, agrees Danièle Küss, former head of the International Tourism Development Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Armelle Solelhac, founder of SWiTCH, a forecasting and strategy agency specializing in tourism, drives the point home: “Hotels are breakfasts between such and such a time, schedules for returning, for leaving… Few people in are fond of on vacation.

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Money as a limit

Add another factor: the French have on average longer holidays than the rest of Europeans, informs Francine Abgrall: 2.1 weeks against 1.9.

"Inevitably, the longer the stay, the more the hotel becomes unreasonable in view of the price", supports Danièle Küss.

The reality is probably more here: the French and the hotel, it's not a loss of love, but perhaps an impossible love.

“It's not because they don't go that they don't want to go, it's that they can't, believes Jean Viard.

Many French people dream of hotel holidays, often prevented by the cost or the children, who are not very compatible with this type of accommodation.

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Constrained choice

Because compared to other countries, “hotels are more expensive in France, because they are subject to many more technical and legal constraints.

Seasonal rental actually appears to be more profitable”, continues Armelle Solelhac.

Not to mention the cost of meals: a hotel rarely has a kitchen, unlike other types of seasonal accommodation.

According to an Ifop study published in June 2022 **, the rental price is the first criterion (73%) for the choice of accommodation, and the type of accommodation would be a criterion for less than one French person in two (49%).

Housing rather suffered, therefore, to the chagrin of some holidaymakers – and especially, unfortunately, holidaymakers: “Household chores are much more present in seasonal rentals than in hotels, and are often attributed to women”, regrets Danièle Küss .

And Jean Viard concludes: “The hotel is fantasy, so very often inaccessible.

Anyway, as long as there is the sea, the main thing is safe.

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** The survey was conducted with a sample of 1,004 people, representative of the French population aged 18 and over.

• Economy

• Hotel

• Summer holidays

• School vacation

• Travel

• purchasing power