“CHARMING BED & BREAKFAST”. An irresistible selection of more than 300 visited and assessed establishments in Belgium, France and the Netherlands

What does the “Charming Bed & Breakfast” label stand for?

An “appellation contrôlée” for Bed & Breakfasts

The “Charming Bed & Breakfast” label is the sign of recognition and distinction of our choice of establishments. It is awarded to establishments that we have visited, and thus is a guarantee of quality standards among our selection. The comments written by us and photos taken by us during our visit allow us to present an honest, realistic view of each establishment, thus attracting an informed and motivated clientele. Both the owners and their guests are thus protected.
Our label is displayed on our website, in our printed guidebook and on annually-issued enamel signs which we invite the owners to display on the outside wall of their establishments.

A painstaking selection

All our member establishments have been visited (and are regularly revisited) by our inspectors, who select them based on the following criteria: surroundings, charm of the buildings, warmth of welcome to guests, comfort, quality of furniture and decoration and standard of food served. The name of the inspector and the date of the latest visit to the establishment are mentioned on each establishment’s web page.
To enable us to react more quickly to requests for membership and inspection, we have set up a network of expert inspectors in each of the countries covered by our guide (Belgium, France and the Netherlands) who come to inspect your establishment following your request for membership, who check if it satisfies our criteria, and who can advise and help you as required.

Our inspectors

The Netherlands
are covered by Frances Jaarsma, who was the manager of a B&B association in the past. She runs her own charming B&B “De Lindenhof” in the Gelderland district and also co-ordinates a network of antique and junk shops.

En Belgium and France
is covered by Danielle Neijs and Philippe Janssens who make a great team. While Danielle interviews the owners, Philippe takes photos of the house from every angle. In addition to this work, Danielle runs her own publishing house, specialising in tourist guides and art books (www.octogone.com).

The South-West of France
The South-West of France is covered by Jean-Claude Belanger, a wine merchant from Bordeaux who also organises wine tourism holidays in the Bordelais and runs his own B&B “Peyraguey Maison Rouge” at Sauternes.

Three categories

The growth in the number of “Bed & Breakfasts” and the wide variety of types of guest accommodation in the different regions of the three countries currently covered has led us to devise our own three categories:

Charming Bed & Breakfast

or guest rooms (you stay in the owners’ home)

Charming holiday homes

or houses available on short-term or longer-term leases

Charming small hotels

or charming inns with up to 12 guest rooms
These three categories are part of the same philosophy and have the same selection criteria.

A guidebook distributed in bookshops

Launched in 1995, our guidebook has become a benchmark. It is published in French, Dutch and English versions, and is available from bookshops. A new edition is published every two years, and each new edition receives considerable press attention. Our organisation also has stands at B&B trade fairs and exhibitions in Brussels, Paris, Lille, Lyon... You can also buy a copy of the guidebook via our website www.bedbreakfast.be.

Attractive websites

Our websites www.bedbreakfast.be, www.maisondhote.com and www.gastenkamer.com and attractive, easy to find and full of useful information. They attract around 500 visitors per day (more than 15,000 per month) and are available in French, Dutch and English versions. They each feature “Latest Discoveries” and allow us to regularly update the details of our selected establishments.
Visitors can search for establishments by country or by other criteria (category, province, place-name, theme, capacity, price, admission for pets, acceptance of smokers). The websites also offer links to tourist information websites in Belgium and abroad.

Newsletters

Newsletters are regularly sent to B&B owners to keep them up to date with our activities and to website visitors to keep them up to date with our “Latest Discoveries”, special offers and last-minute deals.

What are the membership requirements ?

We choose the establishments on the basis of the owners’ answers to our questionnaire and our inspector’s visit report. We then add them to the websites (and the next edition of the guidebook) as soon as the owners pay their subscription for a minimum period of two consecutive years (which guarantees at least one listing in the guidebook, a new version of which is published every two years).
Our membership subscription prices are revised annually.

Yearly membership

for B&Bs with one or two guest rooms: € 120 (+VAT)
for B&Bs with three to five guest rooms: € 180 (+VAT)
for holiday homes and small hotels: € 240 (+VAT)
€60 fee is charged when your registration year

This subscription could be recouped when a guest books 1 or 2 nights’ accommodation via our website or guidebook.

Your subscription gives you the following benefits

Your own page on our websites www.maisondhote.com, www.gastenkamer.com and www.bedbreakfast.be

(in French, Dutch and English) with personalised photos taken by our own photographer (2 for B&Bs with 1 or 2 guest rooms, 6 for B&Bs with 3 to 5 rooms and 10 for holiday homes and small hotels) and personalised description written by us, including contact details, description of the guest rooms, buildings and surroundings, prices, details of food available and things to do and see or visit nearby.

A link to your website and your email address

which allows you to receive bookings direct from clients (with no commission to pay to us).

A feature for at least one month as one of “Latest Discoveries”

to boost your establishment’s presence on our website.

Regular newsletters

to keep you up to date with our activities, our presence at trade shows and exhibitions and press coverage.

Our sites www.maisondhote.com, www.gastenkamer.com, www.bedbreakfast.be

also offer

A variety of search options

for website visitors (by country, place-name, category, theme, capacity, price, admission for pets, tolerance of smokers, etc)

Regular updates of your details based

on information supplied by you.

Weekly Last Minute

of allowing you to announce your availability of weekend, special offers, your themes.

Publicity via our stands at B&B trade fairs and exhibitions

in Belgium and France, and via press articles and radio & television reports.

Members who pay their subscriptions covering two consecutive years also receive:

A full-page feature in the printed guidebook “Maisons d’hôtes de caractère, Karaktervolle gastenkamers & Charming Bed & Breakfasts”

(the French, Dutch and English versions of our guidebook) with two photos, a description of the establishment, contact details, prices, availability of meals and things to do and see nearby.

2 tot 4 free copies of every guidebook

(in your choice of language) in which your establishment is featured.

To request membership

Please complete the form below and send it to us. We will then send you all the information you require to become a member of “Charming B&Bs”: an information leaflet, a questionnaire (to be completed, signed and then returned to us) and our Terms & Conditions.