We have often been asked 'What is a Chambres D'Hôtes" and "What's the difference between a B&B and a Chambres D'Hôtes" so I thought I would give a basic explanation.
Basically one sees a B&B as being typically English although in the US you can find something similar which is called an Inn. Your typical B&B these days is a 'micro' hotel where breakfast is served either at an exact time or time period say 08:00 to 09:00 hours. The dinning and breakfast room has individual tables like in a restaurant and you are often offered a menu from which you can select what you want. You are expected to depart after breakfast and often requested not to return till after a certain time.
A Chambres D'Hôtes is a uniquely different approach. Rather than stay in a 'formal' environment you become a paying guest in a persons home, in a way you become part of the family. In the old days it would more commonly be a farmhouse where the farmers wife took in paying guests to subsidise the household income. Amenities would be rather basic, en-suite being a toilet in the corner with a curtain round it if you were lucky or you shared the family bathroom facilities.
Fortunately things have moved on and rules, or laws, have been implemented to ensure that accommodation levels are bought up to modern standards. By definition all rooms must have a private (ideally en-suite) bathrooms that meet 'basic hygiene standards'. Breakfast must be included in the price. Sheets must be changed after every 3rd night. A Chambres D'Hôtes cannot exceed 5 bedrooms and 14 guests (for instance you can have a family room with a double and two single beds for the kids which is how you get to the 14 people), if it does then it is classed as a small hotel and cannot by law be called a Chambres D'Hôtes.
In a Chambres D'Hôtes you are, as I said, treated more as a family guest so you can expect more flexibility on breakfast times and access. For instance we let people decide what time they want breakfast, we give them house keys so the can come and go as they please, we offer the use of our fantastic garden (or park as the French call it), we are always there to give our guests help and advice.
Having an evening meal of Table D'Hôtes is, by definition, where you join the family for your evening meal. The hosts cannot offer a menu, you must all sit at the same table and at least one of the hosts must sit and eat with you, that's the law. If your evening meal is not conducted in this fashion then where you eat is classed as a restaurant which means the owner has to pay a lot of money for a licence, have a separate kitchen, cooking and food storage facilities all of which will cost a lot of money for the owner. Chambres D'Hôtes are not allowed bar licences but we can sell beer and wine provided it is accompanied by a proper three course meal although in our case wine with meals is free although French law requires us still to have a licence.
At present there is a legal requirement, since 2007, for all owners to register with their local mayor but at present there is no legal requirement for Chambres D'Hôtes to be inspected. Many 'professional' owners choose to register with either of the two official government bodies in France namely Clevacances (with whom we are registered) or Gite de France. Both these organisations carry out regular inspections and as a result grade the establishment. This ensures that you can expect certain standards to be adhered to as well as level of quality. We are proud to have 3 out of 4 stars, this is the maximum we can get because of the age of our house.
Hope this gives you a basic understanding but should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us.