the revival of small rural inns

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Perched above a river, at the entrance to a small Corrèze town between Tulle and Limoges (Haute-Vienne), the Hôtel Ambroise, a historic address, has been established here for at least 130 years. A little treasure for Benjamin Bouthier, its new owner, a local child. “It’s an institution, of course. It was on the Paris-Orléans and Moissac-Toulouse line, so the stagecoaches stopped here for a stopover”he says.

The establishment has come a long way. When this former financial executive bought the place two years ago, its reputation was at half mast, in particular because of its outdated restaurant which was closed at the end of the week. Only one solution to attract new customers: reorganize the kitchen team and open 7 days a week. “When customers stop here for one night, two nights, they cannot travel 25 km, go to dinner in Brive and come back here, it is unthinkable. My strategy was to open the restaurant on Sunday evening and Monday evening, in addition to the other days during the week”he emphasizes.

The new formula works. In the dining room, residents of the village say they are overwhelmed. “It’s friendly, we eat well and we have a good time”says one of them. “It’s true that before, I came a lot less, but now, it’s really very good”believes another. A success also for this overnight guest, charmed by the friendly spirit of the hotel: “I’m here for work, so I chose a hotel based on the price and it was good for the price”.

Faced with large hotel complexes and private rentals, country inns are closing their doors one by one. More than 1,000 have closed since 2005. To survive, you sometimes have to reinvent yourself. Estelle Guyot understood this well. By renovating the hotel she managed 15 years ago, she now hopes to bring the establishment back to life in the form of guest rooms. “We went from a decoration from the end of the 1990s to something between old and modern, which I hope is cozy and warm”she explains.

100,000 euros of renovation and an ongoing investment. From breakfast to dinner, it also offers short-circuit home cooking. “Like going from 16 rooms to 5 rooms, we go from a restaurant to a table d’hôtes, we return to a human scale and a much more important human relationship”underlines Estelle. A new offer that is already attractive. The house is sold out for several weekends next spring.