Hotel closings in August for real?

If you haven't booked anything yet, I would not plan a trip for late August / early September. The main holiday season will be over so the government will be able to enforce additional restrictions with less political risk, and things are really not headed the right way over here!
As for October, I forgot to pack my crystal ball when I left on holiday yesterday (staying in France for the second year in a row), so I don't know ;-)

Thanks, Balso for the insightful info. And of course, no one has a crystal ball. I was really more concerned with the August/Sept. timeline, and who knows what really anything will bring. It's so sad we are all dealing with this at all!

In addition to Balso's helpful post (thank you!) while waiting for more news "from the ground" from Kim and Bets, this is all I've been able to find online about the potential closures. I'm unfamiliar with these news sites (although I do use France24) so can't speak for their accuracy but lack of customers appears to be a serious issue.

https://www.world-today-news.com/in-paris-three-quarters-of-independent-hotels-are-likely-to-close-in-august-liberation/
https://news.in-24.com/business/106866.html
https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2021-07-19-70%25-of-independent-parisian-hotels-could-close-in-august---france-24.rJMFo2oM0u.html

Thanks Kathy - those were good posts. Hopefully once they get the health pass situation straightened out, more people will again decide to travel, as long as Covid does not get out of control.

The fact that there’s protesting in Paris is not going to change my mind. When I read those articles I notice Protesters are not randomly shooting people which is more than I can say for Atlanta.

I’m really on the fence. Yesterday I was going to Paris at the end of August - today I’m not

I have about two more weeks before I’m on the hook for the hotel.
I’m hoping this week they announce what they’re going to do about the health pass if they don’t there’s another cancelled hotel reservation. 😢

I’ve already started pricing next March and April to see if that’s going to work

"Yesterday I was going to Paris at the end of August - today I’m not"

Carol, are willing to share your current decision on "not" ? If it's personal, no problem with not sharing. Just was curious on your weighing of the pros and cons.

Yes I, too, am eagerly awaiting the decision on the CDC cards.

We were really looking forward to going end of August to early September as well, but now we are thinking we are just going to let it ride awhile. It's quite stressful, to say the least at wondering if the trip would even happen at all. And honestly, we have to think of the locals well being too. It will happen soon enough if we are all patient. We would rather have fun planning instead of stressing over the possibility (and it sounds all too real) that come the end of August all things could close down again, or a lot of places not be open. We can't wait to get back, but only when it is safe for all, and businesses will be open. Until there are more answers, we will keep asking the questions about our itinerary, and when the right time comes head our way to France.

Perhaps now that Italy announced that they will accept the USA CDC card as a Green Pass, France will follow:

https://www.thelocal.it/20210730/confirmed-italy-to-recognise-covid-certificates-from-five-non-eu-countries/

I think the big question I have is one what’s going to happen with the health pass, will I still be able to get it even if I test every two days. They really have not addressed foreign visitors

And then there’s the recurring theme of locals who seem to think that they’re going to shut down September 1 when the vacations are over. My trip starts 28 August. Of course I also hear about people who think the United States is going to shut down again and I don’t see that happening and looking at some of the protesting going on in Paris I have a feeling that ani shut down this might not be as effective. But it would probably have a major impact on what I want to do. Right now I’m leaning towards March or April of next year. I would love to go in the fall and winter but unfortunately with my work schedule from after Labor Day until right before Christmas it’s impossible to get away for longer than a long weekend

Maybe beach time again

I haven't checked but wonder how many of those independent hotels offered flexible cancellation policies. Given the current worldwide situation I wouldn't book any hotel anywhere that didn't let me cancel with no penalty at least within a day or two of the check in date.

"That is why the government is holding off further restrictions until citizens and other European visitors return to work/school by end of August."

BINGO!!! The best time to visit France this summer was 4-6 weeks ago! Times is a changing'.

Exactly 28 days from now, I should be somewhere under the English Channel with my caravan for the 3 times postponed trip down the west coast.

I like visiting France during the shoulder season, so 4 - 6 weeks ago wouldn’t fit my preference. I have no desire to be on a French campsite after say 2-3 July. They would be full of what a friend of mine calls GFs - germ factories i.e. unvaccinated children.

The trip is already looking less likely as France is now amber plus, but I can’t see the U.K. putting it on the red list as there are too many Brits there and not enough quarantine hotels here to fit them all in.

We mostly self cater, have our pass sanitaire and spend time on the beach or walking rather than in cities. We wouldn’t go if France were put on the “do not travel” list, as that would invalidate our car and caravan insurance.

Unfortunately, our October-November month in the Canaries is looking even less likely as rates there are rocketing.

Plan B for September is Wales. It’s not quite the same as Oleron and Royan!

I hope you get to go, Jennifer, it sounds lovely.

I wish we were going somewhere. All our trips would be through the Eurotunnel, and even if we were actually going to Belgium or Germany, so therefore a very short bit of France indeed, we would be caught by Amber Plus. So we're not going...

If I had flexibility in my personal life, I’d postpone my September trip. Currently, we’re flying into Paris for 2 nights and then take a train to Bordeaux, renting a car to visit, Dordogne, Basque Spain and France and la rioja, driving back through Pyrenees, visiting Carcossone and returning the car in Toulouse and taking the train back to Paris to fly home. I could pick a city close to Paris to stay a couple nights and then come back to Paris to take the train to Bordeaux. Unfortunately, my train is at 8:30am so that’d be fun. Does something like this seem manageable? Also is the situation in France outside Paris faring better in terms of Covid? Any guesses on whether wineries, castles will be open?

Thank you Carol! And others...for letting me see what's going on in your heads, lol!!