Le Domaine de la Forge

What Le Domaine de la Forge does

Le Domaine de la Forge is a family-owned rural tourism business operating from a 13th-15th century historic estate in Boussay, Indre-et-Loire, France (Touraine du Sud), founded in summer 2008 by owners Mahé and Jean François GIRARD. The property comprises two self-catering holiday gîtes — Princesse Célia (110m², 5-6 persons) and Princesse Léane (60m², 3 persons) — both classified 3 Epis by Gîtes de France, plus planned bed & breakfast rooms and table d'hôte meals. The estate sits on over 1.5 hectares with 250 metres of private frontage on the Claise river, supporting fishing, boating, and riverside recreation as core experiential offerings.

The business runs on a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model with reservations taken via website contact forms, phone inquiries, and walk-ins — no OTA or third-party booking engine is in evidence. Discovery is driven by listings on the Gîtes de France federation platform and several regional tourism directories, supported by a bilingual French/English informational website. Pricing follows a tiered seasonal structure (€250–€720 per week depending on property and season), with weekend packages, a 10% discount for 15+ day stays or combined bookings, and a specialized 20-night cure package (€700–€1,500) targeting balneotherapy visitors to the nearby La Roche Posay spa town. An ancillary revenue stream comes from Le Jardin Enchan'Thé, an on-site tea salon, art gallery, and brocante venue operating Friday to Monday afternoons.

Underlying technology is minimal: a static HTML brochure site with no API, no mobile application, no booking engine, and no integrations — consistent with a 7-employee micro-hospitality operation. Target customer segments include La Roche Posay balneotherapy curists (primary), fishing enthusiasts, painters and artists, families with children, and cultural tourists, with no B2B or enterprise exposure.

Name

Le Domaine de la Forge

Legal name

Le Domaine de la Forge

Website

https://ledomainedelaforge.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Le Domaine de la Forge is a family-owned rural gîte and bed & breakfast in Boussay, France, operating two 3-Epis-classified vacation rentals plus a tea salon on a 1.5-hectare historic estate with private river frontage, serving leisure travellers including La Roche Posay balneotherapy curists, anglers, families, and artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rural Vacation Rentals & Bed & Breakfast

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAMAEAG

Luxury Farmhouses, Country Houses & Vineyard Estates

Travel & Hospitality/Vacation Rentals & Short-Term Stays/Luxury Villas & Premium Rentals

Keywords

• Rural holiday gites
• Vacation rental cottages
• Bed and breakfast
• Rural tourism lodging
• Table d'hôtes hospitality

Headquarters

HQ city

Boussay

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Gîte de France Holiday Rentals: The property operates two self-catering holiday gîtes (Princess Célia's house and Princess Léane's house) available for weekly rental across four seasonal pricing tiers (Low, Average, High, Very High season). Revenue is generated through per-stay rental fees. Prices include bed linen and towels. Optional add-ons include end-of-stay cleaning (40€), table d'hôte meals, and picnic baskets upon request. A 10% discount applies for bookings of 15 days or more or for renting both gîtes together. A special cure package is offered for 20-night stays (20-night cure package: 700€ to 1,500€ depending on season).
2. Bed & Breakfast (Table d'Hôte): The property also offers bed and breakfast accommodations, with table d'hôte (host's table) meals available as an optional paid add-on to overnight guests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Le Domaine de la Forge is a family-run rural estate in Boussay, Touraine du sud (Indre-et-Loire), offering two self-catering holiday gîtes (Princesse Célia and Princesse Léane) classified 3 Epis by Gîtes de France, along with bed & breakfast (table d'hôtes) accommodations. The property sits on 1.5 hectares with 250 metres of private riverbank on the Claise river, catering primarily to balneotherapy curists visiting La Roche Posay, fishing enthusiasts, families, painters, and cultural tourists.

Product overview

Le Domaine de la Forge is a rural vacation property offering two self-catering gîtes (Princesse Célia at 110m2 for 5-6 persons and Princesse Léane at 60m2 for 3 persons) rated 3 Epis by Gîte de France, plus bed & breakfast accommodations. The property also operates Le Jardin Enchan'Thé, a tea salon and art gallery featuring local crafts and cultural events. Set on 1.5+ hectares with 250 meters of private riverbank on the Claise river, the 15th-century manor is located in Boussay, Touraine du sud (Indre et Loire, 37290).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Le Jardin Enchan'Thé: A tea garden, art gallery, brocante, and local crafts salon operating Friday to Monday afternoons from 1:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Products and services

• Gîte Princesse Célia Self-catering rural gîte accommodating 5-6 persons in a 110 m² 15th-century stone house with a West-facing terrace, dishwasher, washing machine, freezer, microwave, baby equipment, and barbecue, classified 3 Epis by Gîtes de France.
• Gîte Princesse Léane Self-catering rural gîte accommodating 3 persons in 60 m² with east/west orientation, two historical fireplaces, garden access, gas cooker, refrigerator/freezer, washing machine, TV, DVD player, and baby amenities, classified 3 Epis by Gîtes de France.
• Chambres d'hôtes (Bed & Breakfast) with Table d'Hôtes meals Guest rooms in the main house with optional paid table d'hôte (host's table) meals available as an add-on to overnight stays, providing a traditional French bed & breakfast hospitality experience.
• Le Jardin Enchan'Thé (Tea Salon, Art Gallery & Brocante) On-site tea salon, art gallery, brocante, and local crafts establishment hosting painting exhibitions, medieval music concerts, and other cultural events on the Domaine grounds, open Friday to Monday afternoons.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: The world's largest online travel agency. Lists thousands of rural gîtes, B&Bs, and hotels in France, and is the principal instant-booking platform competing for the same Southern Touraine traveler.
• Airbnb: Global short-term rental platform. While not a direct rural gîte, it is the dominant distribution channel for comparable countryside stays and the primary alternative booking channel for travelers considering properties like Le Domaine de la Forge.

Direct peers

• Domaine des Hauts de Loire: A Relais & Châteaux property in Onzain (Loir-et-Cher) offering upscale countryside lodging in a 19th-century hunting estate. Comparable heritage countryside accommodation targeting French leisure travelers in the broader Loire region.
• Château d'Artigny: A luxury château hotel in Montbazon, near Tours, set in a 25-hectare estate. While positioned more upscale, it competes for the same Loire Valley heritage-stay segment and benefits from similar Château de la Loire tourist flows.
• Château de la Tortinière: A 19th-century château hotel in Montbazon (Indre-et-Loire) offering heritage accommodations in the Loire Valley, in the same region as Le Domaine de la Forge. Comparable as a heritage countryside lodging targeting leisure travelers.
• Abritel: France's leading peer-to-peer vacation rental platform (part of Vrbo/Expedia). Many comparable Loire Valley country gîtes are listed here; the absence of Le Domaine de la Forge on Abritel highlights the distribution gap.
• Gîtes de France: The national federation of rural holiday gîtes through which Le Domaine de la Forge is certified (3 Epis). It is the primary discovery and quality-assurance channel for the property and a direct peer for any competing rural gîte in France.
• Château de la Ballue: A historic château in Brittany offering château-style vacation rentals and B&B. Directly comparable as a heritage-led countryside accommodation rental with curated gardens and cultural programming.
• Clévacances: French vacation rental label that classifies and lists rural and holiday accommodations across France, including properties in the Loire Valley. Directly comparable to Gîtes de France as a competing federation/label for similar rural gîtes.

Others

• Tripadvisor: Global travel review and discovery platform. Functions as an adjacent discovery channel for rural French lodging and influences booking decisions, even though it does not sell inventory directly.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/le-domaine-de-la-forge

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Le Domaine de la Forge