Development of a well-being and fun welcome offer at the Domaine du Mont Rouge

Published by xavier on 21 November 202321 November 2023

France

Introduction

Taken over in 2009 by Delphine Decotte, the Domaine du Mont Rouge, in Rogécourt (Aisne), offers reception rooms for the organization of family events and seminars. But the Domaine du Mont Rouge is also 5 bed and breakfast and 3 gîtes labeled Gîtes de France that can be rented independently of the reception areas, which few people knew because of a strong identification of the place to his wedding activity. Desiring to stimulate bookings during off-season, low-season and weekdays during the high tourist season, thanks to the LEADER program, Delphine Decotte has been able to develop a wellness offer with a strong fun dimension: provision of nearly 500 board games with initiation opportunities, creation of XXL play areas in the park, publication of a playful guide to visit the surroundings of the domain, creation of a health course, etc. European funding has also made it possible to improve accessibility for people with reduced mobility through the acquisition of a golf cart and adapted outdoor furniture. In September 2023, the Domaine du Mont Rouge hosted its first fair of the game, bringing together several dozen associations and publishers.

Presentation of the project

Located in Rogécourt (Aisne) and with the Gîtes de France label, the Domaine du Mont Rouge is known locally for organizing weddings, birthdays, event evenings, seminars and the rental of capitals. Until recently, this represented 90% of the sector’s activity, with high seasonal concentration. However, few people know that it is possible to rent a bed and breakfast or a bed and breakfast independently. In order to diversify its activity, especially in low and mid-season, the Domaine du Mont Rouge wanted to develop a well-being offer with the creation of a spa area with jacuzzi, massage table, treadmill and elliptical bikes, all accompanied by the coverage and heating of the swimming pool allowing access throughout the year. But Chess fan and board game enthusiast Delphine Decotte wanted to make gambling a full-fledged part of her wellbeing, taking inspiration from the work of Lenore Terr, a psychiatrist at the University of Michigan, who believes that gambling allows you to forget yourself and that only self-forgetfulness, associated with pleasure, allows you to surpass yourself and be creative. LEADER has thus made it possible to set up a library of almost 500 board games that can be reserved for free with the accommodation. Each week, Delphine, her family and members of her network who are passionate about board games offer time slots to learn about different board games. Recently, the games are also bookable by anyone outside, helping to make the site more accessible to the locals. There are also play areas where guests can share fun moments in the park, including XXL board game tables, a fitness trail, pool tables, foosball, pinball machines, inflatable giant games and traditional picard games. The project also encourages visitors to discover the surrounding environment and the local heritage through the provision of a fleet of bicycles and the publication of a fun guide for walks and cycling. Visitors are invited to go on a pebble hunt, where they can add decorative pebbles. To complete this ludo-touristic offer, the project ended with the organization of a gaming fair on the estate in order to establish this repositioning of the accommodation towards a more family clientele. More than 3,000 people came to discover the games offered by local associations and specialized publishers. In addition to EU funding, LEADER has helped to mobilize other public funding. He also helped to reveal the innovative dimension of the project and to increase the ambition for the development of the play-host. LEADER has also contributed to improving the PMR. accessibility of the domain, through the acquisition of an adapted golf car and adapted equipment.

The emblematic character of the project

Located in the Aisne region, the Pays Picard – Vallées de l’Oise et de l’Ailette enjoys heritage and tourism assets with a strong departmental and regional orientation towards outdoor activities and well-being. However, the supply of tourist accommodation, without being in deficit on the territory, needs to be diversified and better identified. Furthermore, given the geographical location of the territory, one of the main challenges for local hosts is to develop attractiveness in low and medium seasons, as well as during the week. That is why the Pays Picard – Vallées de l’Oise et de l’Ailette has focused its strategy on supporting hosts to increase their range and diversify their offer, in order to improve reception conditions and capacity. In the eyes of local stakeholders, the project led by the Domaine du Mont Rouge innovates insofar as it integrates play as an integral component of its well-being offering, thus contributing to its differentiation on the territory and beyond. The introduction of gambling makes it possible to put well-being into a collective and shared dimension: welfare activities, often individual or couple, can therefore be combined with a family audience. The support of the LEADER program has made it possible to increase this ambition since the bearer, thanks to the prospect of European funding, has considerably increased its budget, mainly to enrich and diversify the offer of games, to open it up to people with reduced mobility and to organize a game show which, in addition to draining a wider audience, will make it possible to position accommodation and the territory as a place for experimenting with leisure tourism. The project is easily transferable to other LAGs provided it is carried by a passionate person motivated by the desire to transmit and share with visitors.

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