The company La Clef Decamp now offers 40 high-end 4-star large-capacity gîtes for rent in Normandy, Picardy, La Baule, and Antibes. Since the end of June, a new activity has been added to complement the company’s existing offer, based in Villedieu-les-Poêles (Manche): Plus que La Clef, an equipment rental service for events.
Jennifer Decamp and Sébastien Cordon co-manage La Clef Decamp.
Here they are pictured with some of their team at their offices on Rue Jules Ferry in Villedieu-les-Poêles (Manche).
PICTURE BY CAPUCINE COTIGNY
From a single gîte in 2012, La Clef Decamp has grown to more than forty gîtes in 2024. “The gîte Le Clos Minotte in Tessy-sur-Vire, with a capacity of 30 people, has been open since May. It’s our forty-second gîte opening!” notes Jennifer Decamp, founder of La Clef Decamp. The company continues to expand and now employs twenty-five people, eight of whom work in the offices on Rue Jules Ferry in Villedieu-les-Poêles.
The new gîte Le Clos Minotte in Tessy-sur-Vire (Manche) can accommodate 30 people.
PICTURE BY LA CLEF DECAMP
Like the other gîtes of La Clef Decamp, Le Clos Minotte offers a high-end service and features amenities such as a jacuzzi and a games room equipped with a pool table and table football, a dartboard, as well as a ping-pong table. “Another gîte for 30 people is coming,” continues Jennifer Decamp. “It is located in Quibou, near Saint-Lô. It is actually two gîtes on the same property, with no nearby neighbors and plenty of charm. Three more properties, still in the Manche area, are also on the way,” adds the co-manager, who runs the company with her husband, Sébastien Cordon.
Jennifer Decamp: “We always aim for something new”
While competition in the sector is becoming increasingly intense, there is no shortage of ideas. “We always want to move toward something new, to be innovative,” says the founder of La Clef Decamp, who grew up in Picardy, near Amiens. Projects are constantly emerging, as the business leader stays on course and the company continues to grow and bring more services in-house. Diversification is already underway: last June, La Clef Decamp launched a second activity to both diversify and complement its current offering for gîte guests as well as external clients. Named “Plus que La Clef,” this new venture offers event equipment rentals, whether for family celebrations or corporate events. “We were regularly asked about it; I’ve had this idea in mind since 2016,” explains the manager of La Clef Decamp, listing the available equipment: “marquees, photo booths, inflatable sumo suits, bouncy castles, wooden games, trailer-mounted jacuzzis, inflatable canoes, beer dispensers, professional food warmers to keep dishes hot, patio heaters, cocktail tables, tables, chairs and benches, lighting equipment, wedding decorations, wicker and vintage outdoor furniture…” With Jennifer Decamp, the list is far from exhaustive.
A giant touchscreen “ideal for seminars”
“We are also going to invest in a large touchscreen, ideal for seminars in our gîtes. Companies in Normandy will also be able to rent it independently. By the start of the new season, we also plan to acquire a motorhome, a refrigerated trailer, a professional plancha grill, bubble football equipment, and a carousel ride,” she adds.
Since June, a wide range of equipment has been available for rent through the new company Plus que La Clef.
PICTURE BY LA CLEF DECAMP
Speaking of originality, La Clef Decamp is an innovative concept, unique in Normandy. “Out of the forty or so gîtes in our portfolio, we own around half. For the other half, we operate under commercial leases with the property owners,” explains Jennifer Decamp. The houses are not only rented out, but also renovated, fully decorated, and fitted out by their teams, ensuring that each gîte reflects the La Clef Decamp signature style.
And the company also has projects for its property owners. “We have created an owners’ club with various benefits,” says Jennifer. “It’s a way to build loyalty and bring them together, as we have already done this year.”
In the countryside or by the sea… La Clef Decamp offers gîtes, most of which are located in Normandy (here, in Champeaux, in the Manche). PICTURE BY LA CLEF DECAMP
Published in La Lettre de Cancan on July 17, 2024