What is a hotel-serviced home, and why it changes group holidays
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A big house.
The bed already made.
Nobody spends Saturday emptying the dishwasher.
A hotel-serviced home (in French, a "maison hôtelière") is a vacation home rented as a whole, but designed and run like a hotel. Every bedroom has its own bathroom, housekeeping happens daily, breakfast is prepared, and the standard is the same from one house to the next. That is the Side House model.
Where does the idea come from?
Twenty years ago, boutique hotels reinvented hospitality: design, identity, reliable service. The vacation home never had its moment. Photos that oversell, hosts who may or may not answer, bring-your-own sheets, end-of-stay cleaning, and a lottery on how many bathrooms you'll actually get.
The hotel-serviced home does for the vacation home what the boutique hotel did for the hotel. Keep what you love about a house (space, privacy, the big table). Add what you love about a hotel (service, great beds, reliability).
Hotel-serviced home vs regular rental vs hotel
| Regular rental | Hotel | Hotel-serviced home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Space for the group | Yes | No, everyone in their room | Yes |
| Privacy for the group | Yes | No, shared spaces | Yes, the whole house |
| En-suite in every room | Rarely | Yes | Yes, always |
| Daily housekeeping | No | Yes | Yes |
| Breakfast | No | Yes | Yes |
| Big kitchen, big table | Yes | No | Yes |
| Consistent experience | Hit or miss | Yes | Yes |
5 things a real hotel-serviced home should have
- An en-suite bathroom in every bedroom. No exceptions. That's what makes a house work for 12 or 14 people.
- Daily services included. Housekeeping, breakfast, linen. Not an add-on.
- A consistent standard. Same bedding, products and equipment across every house. You know what you're booking.
- Design built for groups. A long table, generous shared spaces, and corners where you can disappear for an hour.
- Zero logistics. Direct booking, smart lock, a digital guide with the right local spots.
Who is it for?
Groups who want to be together without someone playing house manager. Friends travelling as twelve. Three-generation families. Teams on an off-site. Anyone whose holiday starts when there's nothing left to organise.
Side House homes
Side House is a collection of hotel-serviced homes in France, across three universes: CountrySide, SeaSide and MountainSide.
- Rive, in Muids, Normandy, 1h20 from Paris: 7 bedrooms, an 18-metre heated pool, the Seine at the end of the garden.
- Pistou, in Eygalières, in Provence's Alpilles.
- Hossegor (southwest coast) and La Rosière (French Alps) open this autumn.
- Maussane-les-Alpilles opens in April 2027.
FAQ
Is it just a high-end Airbnb?
No. On a marketplace, every listing depends on its host. A hotel-serviced home is designed, equipped and run by a hospitality brand, with the same services and standard everywhere.
Is it more expensive than a hotel?
Often cheaper per person for a group. At Rive, the whole house starts at €650 per night, around €93 per bedroom, breakfast and daily housekeeping included.
Can we cook ourselves?
Yes. The houses have big, fully equipped kitchens, because the best holiday dinners often happen at home.
Who looks after the house during our stay?
The Side House team: housekeeping, breakfast, and someone to call if you need anything.
→ Discover Side House homes