How do I offer meals and activities to a chambre d’hôte?

My partner and I moved from the UK to France full-time 3 months ago. We own a house here which has a separate building we are currently renovating and plan to register as an auto-entrepreneur to start a chambre d’hôte.

• If we are a chambre d’hôte do we have the option to charge extra for lunch/evening meals if guests would like them as an optional extra?
• In so doing, do we need to register to say we are now a table d’hôte to do this, and can we still be an auto-entrepreneur?
• I’m unclear if we are exempt from needing a drinks licence if we only serve non-alcoholic drinks?

Along with the accommodation, we’d like to offer activities for guests to do when they stay. Some we’d like to teach/host ourselves (gardening, breadmaking, cycling etc), and some activities we’d like to invite other instructors to do.

Where we offer courses, held by ourselves :

• do we need to register as profession libérale for secondary activities - or is this included in our gîte registration?
• do we need qualifications to allow us to offer some/all activities?
• is this classed as a ‘package holiday’ - which I understand is regulated?

Where outside instructors are involved our preferred option is to simply hire the venue wholly to the instructor who then deals independently with the event themselves - sells tickets, hosts guests etc. Our involvement would be to ensure the rooms are clean and provide meals but not get involved in the teaching/event.

- is this approach possible and allowed?
- will non-French instructors (e.g. British) be allowed to teach courses?

Lastly, as the building is being renovated, it won’t be ready until May (four months time). When should we register to start the business? I’d like to do it sooner so we are ‘in the system’, can get our carte vitae and have all the paperwork done for when we are ready to go. Is there a problem in doing this early?

Thank you in advance for your help. It’s a really great website and resource you offer.