Thanks all

Gilles, there will be six of us - two couples and two singles. Two double rooms and a twin would be ok. Budget up to 85-90 per room. 70 would be better, but we can be flexible I expect.
As for level of comfort, if it's better than a tent then the ladies will be happy, and provided the bar stays open late so will the chaps

anything 2* or above will be more than adequate.
Thanks for the link Gibb - seems they're all booked up already around Le Mans and Alen็on, but I can always try further afield I guess. I've been using
http://www.francehotelreservation.com which seemed pretty good, if it's of any use in the future... It's also in English as well as French, but I speak the language either way (just in case there are some french-only websites out there that anyone knows about

)
Thanks again!