Are you thinking of offering dog friendly accommodation to your customers? Or perhaps you are already pet friendly and are looking for advice to deliver a better service? You will find some tips below.
Initially check with your insurance provider that you can safely accommodate dogs in your property. Next ensure that you have a clear and comprehensive pet policy which addresses the following issues:
- Accommodation for dog
- Entry / exit points
- Dog access within accommodation
- Dog allowed unattended in guest room
- Cost
- Number of dogs allowed per room
- Size of dogs allowed
- Dog dining
- Pet deposit
- Walks
- Accessories
- Extras
- Welcome
Accommodation
One of the biggest challenges for pet friendly hotel owners is to get the balance right between catering for dog owners without inconveniencing other guests. We can help you put in place policies that get that balance just right.
The majority of hotels only allow dogs in rooms which are dedicated pet friendly, and these tend to book out quickly, especially in holiday season. Other guests may not want to stay in these rooms, due to allergies or for other reasons. However, as these pet friendly rooms are generally oversubscribed this tends not to be an issue.
Other hotels have a limit on the number of dogs in the hotel at the one time. If you don’t want the hotel to be overrun with dogs consider this policy of limiting the total amount of dogs in the hotel at any one time.
In almost all accommodation guests cannot book their pet friendly stay online – they must contact the hotel to check the availability of pet friendly rooms. In some cases you are required to fill out a form giving details of your dog.
Pet friendly rooms are best positioned on the ground floor where a dog can get out to the toilet quickly and easily.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: pet friendly rooms / ground floor rooms / only 2 dogs allowed at any one time..
Entry /exit points for dogs
Where will the dogs enter the hotel? If into the main lobby perhaps encourage dog owners to check in themselves before bringing in their dog so that the pooch won’t be hanging around the lobby. If possible encourage pet owners to use a separate entrance which you designate as the entry and exit points for all canine guests. Best of all are rooms which open out directly into the outside, either to the grounds of the hotel or to the car park– these are ideal for nervous dogs that don’t like interacting with people or with other dogs.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options for entry/exit: dedicated dog entrance / room exits to car park / room exits to private patio
Dog access within the accommodation
In some cases dogs are confined to the guest rooms but if the hotel is more lenient it may allow access in areas where food is not served such as the lobby or library or bar. Others allow access to restaurants..see dog dining.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: dogs not allowed in any areas with food / allowed to eat with you outdoors / allowed in bar/ allowed in restaurant
Dogs allowed to stay unattended in room
A lot of hotels only allow dogs in the room when the owners are present. Others allow pets to stay in the room unattended for short periods eg when the owners have dinner. As dogs can get anxious in a strange room and may scratch the door others only allow this if the dog is in a crate. An issue to consider is that staff will not be able to service a room if a dog is present so arrangements must be made to clean the room at some other time. Consider a ‘Do not disturb / dog present’ sign for the door of the room.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: dog allowed in room unattended / dog not allowed in room alone
Cost per dog
Although a few places allow your dog to stay for free, most dog-friendly hotels have a small charge for your canine, either a charge per dog per night or a charge per dog per stay. If you have a fee per night consider putting a ceiling on the total cost to encourage longer stays eg €30 euros per night up to a maximum of €90.
Number of dogs allowed per room
Many hotels have a limit of one dog per room. Another popular option is 1 large / medium dog or 2 small dogs as small dogs often come in pairs. This means that, in the words of one hotelier, ‘the place won’t be overrun with dogs’.
Size of dog allowed
This is a grey area – it is especially difficult to categorize a dog as medium or large. The parameters used by hotels to decide what size of dog to accept include weight, in kgs or lbs (but a lot of owners don’t know what weight their dog is & is the hotel prepared to weigh them?), height, in inches or centimeters (to shoulder or to top of head?) or descriptive – extra small, small, medium, large and extra large. On our site we decided to go with the later and for clarification we have included common examples of each of the categories of extra small, small, medium, large and extra large.
| SIZE | SYMBOL ON LISTING | EXAMPLES |
| Extra small | XS | Yorkie, pekingese, chihuahua. |
| Small | S | Terrier, poodle. |
| Medium | M | Shetland sheepdog, springer spaniel, cocker spaniel. |
| Large | L | Labrador, collie, golden retriever. |
| Extra large | XL | Bernese mountain dog, great dane. |
Dog dining
Some people are happy to leave their dog in the car while they have a meal. Others prefer to have their dog by their side as much as possible.
So will you allow dogs to accompany their owners at meals? If yes, where in the hotel? Some allow dogs in the main restaurant, others have a few tables in a different part of the restaurant or in the lobby. Others allow your dog to eat with you outdoors. Another option is to restrict access to these areas to certain times.
Some pet friendly hotels ask that dogs are not fed in the bedroom..they must eat in the garden
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: dogs not allowed in any areas with food / allowed to eat with you outdoors / allowed in bar/ allowed in restaurant etc..
Walks
It is an advantage if there are grounds attached to the hotel where the dog can be walked. Consider having a policy of short leads only in the hotel. Specify if walks in the grounds are on lead only, or if some areas are off lead. A map showing nearby walks are a great help to dog owners. It is important to give a warning re livestock in the area. Many beaches in Ireland are not pet friendly, or only allow dogs at certain times of the day. Having this information is appreciated by dog owners.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: on beach / beach nearby / walks in grounds / nearby walking trail
Accessories
Some items which hotels may provide are dog beds, dog bowls, poo bags and treats. These are often combined in a welcome gift bag. Regarding treats some dogs have allergies or are on strict diets so it is better to check with the owners before leaving a treat in the room. Sometimes a dog loving chef may gift your pooch a tasty sausage!
In some cases crates are also available, and may be mandatory if dogs are allowed unattended in the room.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: dog bed provided / dog bowl provided / poo bags provided / dog welcome pack / dog treats
Pet deposit
In case of damage some hotels charge a pet deposit. Once the guests leave the room will need to be inspected and the deposit returned in the event of no damage.
Extras
Many dog-friendly hotels offer a bed, treats and poo bags, while a few go the extra doggy mile and offer things like pet menus and room service, lists of local walks and outside taps for muddy paws. Some even offer doggy day care or pet sitters if you want to visit somewhere that doesn’t take dogs. On our website these features which are, in effect, unique selling points which appeal are included in ‘Dog Delights’. A premium listing allows you to choose 3 of these which will be featured on the home page.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: pet concierge / pet menu / outside taps /
Welcome
One of the nicest things of all is to give both the guest and pets a great welcome. This will set your accommodation apart and increase the likelihood of return visitors – people want to stay where they and their dogs feel welcome.
If you are a premium lister you can choose one of the following options: staff love dogs / tailwagging welcome.
Advertising Costs
We provide information on the policies of pet friendly hotels, which include the number of dogs allowed per room, the cost per dog per night or per stay and the size of dog allowed. If you pay for a premium listing you will feature on the home page and you have the choice of including 3 unique selling points under the “dog delight” section eg pet beds provided, pet concierge, separate entrance, walks nearby etc. In addition you can upload 8 photos and submit a 300 word description of your service, and your listing will appear above the standard listings on most of the listing pages.
Dog owners will not be able to make bookings directly from our website – the majority of hotels require that you call before booking as most have a small number of rooms which are designated pet friendly. So we advise pet owners to always call or email the property to make a booking.
A summary of the two types of listings available is below:
| Standard Listing | Premium Listing / Featured listing |
| One year | One year |
| Contact details – phone number & link to email address | Contact details – phone number & link to email address |
| Link to website | Link to website |
| Placement on google maps | Placement on google maps |
| Category – hotel, town or country house or bed & breakfast | Category – hotel, town or country house or bed & breakfast |
| Listing on home page | |
| Listing appears above other listings on category pages | |
| Choose 3 ‘dog delights‘ – unique selling points of you accommodation which feature on the home page | |
| Up to 8 photos (JGEP, JGP) | |
| Description – up to 300 words | |
| Cost: Free for first year | Cost: €300 for first year |
Dog Delights
What are ‘Dog Delights’? They are what we call the unique selling points that your property has which may appeal to a dog owner. Premium listers can choose any 3 of these which will be visible on the home page.
Here is a complete list of our ‘Dog Delights’
- allowed in bar
- allowed in restaurant
- allowed in room unattended
- allowed to dine with you
- allowed to dine with you outside
- beach nearby
- dedicated dog entrance
- direct access to outside
- dog bed provided
- dog bowls provided
- dog treats
- dog walker available
- doggy daycare
- ground floor room
- nearby walking trails
- outside taps for muddy paws
- own private garden
- pet concierge
- pet friendly rooms
- pet menu
- pet sitter available
- resident dog
- room exits onto car park
- staff love dogs
- tail wagging welcome
- vet within 10km
- vet within 20km
- vet within 30km