Making Your Hotel Pet Friendly

What you should look at first is guest rooms.  The furniture, flooring, even the decorations should reflect a safe living area for animals. The furniture should be made of durable materials in case you have four-legged guests that like to explore or get excitable–that way, the furniture can withstand wear and tear. Some of the best furniture upholstery would hide stains as well. Fabrics to take a look at include tweeds, ultra suede, microfiber, and heavy-duty leather. For really active pets, you can check out harder plastics or woods, even metal can hold out against larger animals.

When making your hotel pet friendly, you will want to have flooring that can handle accidents if they should occur. Patterns and colors can camouflage stains and pet hair better than solids.  Actually, if you carry the motif over into the wall coverings, that works too.  Hard flooring is much better than carpeting because it can be easier to clean. Purchase tile, vinyl, or laminate flooring for rooms that will house man’s best friend.

Dogs, especially when they are puppies, love to explore. Therefore, you should make sure pet-friendly rooms have all of their electrical chords protected. You can do this in any manner, however there are “pipes” that are available through office supply companies that are tubes you can slide the wires through for safety. Don’t put too many breakables in the room either. And remember, cats like to explore, too.

Once you have the rooms set up, you are ready to go on with your plan to make your hotel pet friendly. Pet owners really look forward to staying at a hotel that has a staff that can support their animal’s needs.  Therefore, if you train your staff on how to cater to canines and felines, your hotel can win points. Train your staff on how to approach unknown animals.  They should know when and when not to go near an animal.

Just because your guests bring their pets does not mean that they want to spend every moment of their vacation with the little guys.  Pet sitting and pet walking services are pure gold. You may also think of having a vet on staff in case the animals get hurt or accidentally eat something they shouldn’t. If you can’t offer these services on site for guests, put together a booklet of services that may be needed so your guests will know where to go or who to call in the area.

In a pet-friendly hotel, the rooms that can house said pets should be on the bottom floor because not all animals like stairs, elevators, or escalators. Also, if you can accept multiple pets of any size, you will get more guests to stay at your property. While a damage deposit is a reasonable item to ask for, don’t be too pricey. Many travelers may be offended if you ask for an arm and a leg for their furry friends to stay. Animals can have some of the same allergies as humans, so make sure the pet rooms are also non-smoking rooms. When planning your landscaping, try to put in some areas that can include paths for dog runs and a place to take the pets for a walk.

Now that we have the building, the grounds, and the staff started, let’s look into what else can be done when making your hotel pet friendly. Who doesn’t love to be pampered?  Well, guess what – so do cats and dogs. Start with free transportation to and from your hotel and follow that with some grooming and pet spa services and you’ll be able to get your hook into many a traveler. A nice, plush doggie bed inside the room will really make man’s best friend play in joy. Upon check-in, you could provide your guests with a welcome basket of toys, fresh biscuits, and treats.  A lint roller would be useful to guests to use on their own clothes, as well as for your housekeeping staff to pick up dog or cat hair from the furniture.

With these basic steps, you’ll be well on your way to making your hotel pet friendly. You will be able to enhance your guest’s stay as well as perhaps giving your staff a nice perk in meeting a new friend.