The Humorous Truth About
Hosting Pet Friendly Vacation Rentals

Guests Who Travel Without Pets And Demand Pet Free Accommodations.

When traveling, it’s understood that when I book a pet-free vacation rental, there is a chance pet hair will be present. Nova is part of my family who does not travel with me. I’m talking about my cat if you have not gathered. No worries, I am not allergic either way.

Let’s talk about you, the traveler and wanderer who wants to travel with or without your furry companion. Do you fully understand what that means when setting expectations in such a vacation rental? Or you are a property manager of a vacation rental and want to offer “pet friendly” as an amenity to reach a wider market and offer an ambiguous policy to back it up.

Do you have pets? Better yet do you travel with your pets, why or why not? Let’s say for the sake of this story you do NOT travel with your animal. You prefer to book a vacation rental home that is “pet free”. Why do you choose a pet-free rental? Are you allergic, are you not allergic but you want to play that card to guarantee a cleaner environment with no odor of animals, or do you just dislike animals in general?

If you prioritize pet-free accommodations, you may have set false expectations for yourself. Think about it, how do you know for a certainty that the rental is pet free entirely? Now stop and consider the owner and operator of this “pet-free” rental. The owner who offers this amenity understands what it is like to travel pet free. Their intentions are meant well, to offer safety for others who travel the same. However, has to now worry and stress that guests will follow the rules. Trust me, property owners want to provide excellent service and keep you coming back to create wonderful memories at their investment. There are several vacation rental hosts who truly enjoy creating a memorable experience for their guests.

Now tell me the truth, did you secretly bring your dog Max to the party? The truth is, after departing the rental, housekeepers found fly aways sticking to the couch, regardless if it were Max or not.

Accommodating Pet-Friendly Stays

Property managers and owners, I hear you say that you want to add “pet friendly” as a feature to your vacation rental. You have pets yourself and can sympathize with your guests wanting to bring their fur babies. I’m not talking about service animals, that’s another story for another day. A property manager’s essential objective is to increase and maximize the owner’s return on investment. Owner and property management who agree to offer “pet-friendly” vacation rentals usually take into account the risks, pros and cons, and policies that go along with that. These procedures are important not only from an operations perspective but also for you, the travelers’ experience.

Remember you do not have to comply with offering a “pet-friendly” vacation rental as an owner or property manager. This is simply a choice. Now, I can imagine you say NO to hosting pets. Shall I list a few reasons to get your blood boiling? Damaged furniture, replacing items, money spent on extra cleaning procedures, money spent on “pet” stuff to wow the guests who brought their untrained dog. Yes, supporting untrained pets by providing treats is enabling the behavior. Or you understand all of the examples are par for the course of doing business and your blood boiling is of non-existence.

Let’s get back to you the traveler, I want to encourage every one of you to remember how to create the experience you desire. This pet topic is relevant to the “Leaving Reviews” post. If you want to travel pet free because you are allergic, consider who you book a vacation rental with. That also means consider it’s almost impossible to guarantee. Know that you take the risk and be okay with your risk tolerance. If you travel and book a pet-free vacation rental because you don’t like animals, don’t be alarmed and throw a fit if you find a hair or two. “Sorry Ms. Mary, our last guest broke our no-pet policy and now you suffer the consequences of someone else’s bad behavior”, says the Property Manager, “book with us directly next time and we will save you all the “extra fees”. P.S. we will clean better next time.