Friday, August 1, 2008

Pet Friendly Resorts


Quite often somebody stops by and complains they had to leave their hotel and find somewhere else to stay because there were animals everywhere and/or their room smelled like dog. 

The reason is simple. There aren't many places that allow pets. The ones that do are magnets for people traveling with cats and dogs and other animals such as ferrets and birds (strange but true).

Don't get me wrong, I love animals. That's me in the photo with our dog "Baby." We've experimented with allowing pets at the resort. We've tried a limited number of pet friendly rooms, we've tried small animals only... unfortunately it's the same result: dog droppings, hair, barking, and smell. 

Do yourself a favor, before you book a room ask if they allow pets. If it's a smaller property and you're not traveling with your doggie, you might want to try someplace else. If it's a larger property request a pet-free room.

As a resort owner, I wish there was a good way to allow pets and still keep the rooms clean and quiet. Let me know if you have any ideas. 

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

What kind of dog is in this picture? It is adorable.

Jim said...

Hello there...

Baby is a toy poodle. We don't like the traditional poodle cut so we do what they call a puppy cut. She's 8 years old and the smartest, most loyal dog we've had.

N said...

We are Floridians and love to vacation close to home. We stayed at http://www.riverpalmcottages.com/ in Jensen Beach with our boxer and our parents had there dog. It was great. The rooms clean and grounds well kept. Maybe the owners could give good advice because we love traveling with our Boxer and are looking to head to the keys soon.

Anonymous said...

I have stayed with you on several occassions during my cancer treatment times. I have a little chiwawa and she weighs every bit of 4lbs "wet". I hardly see her as a pet, yet a part of me. She has been a saftey blanket for me and it is hard to leave her behind when she is all that I have. However, I am past the worst and have recovered and I feel she was a factor in my treatments. I think there are times in everyone's lives where exceptions can be made. I love staying at your place, I have never been so comfortable anywhere before and I am hoping to come back real soon. I have tried to get there several times, but finances have not allowed it. I am hoping 2009 will be kind to all of us. I am really looking forward to it. Thank you for your great place of retreat.

Pia M.
Miami, FL

Anonymous said...

Your dog is so cute. We stayed there last year. We love your place. We plan to be there again this year April 10-17. So beautiful there. 10 inches of snow expected today in Michigan.. Cannot wait to come down

Jim said...

Hi Paula: Thank you for the reservation. We look forward to seeing you again in April.

Anonymous said...

Just a comment - smaller dogs tend to be bigger offenders than large dogs according to a fellow I spoke to at a Marriott Courtyard (I don't know if that is true). I never thought they would allow our Bernese Mt. Dog (120 pounds) but she doesn't slobber, she's sweet and very quiet - she's just a mature gal who wants to pal around with her boys. I'd get guests to sign a damage/cleaning agreement - if their pet caused a mess, they should be charged on their credit card or otherwise. But, please don't exclude pets because of a few bad folks :) In fact, we're hoping you'd allow us to bring her should we decide to come and visit you sometime soon. Thanks for reading!

Jim said...

I wish there was a way to weed out the problem dogs, etc. but it is very difficult. If I let one person bring their dog, somebody else feels cheated. And, it's not just damage to the rooms... no matter what the dog or who the owner is, dogs tend to bark non-stop if left alone in the room, then there are liability issues if someone gets bit, and the always present do-do left for someone in bare feet to step in.

Anonymous said...

Just a thought. Completely tile a couple of rooms, and instead of drapes use vertical blinds. Most of the animal smell is from fabrics in the room. You can then charge extra for pet friendly rooms - pet owners are OK with that!

Jim said...

Not a bad idea... thank you.