pet fees

[figgyx]

Lately at the little motel I work at we have had several guests go online and complain that our pet fees are too high.

We charge 20 per dog (up to 40 for 2 or more)

we are the only hotel (that I know of) in the area that even accepts dogs.

The most we charge is 100 bucks. Even if you stay longer we will only hit you up for 100 bucks no matter the length of the stay.

This does not stop people from complaining.

Do these people not realize the costs involved with accepting pets.

we have to carry insurance in case "fluffy" bites a housekeeper or gets out and attacks another guest. We have to clean the room more than we would have for a non dog guest. We often have more damage to pet rooms than any other. We get fleas and (I kid you not) had one dog begin chewing on the corner of a night stand. We have to work harder to get all the dog hair out of these rooms.

So, you have no right to complain. I say if you don't like the fees - well go find another motel that takes dogs.

[Sapphire Silk]

Yup, that's basically it. I have no problem with pet fees. Then again, I don't travel with my pet. If I'm gone two nights or less, I just leave her with enough food and water until I get home.

If I'm gone longer than that, I board her with the vet, or I get a friend to cat sit.

Most pets really don't like travel. The new situations and places make them anxious, and that's why they bite, mark, pee, poo, and gnaw on furniture. They are happier at home.

[Moirae]

No, people really don't understand. They think that their pets are just like people. I actually had housekeepers directly refuse to go into a room with a dog, and I won't say no. Their safety is more important.

[MoonCat]

It's not that they don't know. It's that they don't care.

[BigBird]

That's not bad at all. I typically pay between $15 and $25 per night when I bring my dog to a hotel/motel. Tell the customers to check around before complaining, because your fees sound just about right.

[bhskittykatt]

We charge $25 per pet room a night up to $50, so $20 per dog isn't that bad.

When I worked at the cheap motel, we didn't charge a pet fee and some of those dogs trashed the rooms: chewed furniture, urine stains on the carpet, etc. Even an otherwise neat dog can shed everywhere and that takes extra time to clean up.

[An Haddock]

Considering most boarding kennels charge three times that much per night, they should be happy with what you're offering.

[sirwired]

I remember reading a complaint once where some lady was furious that her precious dog was not allowed to fly in the cabin on a Southwest flight because the counter employees thought she was too big for the carrier. Their requirements are that the dog be able to stand and turn around... but the dog couldn't do this, because it had been sedated for the flight. She could not, of course, leave the dog at home, because little snookums would just be so sad without her.

Errrmmm... your animal having to be sedated in order to not freak out for the flight might be a clue that perhaps it would be happier hanging out with other dogs in a kennel (or taken care of by a pet-sitter) vs. being forced to get drugged and then dragged around to a bunch of really unfamiliar places. And perhaps your mere presence in all these terrifying situations is not as good for the dog as you thought.

[Aria]

I'm just glad to find a hotel that takes pets. The pet fees are annoying but c'est la vie... I wish I could convince my parents to travel without the dogs but, to be fair, my sisters hate taking care of them. Stupid little prior showdog and stud who still feels the need to scent mark new environs...

[notalwaysright]

This person clearly hasn't looked at the rental market lately. I have a cat, and trying to find an apartment which will accept him is tough. It used to be they'd charge an extra pet deposit, but now nearly everyplace I've seen charges a non-refundable pet fee. It's at least half a months rent, or equal to the regular security deposit, if not more. I guess my point is pets can wreak things and apartment/hotel management is trying to avoid footing the bill. Fair enough, but jeez, it really limits my options housing-wise.

[morgana]

My current apartment charges just such a non-refundable pet deposit. It's not monthly, but it is per pet. Two cats, $200; no dogs allowed. I only have one cat now, Little Bit died last year, but I'm not getting that other hundred back. And I'm perfectly okay with that.

If you're gonna have an animal companion, it's just gonna be more expensive. These 'special snowflakes' need to excavate their crania from their rectal cavities.

[mathnerd]

There is one large chain that I know of that accepts all dogs regardless of size and doesn't charge an additional pet fee. As I travelled sometimes with a Mastiff, this was my hotel of choice, since most hotels that do accept pets have a weight limit for dogs, and even a Mastiff puppy/teenager will usually be over that limit. Even though they don't charge an additional pet fee, I have noticed that their regular rates are on the high end of the rate range for the type of hotel they are.

As for the damage, well, even the most well behaved pets cause extra work. If they're not well behaved, then, well, it can just get bad. I remember cleaning up a house after one particular tenant moved out (family business: my father owned a bunch of rental houses and we kids were expected to help out). These people had a shepherd mix, and they apparently never bathed it, or it had some sort of skin condition that wasn't treated. The places along the walls where the dog would lay down were filthy. It was a giant blob of some sort of oil. We couldn't get it out not matter what we did. We wound up having to replace the drywall. The floors were even worse. Thankfully they were ceramic tile. We wound up acid washing the floors to get it all up, then re-sealing the tile. I've cleaned up worse, but this one was definitely in the top five.

[Moirae]

With the hotel I worked at, we were always of an opinion that if the dog is strong enough to drag you down the hall on your knees, its too dangerous to stay in the hotel due to the danger it poses to guests and staff. I'm surprised any hotel would accept a dog as big as a mastiff.

[mathnerd]

Only one chain does that I know of, and that's where we stayed when I was traveling with Baxter. They are actually a pretty good chain. I'm not sure what the insurance situation looks like for them, but I'm sure they pay a hearty premium for allowing the giant breeds. Still, I'm grateful they exist.

[figgyx]

Last night I was working and in the morning I observed a guest walking three (yes I said three) dogs. I went out and talked to the guest and said that we did not know they had dogs. His response was "you didn't ask." I politely told him it was not our responsibility to ask at checkin but guests needed to inform us. I mean - are we really supposed to ask everyone we checkin if they have pets? He was nice enough about it and we chatted for a few minutes while I petted his dogs. (They were friendly enough) So, in the end they were not too sucky. But, really, three dogs and no notification?