Travel with Pets - my thoughts on hotel pet fees

Ok, so I'll out myself and will also open myself to some harsh opinions.

The article at the link includes my thoughts on hotel pet fees.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6230946/why_do_hotels_charge_a_pet_fee_but.html?cat=25

Huzzah. I enjoyed the link immensely.

Some hotels DO have refundable pet fees. Some also have minimal pet fees. You need a pet hotel book, a Skype connection, and lots of time to make sure what you read or see online is true, though. That listing isn't always accurate. Like when the management changes and the new one hates pets.

Some, however, have little-published or non-weblisted regs like 'we allow pets' all over their site or AAA listing, but when you arrive your dog is made to stay in an attached kennel on the property - not in your room. You also pay for that kennel. They don't a) ask for vet records/shot records, b) let you see the kennel, c) let you have a room refund when you indignantly refuse to put your dog in the kennel, and d) stiff you with other penalties.

This was at a hotel in Idaho, off I-90. If I remembered the name I'd tell the world! (I left, called Amex, and received a refund. No, we did not stay there. AAA also removed their recommended rating AND made the place change their 'pets are allowed' bunk to state clearly that dogs were allowed in kennels for a fee, no exceptions, no other pets at all.)

Some give you a pet room that is so disgustingly dirty you wouldn't let your own shoes touch the carpet, let alone your pets' paws. If you complain, the answer is often, 'the last dog did that, so what, yours will too.' Often you need to raise the roof and court arrest before you will get another room or a refund. The more expensive hotels are usually good - if word gets out they've made a pet guest miserable, they'll lose bookings.

Worse, try traveling with a cat! Many places won't even let you in the door with one. My cat was very well-behaved, had more frequent-flyer mileage than most people I know (not that I ever got to collect or use it), and walked on a leash like my dogs. Utility-trained, hand-signaled, well-behaved dogs. But I had more trouble getting a room with my cat than I did with a 100 lb German Shepherd OR, later in life, a 110 lb Borzoi. Both were big dogs, and well-behaved, but the hotels would rather have them than an itty bitty kitty.

I know there are myriad sites which list pet-friendly hotels, but I'd like to see one for 'we lie, we're not pet-friendly but pet-nightmare' hotels.

Anyone who dumps on you for your link is a troll. It's nice to see someone on FT stand up for animal-family travel rights! Yes, they're animals, but to many of us without human children, our pets are just as much our family.

Worse, try traveling with a cat! Many places won't even let you in the door with one. My cat was very well-behaved, had more frequent-flyer mileage than most people I know (not that I ever got to collect or use it), and walked on a leash like my dogs. Utility-trained, hand-signaled, well-behaved dogs. But I had more trouble getting a room with my cat than I did with a 100 lb German Shepherd OR, later in life, a 110 lb Borzoi. Both were big dogs, and well-behaved, but the hotels would rather have them than an itty bitty kitty.
Marriott in the NY/Mid-Atlantic region is now cat-hating.

Even though the corporate website lists certain properties (Residence Inn mainly) as "pet friendly" the fact is if you call the property and ask about a cat, the answer is an absolute "not welcome". I asked the Atlantic City area RI why the website read "pet friendly" when all they allow is dogs, and was told there's a new regional manager who hates cats and has outlawed them. I had status with Marriott for several years, now I have status with La Quinta - the change is due to pet policies.

I never thought about trying to travel with a cat, but I'd guess it's probably more difficult!

CDTraveler--have you thought about emailing Marriott corporate, or for that matter, get the regional manager's name and a fax number or address. Each time you stay at a La Quinta, rather than a Residence Inn (that's nearby), call and get the rate for the Residence Inn, and then after each stay, send a letter, along with a copy of your La Quinta invoice, stating something like, "I could've stayed at the Residence Inn in ABC-town, spending $119/night, but since you're not cat-friendly, I stayed at the La Quinta." Copy corporate on it. Continue to do this for each stay. They may not change the policy, but at least you're bringing it to corporate's attention how much they're losing by the regional manager's policy. Be sure you factor in the pet deposit as well. :)

I never thought about trying to travel with a cat, but I'd guess it's probably more difficult!

CDTraveler--have you thought about emailing Marriott corporate, or for that matter, get the regional manager's name and a fax number or address. Each time you stay at a La Quinta, rather than a Residence Inn (that's nearby), call and get the rate for the Residence Inn, and then after each stay, send a letter, along with a copy of your La Quinta invoice, stating something like, "I could've stayed at the Residence Inn in ABC-town, spending $119/night, but since you're not cat-friendly, I stayed at the La Quinta." Copy corporate on it. Continue to do this for each stay. They may not change the policy, but at least you're bringing it to corporate's attention how much they're losing by the regional manager's policy. Be sure you factor in the pet deposit as well. :)Nah, Marriott isn't known for flexibility in their corporate thinking and I've already got too much to do!

Besides, having achieved status at the La Quintas, the cats are now looking forward to this year's vacation. :D They think they'll like New England better than Florida - more bird watching options and good seafood.

Nah, Marriott isn't known for flexibility in their corporate thinking and I've already got too much to do!

Besides, having achieved status at the La Quintas, the cats are now looking forward to this year's vacation. :D They think they'll like New England better than Florida - more bird watching options and good seafood.
LOL, I think they will find New England more enjoyable. Do they just watch birds, or do they like to try to catch them?

Do the La Quintas provide litter boxes, or do you travel with the box and the litter?

LOL, I think they will find New England more enjoyable. Do they just watch birds, or do they like to try to catch them?These are pampered house cats; catching birds happens only in their dreams. I got them a new bird feeder for Christmas and they spend hours with their noses against the window watching the diners at the feeder.

Do the La Quintas provide litter boxes, or do you travel with the box and the litter?Litter boxes are strictly BYO. I use a jumbo ziplock for the box and a re-sealable tub for the litter. We also bring their own scratchy boxes; these boys would never dream of using their claws on the furniture.

These are pampered house cats; catching birds happens only in their dreams. I got them a new bird feeder for Christmas and they spend hours with their noses against the window watching the diners at the feeder.

Litter boxes are strictly BYO. I use a jumbo ziplock for the box and a re-sealable tub for the litter. We also bring their own scratchy boxes; these boys would never dream of using their claws on the furniture.
LOL, I always wonder what my pups are chasing when they're dreaming--their paws are moving like they're running and such. I doubt it's birds, although who knows! They enjoy watching the birds at when we visit my in-laws.

The cats' present was a bird feeder? Well, I guess my in-laws did that in a way for our dogs too--they gave us a bird feeder, and the dogs probably enjoy it more than we do. :)

Ugh--and I thought packing up just the food, bowls, and toys took ages... You have to pack all of that plus litter boxes and litter, and scratchy boxes! You do have far more challenges than I do!

Ugh--and I thought packing up just the food, bowls, and toys took ages... You have to pack all of that plus litter boxes and litter, and scratchy boxes! You do have far more challenges than I do!It's actually not that bad. Any cat show has a vendor selling folding, disposable cat litter boxes - like big paper ream lids which are plastic coated and fold. Many humane societies sell them as well. You can also get them online, so we don't have to carry plastic boxes. Once folded they're about the size of a weekly magazine.

Litter? I don't use clumping litter, so if I'm going to a place without a shop selling Feline Pine (a sawdust-pellet type), I hunt down the rearest grocery store. Clumping litter tracks quite easily. Hotels hate it in their carpets. Pelleted litter is very easy to clean up. I always do it so the housekeepers won't complain to the management. And I leave a larger housekeeping tip.

Rabbit or gerbil food (pelleted) works almost as well, is sold at most big-chain grocery stores, and is biodegradable. If you train a kitten to use the pellet forms instead of gravel litter, a pelleted form of something is available everywhere. You can get it by the pound at many feed stores. (A caution here: I don't like the pelleted newsprint type, just because I KNOW what's in those inks and I don't want my cat licking ink-stained paws and having kidney problems.)

Many public transport options in several cities I go to don't allow pets at all, even in carriers, which means I always end up renting a car. A side trip to a grocery store or farm/feed store isn't a problem. If I have to buy cheapo, plain-o clay litter for two nights, then I do. It's harder to clean up, though, and the cheap ones (without the perfumey crap) can be very dusty.

One thing to remember is your cat gets bored if you're gone all day. Taking a special toy your cat only sees when you travel is a good idea. Play with your cat for at least a half hour when you return to the room so you burn off the boredom. Bored cats are the ones hanging onto the curtains and yowling for attention. Those activities give the next traveling cat a harder time. Cat Dancer or any of the feather-on-a-wand or even a catnip mouse can work - try different toys until you find one your cat goes cra-a-a-zy for. Then ONLY use it on trips, or after packing for trips (which is when many cats hide).

Better yet, do what I did and give your cat the best, strongest catnip you can buy ONLY in their in-flight carrier (or in-car, whatever). Pretty soon you'll have a cat who purrs when the airline bag comes out - or sleeps in it. If I couldn't find my cat, it was time to hunt in the Sherpa. No matter where I hid it, he'd find it and be inside it whenever possible.

While you're at it, do housekeeping a favor and get or make a sign for your hotel door which states there is a cat in the room so they don't open it. Even with a do not disturb on my door I've had it happen. Letting the maids know there's a cat in the room can forestall a lost kitty nightmare. In these days, you might want to have more than English on the card. The Humane Society of the USA used to have these cards. If your local one doesn't, perhaps you could interest them in coming up with a hanging card for travelers, as a fundraiser.

As far as scratching posts go, I just trained my kitten that carpet, whether on a post or ON THE FLOOR was an acceptable place to scratch. Then I gave him catnip treats if he used the carpet as preferred. Since most hotels have carpeted floors, even if only in one room of a suite, that meant no packing scratching posts. However, I always use a comb (or a dog hair rake - it's a type of shedding comb) to put the carpet back into place so the gleeful tracks don't show. I've never seen a carpet damaged by this; however, if I did I'd certainly pay for it so the next pet person didn't get harmed by my cat's actions.

Unfortunately, it only takes one bad experience to turn even the most pet-welcoming hotel into into a 'no pets!' one.

It's actually not that bad. Any cat show has a vendor selling folding, disposable cat litter boxes - like big paper ream lids which are plastic coated and fold. Many humane societies sell them as well. You can also get them online, so we don't have to carry plastic boxes. Once folded they're about the size of a weekly magazine.Those boxes are nice in theory, but not for my guys - the Maine Coon would flip it over with just one paw swat. For road trips, packing the smaller of their litter boxes from home is no big deal - I delegate it to my kid. :D

One thing to remember is your cat gets bored if you're gone all day. Taking a special toy your cat only sees when you travel is a good idea. Play with your cat for at least a half hour when you return to the room so you burn off the boredom. Bored cats are the ones hanging onto the curtains and yowling for attention. Those activities give the next traveling cat a harder time. Cat Dancer or any of the feather-on-a-wand or even a catnip mouse can work - try different toys until you find one your cat goes cra-a-a-zy for. Then ONLY use it on trips, or after packing for trips (which is when many cats hide). We take the cats for a walk (leash trained) in the morning before going out - they're ready for a good nap after that. Feline Flyer is definitely the best brand of feather toy, and we always get a new one for road trips.

As far as scratching posts go, I just trained my kitten that carpet, whether on a post or ON THE FLOOR was an acceptable place to scratch.I don't see teaching the cat to scratch carpeting as a desirable behavior at all; a cardboard scratchy box costs less than $10, a house full of new carpeting $$$$.

All in all, packing or setting up the cats' gear adds maybe 10 minutes at the most to the day, they have their own tote bag and litter box bag and we have the routine down now after more than a few road trips with them.

Glad to know I'm not the only one with a separate bag for my kids. Cobaka and Geno share a suitcase when we're gone for more than a weekend, and on a weekend, they share a tote bag. I still think the cats probably have more stuff that travels with them and for them though.

The thing that consumes the most time in packing for the dogs is their food--I always just bag individual portions using ziploc bags. That way, I don't have to worry about losing the scoop, etc. But, that does add a lot of time to packing!

Glad to know I'm not the only one with a separate bag for my kids. Cobaka and Geno share a suitcase when we're gone for more than a weekend, and on a weekend, they share a tote bag. I still think the cats probably have more stuff that travels with them and for them though.

The thing that consumes the most time in packing for the dogs is their food--I always just bag individual portions using ziploc bags. That way, I don't have to worry about losing the scoop, etc. But, that does add a lot of time to packing!I suspect your two eat more in a day than my two on a 10 day road trip. 8 lbs of kibble lasts about a month, and that's when cat #3 (who isn't ready for road trips yet) is included. The cats' tote is about the size of mini cooler, and it holds their bowls, spoons, brushes, toys, 2 gallon zip-locks of kibble and a bunch of 5 oz cans of fish. Jumbo ziplock has their box + gallon ziplock of scooper and spray, and the scratchy box rides in atop one of the carriers.

One advantage of bringing the scratchy box is they can use it in the back seat when they bored. They wear their harnesses while traveling, and we just tuck the leashes into the carriers in case of emergency.

So in terms of number of items, I think the cats have it paws down, in terms of volume, it's got to be two large dogs take more stuff.

I suspect your two eat more in a day than my two on a 10 day road trip. 8 lbs of kibble lasts about a month, and that's when cat #3 (who isn't ready for road trips yet) is included. The cats' tote is about the size of mini cooler, and it holds their bowls, spoons, brushes, toys, 2 gallon zip-locks of kibble and a bunch of 5 oz cans of fish. Jumbo ziplock has their box + gallon ziplock of scooper and spray, and the scratchy box rides in atop one of the carriers.

One advantage of bringing the scratchy box is they can use it in the back seat when they bored. They wear their harnesses while traveling, and we just tuck the leashes into the carriers in case of emergency.

So in terms of number of items, I think the cats have it paws down, in terms of volume, it's got to be two large dogs take more stuff.
8 lbs. of kibble lasts us about a week! Yes, I think you're right. In terms of volume, the dogs win. In terms of number of items, it's the cats. We usually just pack leashes, 3 bowls (2 for food, 1 for water), their kibble and a toy or two, plus a bag of treats and a bag of Milk Bones.

Spoons? For the fish?

your are brave :-)