Marriott Pet Fee Explosion
May 15, 2019, 10:32 pm
#31
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 6,334
Any dog can have separation anxiety and any dog can pee on the floor. I had no luck leaving a puggle in a hotel room as he freaked out and barked non-stop as soon as we stepped out the door, my husky on the other hand is happy to sleep away the time. Compare a black lab to a chihuahua, which one will bark/yap incessantly and gives off the "I will kill you" vibe? Generally the bigger the dog the less active it gets as it has to expend significantly more energy than a little ball of fury.
As far as I know pet fees are to cover cleaning and potential for destruction. Any dog that acts aggressive in the common areas should not be allowed in the hotel or should be muzzled.
As far as I know pet fees are to cover cleaning and potential for destruction. Any dog that acts aggressive in the common areas should not be allowed in the hotel or should be muzzled.
May 15, 2019, 11:24 pm
#32
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Most hotels prohibit or request that the animal not be left alone in the room, although for some places being in a crate when the room isn't occupied by humans is OK. This would correspond to the rule that some first responders have to try to save crated animals but be more wary about trying to rescue a loose dog, for example in a fire.
May 16, 2019, 2:37 am
#34
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 1,674
I'd be curious to know how much extra time is even spent cleaning the rooms that have pets staying in them. My guess is that they give it around the same length of time and just do a cursory clean of other items. If you ever get the chance to stay at a Wingate with your pet, do so. They're very reasonable (think Hampton Inn pricing) with an adequate breakfast & manager's reception + I've never run into flea issues like I have when we attempted to stay at a couple of Red Roof Inns. I absolutely do not recommend Red Roof Inn. That being said, I enjoy Marriott properties when it's just us and the kids, but as the OP mentioned I think their pet policy has gotten a little ridiculous and now tend to look for other options.
May 16, 2019, 4:20 am
#35
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Fort Lauderdale, FL
Posts: 3,360
I think this is a valid and fair argument for the higher pet fees, but it also seems unfair that those of us with pets being treated with preventative meds for fleas and that don't leave pet stains should have to take on those extra fees also. Basically, neither the hotel nor the "trained" pets should be taking on more fees than are fair. I would prefer to pay a larger deposit that would be refunded in a couple of days or something like that.
I do like your "larger deposit but only pay if damage occurs" concept. Although, I would want to have the guest sign something about agreeing not to issue a charge back on any damage fees. I'm not sure if that's legally binding, but from working in hotel accounting, I know that any credit card charges put through after the stay are far more likely to get disputed. They are tougher for the hotel to defend, too.
I'm not a pet person, but I'm not sure that's as easy as it seems. If a pet urinates on laminate, it's still going to make a mess because it might soak into the underlayment. That might be worse than carpet. If the smell is in the underlayment, the only way to get to it would be removing the laminate and replacing the underlayment. (Although, maybe they make magic underlayment that never soaks up any liquids.)
May 16, 2019, 5:04 am
#36
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Just a few notes from a RI in SC:
Two small dogs across the hall bark away every time there is any movement in the area. This makes it difficult to keep our little guy from growling and barking.
We keep pads in the room in case there is a urgent situation.
We never leave our dog alone in the room. I took a January trip with the last Lhasa and when I needed to eat breakfast I would put him in the car until I could return to the room.
We treat ours for fleas, etc., and of course he has all the shots required for hospital boarding.
We always pick up his stuff when he is on a walk. I find it disturbing that so many others do not pick up which is a liability for anyone else walking their dog.
There is a new TownPlace Suites next door and during the 6 am walk, I saw several large dogs but not the aggressive breeds.
Two small dogs across the hall bark away every time there is any movement in the area. This makes it difficult to keep our little guy from growling and barking.
We keep pads in the room in case there is a urgent situation.
We never leave our dog alone in the room. I took a January trip with the last Lhasa and when I needed to eat breakfast I would put him in the car until I could return to the room.
We treat ours for fleas, etc., and of course he has all the shots required for hospital boarding.
We always pick up his stuff when he is on a walk. I find it disturbing that so many others do not pick up which is a liability for anyone else walking their dog.
There is a new TownPlace Suites next door and during the 6 am walk, I saw several large dogs but not the aggressive breeds.
May 16, 2019, 12:18 pm
#37
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: CLT
Programs: Marriott Plat, AA Gold
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We have always found Marriott properties to have higher pet fees than most of the alternatives. It wouldn't surprise me if it's getting even worse company-wide. We were told several months ago at the Residence Inn in Colorado Springs that, due to a problem one hotel had with one pet in one room, all of the Marriott hotels in the Springs had "gotten together" and agreed to raise their pet fee. Off the top of my head, it went from $75 per stay to $150 per stay. My last stay at a Marriott in the Springs. Quite happy with other options.
I could be wrong but I thought most hotels of one of the former SPG brands (Westin, maybe?) allowed pets to stay for free? I'd be curious if the former SPG brands have been increasing pet fees as well.
May 16, 2019, 12:24 pm
#38
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Westin seemed to encourage pets with their heavenly dog beds and other amenities. Some LCs and StRs have hotel staff walk dogs upon request too. In generally, Starwood tried to position itself as very pet friendly.
May 16, 2019, 12:31 pm
#39
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I wonder if the hotel keep few rooms as pet designated rooms/suite?
Because some people do have very sensitive nose and can detect the smell of cat/dog ... (usually dog ... cat only if they pee) even after the carpet have been shampooed and steam cleaned.
Because some people do have very sensitive nose and can detect the smell of cat/dog ... (usually dog ... cat only if they pee) even after the carpet have been shampooed and steam cleaned.
May 16, 2019, 12:35 pm
#40
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 1,570
Except that every SPG hotel I checked had a 40 lb limit. I'm guessing that I probably checked between 30 and 50. IHG has some brands that work for larger dogs (and they have been much cheaper than Marriott) and, of course, there's always La Quinta. The things we do for our pets....
May 16, 2019, 4:30 pm
#41
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Local Home2Hilton charges $75/stay for a single pet (dog only) up to 40lbs
Local Residence Inn charges $75/stay for up to 2 pets up to 100lbs each/accepts cats
Cheers.
Local Residence Inn charges $75/stay for up to 2 pets up to 100lbs each/accepts cats
Cheers.
May 16, 2019, 6:48 pm
#42
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Hotels abhor the concept of room "categories" for any reason other than as upgrades. That's because their daily goal is 100% occupancy.
If you set up "one or two pet-friendly rooms"...and on that night there are no guests with pets...then one or two guests are going to enter that kind of room and be instantly incensed over the lack of carpet, or the odor, or whatever.
It's the same phenomenon that took hotels from 50% smoking rooms to zero in a hurry. Those hotels that tried 10% smoking rooms quickly found out that it concentrated the smoke in such a way that you could never get it out - and even smokers complained about those rooms.
It's a no-win situation. "But MY Fluffy would never do that" is equivalent to "but MY child would never do that."
If you set up "one or two pet-friendly rooms"...and on that night there are no guests with pets...then one or two guests are going to enter that kind of room and be instantly incensed over the lack of carpet, or the odor, or whatever.
It's the same phenomenon that took hotels from 50% smoking rooms to zero in a hurry. Those hotels that tried 10% smoking rooms quickly found out that it concentrated the smoke in such a way that you could never get it out - and even smokers complained about those rooms.
It's a no-win situation. "But MY Fluffy would never do that" is equivalent to "but MY child would never do that."
May 17, 2019, 5:13 am
#43
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: CLT
Programs: Marriott Plat, AA Gold
Posts: 1,076
That’s a good deal. I haven’t stayed with a pet in awhile but I don’t think I’ve paid less than $100/stay at a Marriott property.
May 17, 2019, 6:44 am
#44
Join Date: Oct 2013
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I like dogs, and I realize there are times when it makes sense for a dog to travel. But when we travel, our dog goes to the kennel. That's his vacation
. Besides the cleaning though, I would hope higher fees make some people reconsider whether they need to bring their dog vs. kennel it. I realize this won't be a popular opinion in a thread about high pet fees, but I'm betting I'm not the only one who feels that having a pet in a hotel should really be reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as driving across the country when you move homes.
May 17, 2019, 8:34 am
#45
Join Date: Oct 2018
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Not to mention how difficult it would be to keep me from complaining to the front desk about all the dogs barking when I'm trying to work or sleep, if I were a guest there.
I like dogs, and I realize there are times when it makes sense for a dog to travel. But when we travel, our dog goes to the kennel. That's his vacation. Besides the cleaning though, I would hope higher fees make some people reconsider whether they need to bring their dog vs. kennel it. I realize this won't be a popular opinion in a thread about high pet fees, but I'm betting I'm not the only one who feels that having a pet in a hotel should really be reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as driving across the country when you move homes.
I like dogs, and I realize there are times when it makes sense for a dog to travel. But when we travel, our dog goes to the kennel. That's his vacation
. Besides the cleaning though, I would hope higher fees make some people reconsider whether they need to bring their dog vs. kennel it. I realize this won't be a popular opinion in a thread about high pet fees, but I'm betting I'm not the only one who feels that having a pet in a hotel should really be reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as driving across the country when you move homes.
