Absurd hotel pet fees

Old Dec 25, 2009, 8:14 pm
  #16  
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I do understand the difference and fees... as much as I do not like them.

We had, some years ago, two rescued Siberian huskies - monster hair bombs when they blew their coats, I could easily take a full shopping bag or more of hair from each.

The many Rhodesian Ridgebacks we had (also rescued) hardly shed a hair, and had no "doggy" smell.

We have downsized since, in our home and our companion animals, and have a Basenji (no smell at all, no shedding), and a "Basomeji" (Basenji - terrier mix) who sheds and has "doggie" odor. These two are entirely different critters, from the perspective of a hotel operator. And then, there are the dogs that decide to chew or otherwise cause havoc because they are out of their element and stressed in the unknown area...

Check if there are dog shows in the area, and which hotels they use... often they are more reasonable about pets and fees. (And of course, use sites like www.dogfriendly.com to check.)
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Old Dec 25, 2009, 10:36 pm
  #17  
 
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Most hotelier gets it: pet owner are more loyal to hotels that will welcome their pets... Westin has a great program for dogs and Loews was renowned for their home made (dog) cookies.
May I suggest this site:http://www.petswelcome.com/
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Old Dec 26, 2009, 9:02 am
  #18  
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Kimpton is always a good choice too.
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Old Jan 13, 2010, 6:55 am
  #19  
 
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I've had a mix of experiences with pet fees. I am willing to pay about $25 for the "extra cleaning" and would be willing to agree to a large refundable deposit in case of damages (I've never had one of my dogs damage the hotel room)

I stayed at a Towneplace Suites that welcomed me & my dog (German Shepherd) and waived the pet fee (which earned them over 200 nights of business over the years).

Another time, I made reservations for a night at a Residence Inn (Washington,DC/Vermont Avenue) and was told on the phone that the fee was $20. When I arrived to check in, they wanted $250! Even after getting Platinum customer service on the phone with the manager, they refused to reduce the fee. I cancelled that reservation and went elsewhere.
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Old Jan 13, 2010, 12:27 pm
  #20  
 
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Pet Fee Dog Size

Just drove down to PHC from YYC this past weekend, Stopped in Utah at a brand new Comfort Inn, they charged me an extra $15.00 for our pup but she said it had to be under 30 lbs, (we have a 8 mo old choc lab) probably closer to 65 lbs. I said let me bring her in and u decide if she can stay, one look at our pup and she said the room is ours

I don't want to get started on dog size but..geez would hotels please wake up. It worked this time but........
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Old Jan 13, 2010, 8:45 pm
  #21  
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I've had issues where they've said dogs have to be under a certain limit, usually 30 lbs, and Cobaka definitely isn't. However, I've never had anyone look at her and say that she can't stay--she's just so happy to see people that they love it. We haven't had Geno in a hotel yet.
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Old Jan 23, 2010, 4:35 am
  #22  
 
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My friend to me he was stopped by staff when carrying his dog

My friend to me he was stopped by staff when carrying his dog
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Old Jan 25, 2010, 4:43 am
  #23  
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At some Fairmonts, the pet fee was waived because we had her kennel crate with her bedding in it. She was also freshly bathed and groomed
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Old Jan 29, 2010, 6:24 pm
  #24  
 
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We like Drury Hotels and Suites when we can find them; no pet fee.

Since we just added two puppies to our two old guys, probably won't be doing a lot of traveling any time soon.
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Old Feb 4, 2010, 6:35 pm
  #25  
 
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I traveled from east coast to west coast (8 days). I stayed at La Quinta at every stop. I never paid a pet fee and they were OK with leaving our dog in the room by himself while we went out to dinner. They were a great and consistant company to stay at.
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Old Feb 4, 2010, 6:36 pm
  #26  
 
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Originally Posted by sungurlmr
I traveled from east coast to west coast (8 days). I stayed at La Quinta at every stop. I never paid a pet fee and they were OK with leaving our dog in the room by himself while we went out to dinner. They were a great and consistant company to stay at.
Oh, and our dog is 70 lbs. No pet size restriction either!
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Old Feb 26, 2010, 9:06 pm
  #27  
 
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Of course I am prejudiced to my own situation, but I would be happy to have our 9 year old 19 lb Lhasa Apso certified by a vet and an evaluation made about his life as a full-time indoor pet. We groom him just before the start of the trip and, if it matters, I am allergic to pets so try to be sensitive to others.

I stay at Marriott properties around the world and on occasion need points for a stay like the Courtyard at IST last summer but I get burned at USA Residence Inns where the pet fee is non-refundable $75 and up and I am not staying more than one night because we are driving 3-4K miles.

$75 for two to three nights is close to reasonable but some RI's used to charge only $20 and it varies from one location to another. RIs, at least, are also not uniform in terms of the agreement one signs when checking in.

Since I know this is not a realistic proposal for Marriott, I am looking into other properties on our route even though I don't want to shift my business to places like Holiday Inn Express partly because of the points (even though only 50%) but also that breakfast and the room.

I am silver with Marriott and only had the pet fee waved last summer when my SUV broke down and the only RI room available at midnight was a 2 bedroom suite coming in around $200.

Last edited by Xeno; Feb 27, 2010 at 5:09 pm
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Old Mar 21, 2010, 8:05 am
  #28  
 
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Originally Posted by ewok22
Just drove down to PHC from YYC this past weekend, Stopped in Utah at a brand new Comfort Inn, they charged me an extra $15.00 for our pup but she said it had to be under 30 lbs, (we have a 8 mo old choc lab) probably closer to 65 lbs. I said let me bring her in and u decide if she can stay, one look at our pup and she said the room is ours

I don't want to get started on dog size but..geez would hotels please wake up. It worked this time but........

We have an 85 pound yellow lab who is well behaved and has stayed at luxury hotels all over Canada. When I see pet size restrictions, it really gets me ! I sent an e-mail to one front desk manager about this and she agreed - she even had a large size breed. At the more upscale hotels, they get the concept that people who travel with their dogs tend to take better care of them too !
Add Fairmont to the list of pet-friendly chains...
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 9:32 am
  #29  
 
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Maybe I'm being grumpy, but I don't see how a $50 or $75 refundable pet fee is excessive. I have 2 dogs myself (albeit people tell me they're dog-bear hybrids), and I know that they're able to do twice as much damage in 5 minutes if they wanted to.

Consider if your dog has a little "accident". Not impossible to happen to anyone... hotel would have to pay for professional carpet cleaner (or at least I would hope so) which could be in excess of that fee.

And you'll get the money back at check-out anyway! I'll even go out on a limb here and say I'd be happier only staying for 1 night, since it would mean I would only part with my money for a short day!!

I thought this post was about dog hotels (as in, boarding)... those prices are really outrageous, I've been away for 2 weeks, and the bill is over $1k... sheesh...

Again, hope I don't step in anyone's toes here, just giving my 2 cents!
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Old Apr 22, 2010, 12:08 pm
  #30  
 
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Originally Posted by mbarreto
Maybe I'm being grumpy, but I don't see how a $50 or $75 refundable pet fee is excessive. I have 2 dogs myself (albeit people tell me they're dog-bear hybrids), and I know that they're able to do twice as much damage in 5 minutes if they wanted to.

Consider if your dog has a little "accident". Not impossible to happen to anyone... hotel would have to pay for professional carpet cleaner (or at least I would hope so) which could be in excess of that fee.

And you'll get the money back at check-out anyway! I'll even go out on a limb here and say I'd be happier only staying for 1 night, since it would mean I would only part with my money for a short day!!

I thought this post was about dog hotels (as in, boarding)... those prices are really outrageous, I've been away for 2 weeks, and the bill is over $1k... sheesh...

Again, hope I don't step in anyone's toes here, just giving my 2 cents!
Who is complaining about $75 refundable deposits? The OP was about a $125 non-refundable pet fee. Those fees are outrageous. And if anyone thinks that a hotel always has the carpets cleaned or the bedspreads dry cleaned after a dog has visited, I have got a bridge to sell you! Maybe if there was a really bad accident but otherwise.. And they charge all pet owners the fee regardless of whether the dog actually does cause damage. I would have no problem with a truly refundable deposit. That is not the case in many hotels.

As far as boarding, the price for dog hotels is absurd. I'll pay it for a weekend but for a longer trip, I always use the same old-fashioned kennel with an indoor area and an outdoor run that is for one dog only. It's much cheaper.
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