Pet-friendly holiday lets have never been more popular for UK travellers. With the rise in staycation holidays due to the Covid pandemic, recent statistics suggest that over half of pet owners travel with their pets on holiday.
Travelling with pets means that owners don’t have to spend money on expensive kennelling or cattery facilities whilst they are away and can enjoy a holiday with the whole family, including four-legged members!
If you own a holiday let and want to make it pet-friendly, there are some considerations to take into account before you go ahead:
- You’ll be sure to increase bookings in your calendar from guests who need pet-friendly accommodation. But will you lose clients who don’t wish to stay in accommodation where pets are allowed?
- You’ll need to ensure that your Brighton holiday let is cleaned rigorously between guests. Especially if your next clients are not bringing pets. There should be no trace of the last furry guest when they arrive.
- Regular checks for pet damage will need to be carried out and repairs dealt with immediately, before the next guest check-in.
Tips to create a dog-friendly holiday let
If you own a holiday let and want to make it pet-friendly, there are some considerations to take into account before you go ahead. Here are our top tips to create a pet-friendly or dog-friendly holiday let.
Add a pet surcharge to your rental rate
It’s absolutely acceptable to add a surcharge for bringing pets. Guests will understand this is to cover potential damage or cleaning. Your surcharge will be less than the kennel costs.
Surcharges can be based on the pet’s weight/size and you can set a maximum kg limit on four-legged guests depending on the size of your holiday let.
TOP TIP: Be clear in your Airbnb listing what type/size of pets you accept and any surcharges, as the examples below show:
- We welcome two well-behaved dogs up to 30kgs each with a surcharge of £10 per night / per pet.
- You are welcome to bring one well behaved dog free of charge.
Doggy Welcome Packs
A dog basket, food and water bowls, poo bags and a squeaky toy, will delight human and four-legged guests and gives the added benefit that your guests can travel lighter with pets.
TOP TIP: why not add a doggy treat in your welcome gift pack and offer to purchase a specific dog food before they arrive?
Pet-friendly House Rules
Create a separate section in your house rules or booking conditions to cover pet stays in your holiday let.
They should include items, such as the maximum number of dogs allowed, restricted areas around the house i.e. not allowed in bedrooms, upstairs, or on furniture; plus rules for arriving back from the beach with sandy pets, from a countryside walk with muddy pets, and if they are arriving from abroad, they will need to show their pet passport and vaccination certificate before arrival.
TOP TIP: Make your ‘Doggy House Rules’ light-hearted and back them up by giving them what they need to keep your house clean.
Example: We ask guests to please refrain from allowing pets to enter the house when sandy, muddy or wet. There is a doggy towel and hose outside to clean and dry off before they enter.
Restrict areas in your holiday let
Restricting areas in your holiday let, such as bedrooms will minimise damage and can also mean that guests who are put off by dog-friendly accommodation may think again if they know that you only allow dogs in specific areas of your home.
TOP TIP: consider adding a child’s stair guard to stop pets from heading upstairs to bedrooms and bathrooms.
Additional pet services
If you want to go above and beyond and really get your doggy guests’ tails wagging, you could offer to purchase their favourite brand of dog food in advance or offer dog sitter services, for pets who can’t stay home alone.
Dog-friendly flooring: Muddy paw prints won’t be appreciated on expensive rugs and floors, so we advise installing dog-friendly floorings, such as stone flagstones, tiles or wood/parquet floors.
TOP TIP: Bamboo parquet is especially pet-friendly, earth-friendly and stylish too!
Pet-friendly holiday let gardens
If you have a garden or patio, think about the space and layout. Do you need to enclose areas where dogs are not allowed? Close to flower beds, protected tree species or surrounding a pool or water feature?
TOP TIP: Leave information on the best dog walks and pet shops in the area.
My Getaways manage pet-friendly properties in Brighton, Hove and throughout Sussex, but we want to add more quality, pet-friendly holiday lets to our portfolio to satisfy the demand from guest enquiries for pet-friendly accommodation.
If you own or manage a pet-friendly holiday let and are looking for a new channel to increase bookings, please get in touch with our team today.