Between traveling to hunt tests, dog shows, visiting relatives and various other events, we have spent our fair share of time staying in hotels (or motels) with our dogs.
Since many people travel with their pets for the holidays, I thought I would share some tips for a hassle free stay.
Before You Go
You have done your research and found a hotel that accepts dogs. You can make an online reservation, but I like to call the hotel directly and talk to them. I try to speak to somebody in authority (a manager), and let them know that we are bringing our dogs. I tell them the size and number of dogs. For example, I may say that we are bringing three large dogs and ask if that is OK and whether there is an added charge for the dogs.
It does no good to show up at a hotel only to be told that they will not accept large dogs, or they only accept one dog, or that the added charge for dogs in the room is something excessive.
While I have the hotel on the phone, I usually ask for a first floor room. We prefer a first floor room because it makes it easier to take dogs out for potty breaks. Our dogs tolerate elevators, but prefer stairs. Third floor rooms can be a bit much with multiple dogs.
I usually make a note of the name of the person I spoke with and the date and keep it with my hotel information, just in case.
Items To Pack
In addition to all of the other things that we pack for a trip, I like to add some extra things if we are staying in a hotel.
I bring extra towels or mats to put under the water and food bowls. A towel or mat can save a carpet in the case of a spill.
I also like to bring extra water from home for the dogs because sometimes different water does not agree with them. There is nothing worse than having to get up over and over to take your dog out when you are staying in a hotel.
Don’t forget dogs beds. For some reason hotel floors are beyond hard. If you plan to let your dogs sleep on the bed, bring something to cover it first. Remember the next person to rent that room may not share your love of dogs sleeping on their bed.
We try to leave the rooms we stay in as neat as when we found them. We want to be good ambassadors and not give the hotel reason to discontinue allowing dogs to stay in their rooms or to encourage them to increase their pet fees.
When You Get There
When we arrive at a hotel, we let them know that we have dogs and ask where they would like us to walk them. We don’t just assume that the nice lawn in front is fair game. Of course we always make sure to clean up after our dogs.
When we get to the room I give it a once over to see if there is any obvious damage that I want to let the front desk know about so that they do not think our dogs caused it. Normally there is nothing, but one time the room we were given had a small tear in the carpet right in front of the door. Not a big deal, but I let the front desk know about it and made note of the person’s name that I spoke with. It turned out not to be an issue, but I had the information just in case.
Normally we do not leave the dogs alone in the room, but we have done it on occasion. For example, we attended our breed specialty show and it was normal to leave a dog or two in the room while we were busy with the show. We kept the dogs in crates when we were not there with them and made sure to put the sign on the door letting the hotel staff know there were dogs in the room.
That was an event where the hotel expected dogs to be left in the rooms from time to time, but most hotels do not encourage it. However, we have found that if we are going out, say for a quick meal, and ask the front desk if it would be OK, most are accommodating. We make sure to leave our cell phone numbers and where we plan to be with the front desk so that we can be notified should any problems arise. We also put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door to let housekeeping know that we would prefer they not go into the room.
Mostly we order carry-out and eat in the room rather than leave the dogs alone. I usually bring a small pack of paper plates, plastic ware, and paper towels because not all take out places offer these things. Usually the front desk can recommend what is nearby and what is good. They may even have a menu to make ordering easier.
One final thing….don’t forget exercise for your dog. Hotel rooms are notoriously small quarters and a little exercise can go a long way to keep your dog happy and out of mischief.
This is a video of Christmas morning 2010, (Thunder was 4 and Storm was 3). We were in Illinois visiting family and staying in a hotel. We got out really early in the morning to run the dogs in a nearby park. It gave them some fun time and tired them out.
Do you have any tips to share?
Great tips for making staying in a hotel room easy and hassle free! Happy Monday.
Great tips – we’re thinking of going away next week and I always worry about the dogs and a hotel – especially leaving them in the room.
Sadly most hotels are not dog friendly here. Have a marvellous Monday.
Best wishes Molly
Great tips for traveling with one’s dogs! Normally, we use our favorite pet sitter(s) when we have to travel because it’s just easier on all of us. Or, we take staycations. Now that hubby’s retired, every day is a Saturday so we don’t need vacations (yet).
Thanks for these great tips. A little preparation sure goes a long way, doesn’t it? 🙂
You are a hotel manager’s dream! Thanks for being one of the good guys. There’s nothing worse than going to a specialty held at a nice hotel and seeing exhibitors allow their dogs to hike their legs on plants and posts.
I usually bring something like a Kong that I stuff with peanut butter and dog biscuits. It keeps them busy and tires them out.
Great tips to make hotel stays less of a hassle. I like your tips about having good communication with the hotel staff and checking the room over for damage (just in case). It can be so much fun traveling with your dogs if you’re prepared.
We like the thrill of a hotel. We learned elevators as pups, so we don’t mind them. Mom won’t stay on the first floor for safety reasons (from her flying days). Sometimes we take the stairs for exercise. We have several hotels we love to stay at and always stay at those places. We are good in the room too, so we can be left alone without making any noises. Even when hotel policy doesn’t allow it, we do it as no one will know anyway. We don’t go on the furniture and we are quiet.
LOL we have Chessies. One thing we don’t have to worry about is someone coming in if we don’t want them to. 🙂
I ask for rooms at the end of the hall. Fewer footsteps and people to get distracted by. I do let Mr. N sleep on the bed but I make sure his feet are clean and he doesn’t shed.
We try to take the big vacations in the summer so we can eat out with Mr. N.
This was a awesome post! I love the mat idea for the water bowl. I usually just put it in the bathroom so when they slop it goes on the tile.
Good tips! I like Mr. N’s tip about asking for a room at the far end of the hall! We had to stay at a couple of hotels on our way to the home we’d rented for our last vaca, and Rita would bark in the night when folks walked past our room Mortifying! We had to run the a/c for white noise to drown out the noise of folks coming and going at all hours!
This is really great advice! You have thought of everything not just for your own comfort and convenience, but to keep things good for everyone that wants to travel with their dogs.
Such excellent advice. We love traveling with Harper Lee. It’s so much fun to see people light up when they see a dog at the hotel, and most people want to stop and tell us all about their dog or dogs back home. I usually bring a few of Harper Lee’s toys. She hardly ever touches them, but I like to think that the little piece of home helps her to be more comfortable in strange surroundings. Also, remember to bring food and water bowls. It seems obvious, but sometimes in the rush to pack and leave that’s something that can be forgotten.
Lots of good information for traveling with your dog. Mica has traveled to do many hotels for showing that nothing about it bothers her. But each time I do have to remind her that other dogs and ppl are there. She hears them when they pass the door and wants to bark. After I remind her she is very quiet.
Good post!! I see I am not the only one who wants to speak to a person in charge about dogs staying at the hotel/motel 😉
The only place Donna goes for a vacation is at her daycare by herself. LOL. Glad you guys have the option to take the Brown Dawgs along!
Lots of good tips here. The first time we stayed overnight with Sampson they put us on the 5th floor that was being renovated. It didn’t bother me too much and we used the hallway to play fetch with him because we were alone on the floor. 😉
I never thought about the water though. Going forward I’ll remember to bring some of our bottled stuff.
Great tips! Exercise is very important, and it’s so important to immediately clean up after your dog when taking them out. Our biggest issue is their wanting to bark at every sound from the hallways and other rooms, but they get over it after a couple of days.