If you are thinking of taking your pets on vacation, one of your most important preparations is finding pet friendly hotels for many obvious reasons. For one thing, you want to enjoy a vacation free from the hassles of hiding your dog from the management and staff of a hotel with the strict ‘no pets allowed’ policy. For another thing, your pet will appreciate its own dog-friendly accommodation like a comfortable dog bed, treats and play area that, in turn, will make you one happy camper, too.
Finding a dog-friendly hotel is relatively easy when you know how to look for it. You have so many resources right on your fingertips from the Internet to travel agencies, telephone directories and even from other fellow pet owners who have travelled with their pets in two. The trick is in choosing from among these pet-friendly hotels, motels and other accommodations according to your budget, tastes and preferences.
Since you are already online and reading this article, your first step is to consult pet-related websites. Just type in keywords like ‘dog-friendly accommodation’ and the search engines like Google and Yahoo will present hundreds of thousands of possible choices from luxury hotels to budget motels. You can also join online message boards and forums to ask other pet owners for their recommendations.
Family and friends as well as acquaintances and co-workers will also have great ideas about hotels that offer pet-friendly facilities and amenities. You will be surprised at the honest reviews that will be coming your way from people in your social circle. These reviews are definitely more reliable than those found in the hotel sites since you can be sure that your friends’ reviews are not tinged with marketing hype.
Your travel agent will also be of big help in finding pet-friendly hotels. Be sure to tell him about your plans in bringing along your pet so that the proper arrangements can be made. Plus, be sure to ask about any extra charges as well as the necessary travel arrangements like vaccinations, quarantines and sleeping quarters.
When you already have the list of hotels with pet-friendly policies, amenities and facilities, you can then start to choose which one best suits your needs and wants. Look at the pictures of the rooms, facilities and amenities to determine if these are to your liking. Ask questions of the hotel management via e-mail, live online chat or phone call to clarify certain issues.
Keep in mind that pet-friendly hotels will have different levels of quality when it comes to their service, facilities and amenities. It always pays to ask detailed questions so that unpleasant surprises can be significantly lessened on your arrival. For example, you want to be sure that the hotel actually has dog-friendly accommodation instead of just admitting dogs into the premises – there’s a huge difference.
When you have chosen the best dog-friendly hotel for your vacation accommodations, you should book a room as soon as possible and be sure to confirm the reservations a few days before your actual travel time. You want the details to be ironed out down to the check-in time for obvious reasons. After all, pet-friendly hotels can only do so much for their clientele – you have to do half the work, too.
For more information please see RSPCA.org.uk