Traveling with a Pet - 2004 

July 8, 2004

More and more hotels and motels accept pets because it is in their interest to do so. Alienating potential customers is not good business. Though things have gotten better the past five years, there is room for improvement.  Based on first hand experience, pet owners endure the following: 

1. Room charges of $5 to $20 per day per pet added to the basic room rate.
2. Deposits, which are sometimes un-refundable.
3. Given a smoking room when a non-smoking room is desired.
4. No bed options such as requesting a king-sized bed and given a double.
5. Rooms marginally livable: leaking plumbing, lights and bathroom fans that don’t work, filthy and smelly carpets, A/C that doesn’t work, poor or broken door locks, broken furniture and generally poor maintenance.
6. No "extras" that other guests enjoy such as quick checkout.
7. Refusing to respond to complaints about room conditions.
8. Banishment to a room near the ice machine, “in the back”, near stairways, utility and laundry rooms, and sometimes even no maid service during your stay.

Despite these problems, pet owners still travel. Now they must complain. They must speak and write about their problems and demand better treatment from hotel and motel operators and owners. 

If a facility does not really want pets then they should be very clear about this and not take advantage of customers. They must respect pet owners just like guests with or without children…. just like any guest walking through their front door.

Employees should ask themselves whether they would rent the motel room to the owner or CEO of the company they work for and if the answer is, No, then they must  not rent the room to anyone.