to wish that hotels did dog-free rooms?

Tell that to the thousands of people who have entered Crufts next month! They and their dogs have to stay somewhere. Honestly what on earth do you expect people to do when they travel with a dog?

Sometimes they do - if I'm travelling to see family, which because of distance needs an overnight stop, me and the dog have to sleep somewhere! That said, my dog is not allowed on furniture or the bed, is not left unattended in the room, is not allowed to bark and certainly doesn't toilet inside. As others have said, not all hotels allow dogs (eg Travelodge does, Premier Inn doesn't) and even those who do tend to separate out dog rooms and non-dog rooms (eg limiting dogs to a certain floor or corridor).

As a single woman who enjoys walking holidays there is absolutely no way I would do some of the trips I do alone and without my dog.

If the issue is with the cleanliness of the rooms after I visit take it up with the hotel. I have always had to pay an additional fee usually £20-£35 a night to cover cleaning. Which for a weeks holiday works out as a fair wedge. If the hotel isn't putting the money they have charged me specifically for cleaning towards that then complain to them.

Once I have paid 300 odd-quid extra for you to clean the room I'd be bloody annoyed if there was a trace of my dog in it afterwards as well

Well the dogs dont die so it's going to be a decade or more from when the craze dies down. And I've had dogs all my life, I dont think it's a craze.

Dogs don't need to be in hotels at all. Kennels exist for a reason. I really hope this dog friendly craze goes away soon.

Sounds like you go to places in the middle of nowhere, so of course there will be more dogs staying in the countryside. Although I'm confused about what concerts you're going to that are playing in small towns.

I only stay in hotels in cities and have had zero experiences of any dogs being there, and I have a really strong sense of smell.

Well most hotels have spare mattresses, so drying one out is not an issue, it can spend weeks drying out. People piss on mattresses, I'm sure the odd dog does too, but mostly people.

And I've seen threads on here about hotel room kettles, I wont use one either.

The vast majority of hotels don't allow dogs.

Then you are still free to contact them after you've booked?

Email, call, the 3rd party message facility, even mention it when checking in, though you do run the risk that they don't have another option at that point.

It's not an insurmountable issue but one solved fairly easily by communicating your wants & needs to the people you're expecting to deliver them.
Or you only go to places that state they don't allow dogs.

I don't think dogs belong everywhere, as a dog owner myself, but if you're booking somewhere that's dog friendly then the basic expectation is that dogs will have been/will be present.

It sounds like the room wasn't adequately cleaned or aired before you arrived, that's not acceptable no matter how you book.

For those allergic to dog, cat etc, it's not the smell per se, it is the microscopic particle allergens shed by the animals. It takes highly dedicated cleaning to remove the allergens.

Of course, the doggy smell or cat hairs is a massive red flag.

My guess would be that hotels would designate their cheaper rooms to be dog friendly as it gives them the opportunity to charge extra for a more basic room.

Everything should be default no dog. Hotels, restaurants, shops. Even parks. In the USA you have dogs. So have a dog hotel and leave the rest of us alone. People would have laughed in the past, bringing a dog to a hotel. Train have a dog carriage if you must.

Of the 23%who think YABU does it never occur to them that some people are allergic to dogs?

I doubt if it's dogs that have urinated on the beds.

Some do, if you look for them. I never want to pay for a room that stinks of dogs. 🤷‍♀️

I have a dog allergy .. so yes, rooms there were always dog free would be great.
I once asked the train operator if they could have one carriage as pet free .. but they said no ☹️

You can just phone up after you've booked and ask for them to make a note on the booking. Honestly I think this a a non-issue that you are determined not to solve because you'd rather be right and miserable.

Yes I stayed at a Travelodge once where they were holding a nearby dig convention never again. I love dogs but they were noisy and took over the hotel.

That's the downside of 3rd party sites unfortunately, less control because hotels can't just directly deal with you for any requests or issues, and you're limited to what options you can offer by way of choice to the guest, by the generic choice options they offer, it's got to all go through them and as someone who deals with them for work, they don't make life easy for anyone but themselves. They just want the commission.
For example there's nowhere to be able to specify non dog friendly room, it's just you accept them or you don't. The only way is for the guest to communicate with the hotel - through the site. Which if you don't then can lead to issues like yours (though if the room was properly cleaned it shouldn't be an issue anyway).

I agree it can be cheaper, but most hotels will match or beat the 3rd party site on price if it doesn't include a discount from the 3rd party site as well, or throw a dinner or upgrade in for the same price, and you get the benefit of speaking with an actual person who knows the hotel and policies and can guide you to the best option.

I use it as a directory and then contact the hotel directly to book.

Is it though? Just you and this other poster saying it’s so hard to find dog free hotels, but nobody else so far has come across it - mostly the opposite.