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Original poster

Dogs in hotels

307 replies

SlouchyBeanie · 07/03/2026 19:51

Staying in a chain hotel. Just seen two lots of dogs being taken to stay in a room. One lot was 2 spaniels, the other was a sausage dog and a bigger one I can't identify. I mean, what the fuck!?? I'm allergic to dogs and how do I know if there's been one in my room? Easy, I feel a bit unwell. Am I completely alone in thinking dogs have no business being in hotels and their owners are shit owners to imagine their dogs would enjoy this sort of experience. As I type, a third one has arrived, a terrier looking thing. I'm totally gobsmacked at the number of dogs in this hotel and find it unacceptable. I feel quite fired up about this at the moment, probably made worse by the barking and yapping I can hear. So am I being unreasonable that dogs should not be allowed in hotels?

OP posts:
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CunningLinguist2 · 08/03/2026 10:36

SlouchyBeanie · 07/03/2026 19:51

Staying in a chain hotel. Just seen two lots of dogs being taken to stay in a room. One lot was 2 spaniels, the other was a sausage dog and a bigger one I can't identify. I mean, what the fuck!?? I'm allergic to dogs and how do I know if there's been one in my room? Easy, I feel a bit unwell. Am I completely alone in thinking dogs have no business being in hotels and their owners are shit owners to imagine their dogs would enjoy this sort of experience. As I type, a third one has arrived, a terrier looking thing. I'm totally gobsmacked at the number of dogs in this hotel and find it unacceptable. I feel quite fired up about this at the moment, probably made worse by the barking and yapping I can hear. So am I being unreasonable that dogs should not be allowed in hotels?

You DO realise that a) assistance dogs could have been in any room of any hotel? And b) we don’t travel with our pets to give them “a hotel experience” (although mine would LOVE it) and c) pet friendly rooms are limited where offered/available so just ask for one that isn’t?

Laughing a bit about the hill some posters replying are willing to die on for this. May that always be the max magnitude of your problems.

Seriouslynonono · 08/03/2026 10:33

RobinInTheCrabApple · 08/03/2026 10:29

The OP herself has said she stays in lots of different hotels 40 nights a year and this occasion is the first time she's ever seen dogs one.

It's obviously not hard to find somewhere dog free.

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It is.

RobinInTheCrabApple · 08/03/2026 10:29

Seriouslynonono · 08/03/2026 00:32

I do go to dog free hotels. There just are not very many any more so it's hard to find somewhere.

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The OP herself has said she stays in lots of different hotels 40 nights a year and this occasion is the first time she's ever seen dogs one.

It's obviously not hard to find somewhere dog free.

RobinInTheCrabApple · 08/03/2026 10:20

When you stay in dog friendly accommodation you pay a dog charge. In TravelLodge it's £20 per stay and I've paid up to £40 extra in holiday cottages.

I'd always assumed this was because they do an extra thorough deep clean when you leave so perhaps rooms are even cleaner after a dog has been in.

If not it's the establishment's fault, not the dog owner who's paid for the service.

RobinInTheCrabApple · 08/03/2026 10:18

Seriouslynonono · 07/03/2026 23:58

@HelloVoid You groom dogs, hence you work with owners who take extra special care of their dogs.

Many owners do not take this extra special care of their dogs and therefore many dogs frequently have fleas.

Edited

Do you think that owners who don't take extra special care of their dogs would go to the trouble and expense (you pay extra for a dog) of taking their pet to a hotel with them?

RobinInTheCrabApple · 08/03/2026 10:16

Strumpetpumpet · 07/03/2026 23:27

I generally avoid anywhere dog-friendly, as I have allergies. It can be a bit of a pain but it is - for now - still doable, there are some hotels/cottages/ restaurants which don’t allow dogs. If and when that’s no longer the case, I’ll be buying a camper van 😎

You're going to absolutely love how dog friendly most campsites are.

rwalker · 08/03/2026 09:27

Assistledoggo · 08/03/2026 08:55

Can I just ask. How many of you are including assistance dogs in your ban?

The problem is the assistance scheme has been totally abused
the world and his wife can get an assistance harness from Amazon and put it on the family dog
which makes a lot of people cynical if some of the assistance dogs are genuine

Assistledoggo · 08/03/2026 08:55

Can I just ask. How many of you are including assistance dogs in your ban?

igelkott2026 · 08/03/2026 08:53

PriOn1 · 08/03/2026 08:38

Humans can catch fleas. It’s rare with our modern washing habits, but it is possible.

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My mum has a visiting cat and a couple of times I've been covered with flea bites then (so not after being in hotels). They might not live on humans but they definitely bite! The cat is well looked after but I think fleas are clever at keeping ahead of the anti-flea medication. So even if you are a more responsible dog owner you may struggle to deal with them.

And ticks are worse. Flea bites just make me itch but that's it. Tick bites can be rather more serious.

I do think hotels, B&Bs, cafes etc should be explicit about whether they allow dogs (and to what extent eg whether only in the bar, or only in a pub garden, only on certain hotel floors etc).

OffOnOurHols · 08/03/2026 08:44

Where are you staying OP? If you are in or around Birmingham then I imagine plenty of hotels will have relaxed their rules to take advantage of the business thousands and thousands of dog owners attending Crufts will bring.

PriOn1 · 08/03/2026 08:38

HelloVoid · 07/03/2026 23:46

How many times have you caught fleas from staying in a hotel? Aside from the fact that humans can’t actually catch fleas.

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Humans can catch fleas. It’s rare with our modern washing habits, but it is possible.

PriOn1 · 08/03/2026 08:21

NoSoapJustUseShowerGel · 07/03/2026 23:28

I’m sure you can find one, maybe even a handful. My point is there’s a massive lack of choice. I know this from experience in looking for UK holiday cottages for the past few years. If I filter by no-pets I get about 10-20% of options available. Same goes for nice coffee shops at weekends- I know from lived experience. It’s completely disproportionate.

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To be fair, if you filter for pet friendly, you only get about 10-20% of options available too.

I suspect the remainder that don’t pop up haven’t declared openly either way. Likely a number of them would not allow dogs, if you asked directly.

So I suspect this conundrum is caused by labeling, rather than by a paucity of pet-free places.

rwalker · 08/03/2026 08:17

OneBreezyHelper · 08/03/2026 00:12

just...don't have one?

What is it to you how people treat their pet? As long as they are not abusing them and the pets are happy and healthy, who the hell cares?

You can't be jealous of a dog, can you?!

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What an earth are you on about being jealous of a dog

MonsteraDeliciosa · 08/03/2026 08:14

So in all this time, youve stayed in so many hotels but you've never come across dogs in one until this day, correct?

Yet earlier, you said It's disingenuous to say ' well don't go anywhere that allows dogs". We all know they're funking everywhere

Which is it?

KatiePricesKnickers · 08/03/2026 08:10

CaptainMyCaptain · 08/03/2026 07:38

On the other hand some hotels don't let you leave dogs unattended in the rooms.

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Fair point! I use the do not disturb sign on the door.

NoWordForFluffy · 08/03/2026 08:03

CaptainMyCaptain · 08/03/2026 07:38

On the other hand some hotels don't let you leave dogs unattended in the rooms.

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We did divide and conquer when we stayed in a hotel with our dog. DH took the kids for breakfast first and I stayed with the dog in the room. I then went down when they came back.

We only tend to stay in self catering cottages now so that's not an issue!

CaptainMyCaptain · 08/03/2026 07:38

KatiePricesKnickers · 08/03/2026 07:37

I have a dog, and he stays in hotels with me, but it’s unacceptable to take a dog to breakfast where there is usually a buffet on the go, the smell of bacon in the air, and kids running around.
Usually the hotel makes that quite apparent.

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On the other hand some hotels don't let you leave dogs unattended in the rooms.

HelmholtzWatson · 08/03/2026 07:37

Some hotels allow dogs, some don't. Some allow kids, some don't.

My advice would be to check in advanced if it's important. My partner is a coeliac, and we check whether they can accommodate before we go, not when we get there.

KatiePricesKnickers · 08/03/2026 07:37

PeloMom · 08/03/2026 01:37

Usually if there are dogs, the hotel advertises as pet friendly. I make sure I don’t book those . Learnt my lesson when I went to a supposedly 5star luxury hotel and there were dogs barking from every side at breakfast.

I have a dog, and he stays in hotels with me, but it’s unacceptable to take a dog to breakfast where there is usually a buffet on the go, the smell of bacon in the air, and kids running around.
Usually the hotel makes that quite apparent.

Assistledoggo · 08/03/2026 07:35

My assistance dog goes where I go.

not a bit sorry.

Walli2 · 08/03/2026 07:30

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Actually, psychopaths tend to love to dogs. There's an interesting explanation of this in 'The Pyschopath Test' by Jon Ronson. Dogs are obedient, give unconditional love and give the owner the attention a psychopath craves. Obviously most dog owners are not psychopaths, but when someone says they love dogs more than people, it's not a good sign.

NoWordForFluffy · 08/03/2026 06:46

Seriouslynonono · 08/03/2026 00:32

I do go to dog free hotels. There just are not very many any more so it's hard to find somewhere.

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Nonsense. Far fewer hotels allow dogs than don't.

Ferdyandthegingerone · 08/03/2026 06:37

Op just wants to moan. She openly states she stays in different hotels for around 40 nights a year and this is the FIRST TIME she has come across dogs in a hotel. So, dogs are hardly “everywhere” now are they?

TreeBirds · 08/03/2026 02:23

MandingoAteMyBaby · 08/03/2026 01:46

For the shitehounds

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What an awful way to talk about fellow humans just because they don’t like dogs.

EmmaBridgewaterr · 08/03/2026 01:53

I can take my guide dog into any hotel. Including premier inns shock