To find guests bringing dogs to our B&B without informing us beforehand unbelievably cheeky?

[Woolysheeps]

We run a B&B in a rural area in the Scottish Borders.
We do state we are 'pet friendly with additional charges' on booking platforms.
I would say 70% of our guests bring dogs but of this 70% only 10% actually inform us beforehand and enquire about charges and where the dogs are allowed etc. Most just turn up with their dog and walk right in. Some bring 2 or 3 dogs with them and don't bat an eyelid when I say 'you didn't inform us you were bringing a dog....'. Not a single guest who has brought a dog and not informed us has ever mentioned the additional charges specified online and aren't happy when we bring it up. It is making me want to remove the 'pets allowed' feature as I feel it is being abused.
So, my question is, if our booking platforms say 'pets allowed with additional charges', AIBU to expect to be informed beforehand? Would you inform a B&B beforehand if you were bringing your dog?

I don’t think it’s a charge for extra prep but a charge for extra clean up after they’ve gone. Don’t have dogs and used to hate my ex in-laws turning up with theirs. In wet weather they’d create loads of mess and one of them chewed the legs on our dining chairs 😕

Quite possible but the OP runs a B&B not a hotel.

And turn away 70% of your customers?

Either you’re dog friendly or you’re not. Build it into your price, seeing as the vast majority of your clients have dogs

WHY? If these people don’t like sharing space with animals they can book one of the thousands of places identified by a past poster who don’t allow dogs.

Why would someone leave their dog in the room, in fact most hotel’s specific state not to do that.

And WHY the RANDOM capitals?

I think it’s a fairly standard model across the hospitality industry. 30 minutes to flip a room and 15 as a daily clean. Neither of which is sufficient to de dog a room. Doing a deep clean of a room to remove all traces of a dog guest would be a good 2 hour job. Plus extra time to allow carpet ( if applicable) to dry. A lot of people run a bnb single handed or with one other set of helping hands. Happy to be told I’m wrong but I really doubt they have the time to do that level of daily cleaning.

Extra charges for any reason are not liked, you can blame companies such as Ryanair for that.

Better to build it into your price and offer a discount to those without dogs, or something extra in the service instead.

This.
Just raise your rates for all and assume most bring dogs.

If it says pet friendly I’d assume I can bring my dog unless it specified otherwise.

Sorry, no pets.

I tend to book with Airbnb and book accommodation that takes dogs. I do as a matter of courtesy inform the owner I am taking a dog in the introductory correspondence. If you are charging for dogs then this needs to be explicit and what the charge is. I have used Booking.com and taken a dog and they have used the terminology dogs accepted and thus far have never been charged extra. I think you need to be clear if you are charging extra for dogs.

I would always ask before turning up with my dog.

I would suggest that the OP should make it blatantly clear that guests may bring ONE dog at a charge of £X per night, but it MUST be booked and paid for BEFORE arrival.

I would also make it clear that 'Anyone turning up with a dog that hasn't been prebooked will be expected to take the dog to the local kennels and pay them to board it, because you cannot guarantee that any of your specific, dog friendly rooms will be available to accommodate any unexpected dogs.

But, if the OP chooses to allow someone to stay with an unbooked dog, I'd suggest doubling the dog charge for the inconvenience!

I've just read a couple of posts that say people don't like to play more to take a dog on holiday with them, but if you look at ANY of the big holiday camps that have caravans or chalets, they ALL charge extra for dogs, and even specify which of their accommodations they are permitted in.
Even a campsite where you take your own tent/caravan/motorhome, will charge a nightly rate for each dog.

If such a significant percentage of your customers aren’t behaving the way you want them to then I would suggest that your communication is not clear.

I've just read a couple of posts that say people don't like to play more to take a dog on holiday with them, but if you look at ANY of the big holiday camps that have caravans or chalets, they ALL charge extra for dogs, and even specify which of their accommodations they are permitted in.
Even a campsite where you take your own tent/caravan/motorhome, will charge a nightly rate for each dog.

I have no objection to paying more but I object to choosing accommodation based on price and location and being pet friendly then finding on arrival or departure I'm expected to pay a further fee that wasn't mentioned on booking. And uts a significant difference paying an extra £20 overnight on a £100 booking for 2 chihuahuas with a combined weight of 7 kg. We now only book places that are upfront and honest.

I used to Airbnb a room in my home. I advertised I was pet friendly (I actually had a lady turn up with a cat once!). My guests always informed me they were bringing pets although I didn’t make an extra charge for them. If I book accommodation I always say I am intending to bring my dogs.

If the listing doesn't (cannot) specify that dogs should be notified in advance then its not that surprising that people don't.

I agree it would be polite/sensible and if I wanted to bring a dog I'd want to check what the additional charge was in advance. But a lot of people don't think too much about stuff or use a lot of common sense. (Bit of a derail but when my daughter had a birthday trip with friends to Go Ape which required each parent to complete a waiver form in advance every single one was completed wrong in some way and some had forgotten to do it despite a clear request and two reminders. I thought I had a goldfish brain but after that I felt like I am not doing so badly!)

I would assume everyone brings a dog or two and increase prices accordingly!
All guests should be given info on or arrival or beforehand by email detailing clearly the dog free zones!

or if you can get enough business by saying NO DOGS then go that route. I don’t think you’ll loose custom, just attract a different type of custom. Currently you’ll be putting off the many people who don’t like or allergic to dogs!
so you could just appeal to a different audience !

I am a dog owner and would always tell the hotel, B%B, etc, in advance about her, and that she won't be left alone in the place or sleep on any of the furniture, and that pawas will be cleaned before entering, etc. You need to make it CLEAR, IN WRITING that owners need to communicate in advance about size and number.

I won’t use booking . Com because I have twice and both times were a disaster.

I’d like to know if a place allows dogs in the bedroom, because then I won’t book!

im now allergic to dogs (didn’t used to be) and don’t want to sleep in a room where they have been. Even when I had a dog it wasn’t allowed in the bedroom.

I don’t like dogs in restaurants and cafes. They always seem to be huge dogs with their bum holes at table height and their tails in the air! …. How on earth has this become social acceptable?? (In a world of hygiene ratings?)
not keen on little dogs either in restaurants and cafes. Have experienced dogs “toileting” on the floor on a number of occasions.

dogs in country pubs (drinking areas not restaurants) I can just about cope with.

As a non dog-lover I always avoid places that say pet friendly. So by taking this off they might attract other guests who don’t want to have to stay with other people’s dogs. Same with restaurants and cafes but that’s a whole new thread…

100% agree. I was in a tiny cafe with a friend a while back. We’d gone out for a cooked breakfast for a treat. I had to shuffle my chair in to accommodate a huge dog the table behind us brought in and then put up with the smell of dog, which I can’t stand. Put me right off my breakfast🤮

I’d like to know if a place allows dogs in the bedroom, because then I won’t book!

I’m the same but actually find booking dot com is helpful for avoiding dog friendly hotels as all hotels which are dog free have it under the “hotel policies” section that Pets aren’t allowed.

I only had an issue with that once with a “Pets not allowed” B&B not being transparent about the fact their own dogs would be around.

I actually wish it was as easy to find out if a cafe or restaurant is dog friendly. So many times I’ve assumed somewheres not dog friendly, then I’ve seen a dog there suddenly. I wish all cafes had to display it on their windows/doors or websites if they’re dog friendly.

Last time I saw a dog in a breakfast cafe I just walked out before I even ordered. I think I’m going to start calling ahead and making sure dogs aren’t allowed, but it’s a bit annoying if I just want to drop in somewhere randomly as I’m walking by. In my town the only coffee shop I’m aware of that doesn’t allow dogs is Costa. I’ve seen dogs in every single one I’ve been too.

Normally there's a section that asks how many adults/children and dogs you're bringing. I fill in that part, to bring my dog and get charged a small fee. Is that website offering that option?

Yes they are. Virtually every place I've stayed has charged a fee for our dog.

I only paid extra once for a dog - I also find it unusual