to wish that hotels did dog-free rooms?

[Goldfsh]

Back from a few nights in another high-end spa hotel which is now (like more of less everywhere) dog-friendly.

This is fine, of course - and I get that it is a sensible business decision - but honestly, as a non-dog-owner you can really smell that a dog has been in your room, no matter how clean (particularly as they tend to have carpets), and the dogs in bar areas are often quite stinky! (Particularly larger breeds.)

It does put me off staying in hotels these days and I tend to prefer AirBnBs where I can see they at least have hard floors.

AIBU to wish that hotels had dog-free rooms, the way they used to have smoke-free rooms?!

I think I prefer hard floors in general. Otherwise the room can smell like stale feet.

Having stayed in hotels quite extensively with my dog, there’s usually only a handful of rooms that are dog friendly.

If your room smells, ask to be moved. That suggests a lack of proper cleaning.

There are plenty of dog-free hotels. Just go to those ones.

(Dog owner and lover, but not one who's going to be taking their dog to a high-end spa hotel, so no skin in the game here.)

Anywhere worth it's salt will have dog free rooms, and dog friendly rooms.

Every dog friendly hotel I've been to only has a couple of dog friendly rooms.

They have to have some pet free ones due to potential allergies.

Either ask for a pet free one, or I suspect this one just wasn't well cleaned.

Hotels have dog free rooms. I tried to book a room at a dog friendly hotel recently and was told they only allow dogs in 5 of the 20 rooms and that those 5 were already booked up the dates we wanted.

It's actually getting quite hard to find hotels that are dog-free, and none I've been to have asked if I want a dog-free room.

Lots of towns only have one or two decent hotels, and I often coincide a trip with a concert or similar. So I don't have much of a choice in nice places.

If you want a room a dog has never entered previously, it’s up to you to ask the hotel about that.

You’re not being unreasonable if your hotel room smells of dog. Totally not ok. But I do find it surprising- I’ve never been in a hotel room and had it smelling of dog, and I’ve got a pretty sensitive sense of smell. Is it the same few places or a lot of different ones? Definitely worth complaining each time.

The hotels I've been to only have a fraction of dog friendly rooms, say 5 or 6 out of the whole hotel. They are sited for easy access to outside and hard floors and larger than average, one in Scotland had 6 in a row all with patio doors to some grass. Every other room about 40 were dog free. Also dogs were only allowed in certain areas and one bar. Still loads of hotels dont allow dogs full stop.

Really? I wouldn't want to stay in a room a dog has been in. Surely the default is a dog free room and if you want to bring your dog you ask?

Hotels should provide dog free as the default and anyone not asking for a dog friendly room should be given one that is off limits to dogs.

I don't know why some people here seem to think it was the OP's responsibility to ask about this; if I don't ask for a smoking-friendly room, I expect the hotel to automatically provide a room where smoking has never permitted, because I don't want a room that stinks. Ditto dogs.

I have never found a hotel which allows dogs in every room. As others have said most have a handful which are dog friendly, but they will use for other guests when under occupied. Just ask for one of those on booking. Most hotels I have stayed in also only allow dogs in bar areas and not restaurants

If I book self catering, I always book dog free houses. I try to book dog free hotels. If there are no dog free hotels where I want to stay I ring up and ask if there are any rooms that they don’t allow dogs in. I also ask about their policy regarding dogs in the restaurant etc. Hotels will very often keep their recently decorated rooms dog free. Some hotels only allow dogs in their rooms with hard floors. Some hotels allow dogs in the restaurant and some just allow them in the bar for bar meals. I have complained when someone brought their dog into an area that was supposed to be dog free and they asked the owner to remove the dog.

Another dog owner here- you got unlucky, it’s really unusual for a hotel to designate all rooms as dog friendly, most only have a few that they let dogs in (and charge more for it to cover additional cleaning fees.)

if it’s happening to you regularly, you need to start asking hotels when booking to put you in a dog free room.

Id give that hotel a miss even as a dog owner, they need to be cleaning properly between visitors, even more so if they are a hotel that takes extra fee for dogs to cover extra cleaning.

I’m pretty sure your experience does not reflect the norm OP. It would be very odd indeed for a hotel to have no rooms which pets are not allowed. And much easier for them to just have few that do allow dogs. Not least because the cleaning protocols will be different for a room that has had an animal in it.

I've never been to a hotel that allows dogs in every room

I don’t think it’s the norm for hotels to allow dogs, and I have never heard of a dog-friendly hotel not having a certain number of rooms that don’t allow them. Or most, in my experience.

Premier inn never (used to at least) allow dogs except assistance dogs, in fact they were in the papers for refusing a guide dog (not acceptable)

Most hotels only allow dogs in certain rooms and rarely in common areas except the bar

This. A thorough, professional cleaning would remove all trace of dog so you should have complained about the lack of housekeeping. And most hotels I know of only have a few dog-friendly rooms, unless they're pubs or similar. Which hotel was it? I'd be very happy to find an entirely dog-friendly high-end spa hotel. Although as it seems that cleaning may be an issue, possibly not this one...!

As someone with a service dog (hence we cannot be barred) this is simply not my experience at all. You have no idea how many times I have ended up in lengthy arguments about the law, as I am told they don't allow dogs full stop, they only allow guide dogs. they only allow registered service dogs (there is no register!)...

It is now so bad that for the last few years I have booked a room then emailed the hotel to advise them that I will be arriving with a service dog, because it literally can take several days to beat them into submission get them to comply with the law. The most insulting hotel recently told me that they couldn't allow my service dog into the hotel because they were looking after his welfare!

Most places have a mix, where I work we have 6 out of 50 that are dog friendly, and areas to eat/drink that are dog friendly and dog free.

Dog bookings cost more, because the room takes longer to clean with different than the average products. You shouldn't be able to smell anything after it's been cleaned properly.

If you want a dog free room or table, we'll allocate one, similarly as if you want a dog friendly room or table, however we're not mind readers in either direction, so letting the hotel know your preference helps get what you want. If somewhere states it's dog friendly and that might cause you a problem, it's probably worth looking at the policy or asking what it is, so you know what to expect.

No one is going to ASK if you want a dog free room. The less requirements a booking has stipulated then the easier it is to fit everyone in. If you want a dog free room just ask.

We always verify that the room is not dog-friendly, as both my partner and I have allergies. Additionally, when speaking to housekeeping, many staff members mentioned that they wouldn’t want to stay in such rooms due to the number of urine-stained beds they encounter. The extra time spent cleaning rooms also includes drying out the mattresses. I might seem overly fussy, but I wouldn’t use the kettles in a hotel room either.

I worked as a housekeeper in a few hotels in my youth.

Never experienced a dog urinating on a bed, experienced countless human guests doing it though! And vomit, and many other things beside.