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?!

Yes to this.
Worked in hotels a while and you're far more likely to come across something disgusting with human origin than animal tbh.
But either way, the cleaning needs to be good enough that it's not evident.

I really do like dogs...& cats, but I have been horribly allergic to since childhood.

Of course I travel with appropriate medications & triple check hotels & holiday accommodation allows no pets.

it's a pain the bum but any accommodation that denies pets gets my business year in year out.

it's hard to expect that country pub bars are pet free as dogs & their walkers are their regular local customers-I just can't stay there.

Premier Inn are dog free as far as I know (check their T&C). I agree it’s hard to find dog free hotels. You can’t even choose it as an option in search sites either which is frustrating.

Feel like we are back in the Medieval times where people lived among their animals and their shit. That’s fine in peoples own homes but everywhere you go is tainted now. So hard if you have allergies or just don’t want it. 😔

I’m never stayed in a hotel room that smelled of dog.
I would be asking for another room, if I was presented with one that smelled.

I think you’re living in a parallel U.K.

Yes - it really is like the 1980s when you'd enter a room and it would STINK of cigarette smoke.

(I find it really ironic when rooms have NO SMOKING signs but it stinks of Labrador...)

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.

It's 79% saying IANBU so not just me and one other person. I do have a very acute sense of smell - always have. Which I know will make this worse for me.

Lots of chains seem very pro-dog: Marriott for one, Hotel du Vin, Best Western, Holiday Inn - and I usually book through third-party websites that are cheaper than booking direct (Booking.com, Secret Escapes) - which gives less control over requests.

The last one I went to is the Athenaeum - again, a fantastic hotel but now dog-friendly!

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.

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.

I used to call all the time and explain that I was getting a cheaper price elsewhere - but recently I've just had places saying 'Ah well, they bulk-buy rooms and we can't match that price.' Then you feel a bit daft! So I've stopped doing that now (I used to think it was the nicer thing to do!) But yes, it does give you less choice - but I don't want to have to pay MORE to avoid this sort of situation!

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.

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 ☹️

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The vast majority of hotels don't allow dogs.

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.

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.