Tips to Create a Dog Friendly Holiday Cottage

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Following a surge in pet ownership, the demand for dog-friendly holiday cottages continues to grow as more Brits choose to holiday in the UK with their four-legged friends. With one in three families owning a dog, there’s a huge opportunity for holiday let owners to maximise bookings and boost their earnings by becoming dog-friendly.

In this article, we look at the pros and cons of allowing man’s best friend to stay and provide some tips to make your holiday cottage appealing to dog owners.

Pro’s of allowing dogs to stay at your holiday cottage

• Your target market will increase if you offer pet-friendly accommodation. By allowing dogs to stay at your holiday let you can increase year-round occupancy and drive low-season bookings.
• Due to the guilt of leaving a dog in kennels and people’s yearning to take their dog on holiday, holidaymakers are happy to pay extra to bring their pets along whilst saving money on kennel fees. It’s estimated to be 7x cheaper to take a dog on holiday than pay for kennel costs.
• If your dog-friendly holiday cottage ticks all the boxes, you could gain repeat business as loyal customers return and recommend your holiday let to others looking for pet-friendly accommodation.
• In some areas, being a pet-friendly holiday cottage can give you a competitive advantage over other properties that do not allow pets.

Con’s of allowing dogs to stay at your holiday home

While offering a pet-friendly holiday home has benefits, it’s not without its challenges. Here are some common issues you might face.

• Those who aren’t pet people or have pet allergies might be unwilling to book a property that accepts pets.
• Allowing dogs within your property will ultimately create more mess and wear and tear. This means the property will require extra deep cleaning, something which will increase your overheads.
• There is also the possibility of a flea infestation. Something which could force your property to temporarily close and result in missed bookings.
• Dogs that are untrained or get stressed in unfamiliar surroundings could cause damage by knocking objects over, scratch, chew, scent mark etc.
• Noise complaints – barking dogs can be a problem, which your neighbours won’t appreciate.
• Hosting pets requires additional responsibilities, and some hosts may find these added responsibilities not worth the extra work and cost.

By anticipating these potential challenges and having strategies in place to minimise issues, you can ensure a positive experience for all your guests.

Do dog friendly holiday cottages generate more income?

The big question holiday cottage owners ask is whether allowing pets will generate more bookings and income. According to Sykes, pet-friendly rentals generate 9% more bookings than properties that don’t accept pets.

Dog owners tend to be less price sensitive and are willing to pay more to bring their dog on holiday rather than leaving them in kennels. Also, many hosts charge a pet fee to cover additional cleaning costs or possible damage that pets sometimes cause. This can boost your overall income.

However, if your holiday let is in an urban area without outside space or if the local beaches don’t allow dogs, then pet owners are likely to overlook your holiday home regardless of your dog-friendly marketing efforts.

It’s also worth noting whether your property is suitable. If you’ve got expensive soft furnishings or deep pile carpets, you may want to reconsider advertising your property as dog-friendly. The extra bookings from dog owners are likely to be outweighed by extra cleaning costs and replacing expensive furnishings.

Top tips for creating a successful dog-friendly holiday cottage

Charge a pet fee
It makes sense to include an extra charge for pets to cover the additional cleaning and wear and tear. A typical pet fee is £20 per dog which is good value compared to house-sitting or kennel fees.

Take a security deposit
A security deposit for guests with pets offers a safeguard from damages, stains or extra cleaning.

Provide a doggie welcome pack
A doggie welcome pack can be a great way to help four-legged guests quickly settle and adds a personal touch to your holiday let. Try to make your guests lives easier by providing useful items so there’s one less thing for them to pack or in case they forget something.

For example:

• Treats (in the original packaging so owners can check the ingredients)
• Towels to rub the dog down after a walk
• Blankets and throws
• Pet gates
• Food and water bowls
• Crate/basket/bed
• Toys/ball
• Poo bags
• Spare lead
• Plug-in/spray to calm stressed dogs
• Id tag with your cottage name and number should the dog get lost in a strange place whilst on holiday

Provide a dog friendly guide
To allow guests to enjoy a pet friendly break to its maximum potential provide a dog friendly guide to your area in your guidebook. Include information about parks, walks, beaches, pet-friendly restaurants, pubs, cafes, local pet stores, taxis that accept pets and emergency vets.

You can also give some tips on how to travel with dogs during summer.

Consider partnering with local pet-sitting or dog-walking services. This can appeal to guests who want to enjoy activities that aren’t pet-friendly during their stay.

Also, provide your guests with details of what you provide so they know what to bring and what to leave at home when travelling with their dogs.

Create an outdoor space
Having a secure, enclosed, outdoor area where dogs can play is a great selling point. Also, provide a warm outside tap and hosepipe to rinse down muddy or sandy dogs.

Pet friendly furniture, fixtures and fittings
When welcoming pets, wear and tear is to be expected, but your holiday cottage should feel clean.

When furnishing your holiday let choose materials that are resilient, hard-wearing and easy to clean. Dogs shed fur and are also likely to get muddy paws when going for walks. Provide washable throws and sofa covers to protect furnishings and pick colours that won’t show marks easily.

Tiled or stone flooring on the ground floor of your property is hard-wearing and easy to clean but can feel cold if not heated. As an alternative wooden floors or a high-quality laminate can provide comfort and practicality. You can add rugs to improve the look and feel.

Avoid carpets in any areas of your property where pets will be allowed. Carpet is a trickier surface to clean in a pet friendly property and can be damaged by chewing or stains.

Assess your holiday home through the eyes of a pet. Remove potential hazards and items that can be knocked over or chewed.

Eliminate unpleasant odours
One of the main reasons that owners can be hesitant to open their doors to pets is the odours that come with them. Use pet-friendly fabric fresheners and sprays to eliminate smells and keep your property feeling fresh.

Establish guidelines
To minimise potential problems, it’s best to have rules in place so dog owners know and understand their obligations. To avoid any misunderstandings, make sure you outline everything a pet owner needs to know before deciding to book your holiday rental and reiterate them in your welcome book. Also, ensure that guests sign and agree to your pet policy terms and conditions.

Some ideas:

• Decide how many dogs you will allow in your property. Take into account the size of both the dog and your property. Very few holiday homes allow more than two dogs.
• To avoid the puppy teething stage, ask that dogs are over six months old, house trained, and well behaved.
• Dog(s) must not be left alone or unsupervised in the holiday accommodation at any time.
• Define no-go areas (upstairs, bedrooms, on the furniture etc). Use stair gates to set boundaries.
• It’s the owners’ responsibility to clean up after the dog.
• Ensure flea treatment is up to date before arrival.
• Clarify any additional fees or deposits required for pets and that guests will be liable for any extra cleaning or damage caused by pets.

Remember not to be too restrictive with guests. Be open-minded and limit rules only to the essentials.

Check your insurance

For any damage that exceeds your security deposit amount, you’ll need to rely on your holiday letting insurance to cover the loss. However, many holiday home insurance policies (even those with accidental damage cover included) won’t provide cover for pet damage. It’s often excluded because of chewing, scratching, tearing or fouling risks.

If you’re allowing pets, review your policy documents or get in touch with your insurance provider to check if you are covered for any pet related damages.

To clarify, our holiday letting insurance covers damage by domestic pets.

Promoting your dog friendly holiday let

Once your holiday let is ready to accept four-legged guests, it’s time to advertise your pet-friendly holiday home.

If you use an agency to market your holiday home, make sure you let them know you welcome dogs and the specific features that would benefit dog owners.

Make sure your property description on listing sites and your website includes ‘pet friendly’ keywords. Emphasise all the pet friendly amenities you offer and what you’ve done to make your holiday cottage welcoming to dogs.

Commission a professional photographer to highlight your cottage’s pet-friendly features. If you’re not a dog owner yourself, see if you can borrow a friends dog for a photo shoot.

Encourage guests to share photos of their pets staying at your holiday cottage and feature these in your social media to provide authentic visual content.

Ensure a positive experience for all guests

While catering to dog owners is key, it’s equally important to maintain a high-quality experience for guests without pets. Implement a thorough cleaning procedure to remove pet hair and odours.

Irrespective of your policy towards pets, you can’t refuse to let assistance animals stay at your property with the person they are supporting. You also shouldn’t apply additional charges in relation to assistance animals, such as a pet fee.

To summarise

Offering a pet-friendly holiday cottage can be a lucrative revenue stream and create year-round bookings. By understanding the needs of pet owners, creating a welcoming environment, and marketing effectively, you can tap into this growing market segment.

Careless dog owners and damage is rare. Most owners who bring along their best friend are considerate, careful and clean.

In case you are still debating the dog vs no-dogs issue, we will leave you with some more food for thought:

“Dogs Welcome”

A man wrote a letter to a small hotel he planned to visit. He wrote: “I would very much like to bring my dog with me. He is well-groomed and very well behaved. Would you be willing to permit me to keep him in my room with me at night?”

An immediate reply came from the hotel owner, who said: “I’ve been operating this hotel for many years. In all that time, I’ve never had a dog steal towels, bedclothes, silverware or pictures off the walls. I’ve never had to evict a dog in the middle of the night for being drunk and disorderly. And I’ve never had a dog run out on a hotel bill.

Yes, indeed, your dog is welcome at my hotel, and, if your dog will vouch for you, you’re welcome to stay here, too.”