Hotel Dog

August 28, 2021 4:40 AM

We adopted a rescue dog last year, and one of her issues is she is a bit scared of strange dogs and people. The "scared of dogs" means kenneling her will be very traumatic, so we're bringing her with on a three day trip to visit family, and we're staying in a hotel two nights (hotel says pets are allowed). I am looking for tips from anyone who has stayed in a hotel with a dog before.

One of my concerns is that if my in-laws take us out to dinner, we can't bring the dog to a restaurant, so the dog may have to stay alone in the hotel. She's not a barker and not a 'destroyer' so I'm not too worried about that but is there any reason it's not OK to leave the dog alone in a hotel room? If it's during the time the cleaning staff go around, do they honor the 'do not disturb' flag so my dog doesn't get an unpleasant surprise visit from a stranger?

I did talk to the hotel and asked for any special pet rules, but all they had to say was there was a pet upcharge.

Is there anyhing else to consider, or is my "lie on a bed and chew on a toy all day" dog actually an ideal hotel dog? Thanks! pet tax.

posted by AzraelBrown to Pets & Animals (20 answers total)

We did this, several times. I didn’t really like it just because of the thing you mention (housekeeping coming in) and because we didn’t have eyes on her. But even with the strange surroundings, my dog was fine—she was a dog that stayed quietly home while we were at work and never got into anything. We did use the do-not-disturb sign. It was fine in our case, but there are a lot of variables and we really tried to avoid it.

Another option: Is it possible your in laws could take you somewhere specific with dogs allowed/outdoor seating, if weather allows?
posted by pepper bird at 5:24 AM on August 28, 2021

Best answer: As a former hotel housekeeper, yes, the housekeeping staff should respect the “do not disturb” sign on the door. We would also be told in advance which rooms had pets so we knew what to expect, ie a cat who might try to make a run for it. Is it an option to ask for cleaning to happen only at the end of your stay, after checking out?
posted by janepanic at 5:41 AM on August 28, 2021 [2 favorites]

Best answer: One other tip: we brought as much of our dog’s regular bedding/sleep area stuff and toys that we could and tried to pick an out-of-the-way spot in the room so she’d feel safer. Y(D)MMV! Your pup is a cutie!
posted by pepper bird at 5:47 AM on August 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I have stayed in countless hotels with a dog and it's been fine every time.

The only concerns are damage and noise. Your dog sounds like she will be an ideal hotel guest.

Some things you can do to help her (and you) feel comfortable:
Bring a new special toy for chewing on.
Put some recently worn clothing on her bed when you leave her.
Give her lots of praise and scratches for being so ideal.

Mostly, try to remember that dogs are happiest when they can be with their humans. Bringing her to stay with you at a hotel is much better than leaving her at a kennel.

Some hotels really appreciate their canine guests. One time we stayed at the Drury Plaza Hotel St Louis at the Arch and they had an amazing bunch of goodies for the dog all set up in our room.
posted by RobinofFrocksley at 5:58 AM on August 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

Have you taken your dog to unfamiliar indoor places enough to have a sense of how comfortable she is in a new situation? It's possible that a new place might stress her out, especially if she can hear strangers talking in the hallway outside the door or in a neighboring room. And it's possible that even if she's not a barker at home she might bark in a situation like that. It's also possible that even if she's completely house trained at home, she might not see it as inappropriate to pee in the hotel room, especially when you first arrive, when it doesn't yet feel like her space. Does she tend to have any quirky fears? I remember staying in a motel room years ago with a dog who was freaked out by the blinking light on the smoke detector. There could be something like that.

Those are possibilities to keep in mind, but she'll probably be fine. Think about how she acted at your house soon after you adopted her. If she was generally calm and non-destructive and could be left alone then, she'll probably be the same way at the hotel. Bringing her own stuff and letting her get used to the room before you leave her there alone will help. Ideally you wouldn't go out to dinner and leave her alone an hour after first arriving at the hotel.

Would she be more at ease waiting in your familiar car? That would work better for some dogs, but of course you need to be mindful of the outdoor temperature. And if she's nervous about strangers coming near the car it might not work for her. Leaving her at the home of one of your relatives is another option to consider.
posted by Redstart at 6:00 AM on August 28, 2021

You might want to look into a collapsible pet crate to bring with you, to be used when leaving the dog alone in the room. Then if someone did come in, you wouldn't have to worry about her biting or bolting from the room, and any mess she might make would be confined to the crate.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 6:11 AM on August 28, 2021 [15 favorites]

I've had hotel stays twice in the last month and both times there were signs that if I wanted housekeeping service I needed to call the front desk because they don't service the rooms during your stay anymore. So that issue may not be an issue.

Is your dog crate trained? Can you get her crate trained before the trip? She'll be much more comfortable in a strange room if she has her "safe space."
posted by COD at 6:34 AM on August 28, 2021 [3 favorites]

One of my concerns is that if my in-laws take us out to dinner, we can't bring the dog to a restaurant, so the dog may have to stay alone in the hotel. She's not a barker and not a 'destroyer' so I'm not too worried about that but is there any reason it's not OK to leave the dog alone in a hotel room?

Obviously people do it anyway, but I've stayed at a number of dog-friendly hotels that have a rule saying pets should not be left unaccompanied in rooms. I don't think there is any enforcement unless there is a problem (like the dog keeps barking and other guests complain; this happened to a friend of mine and the hotel was not happy with him), but it's something to be aware of and factor into your plans.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:46 AM on August 28, 2021 [3 favorites]

We just did this and did have to sign an agreement that the dog would not be left alone. Ours is a barker so we complied. Just FYI. Only other advice would be to get a room on the first floor. We were on the 6th and bathroom walks got awfully tedious.
posted by pearlybob at 7:24 AM on August 28, 2021 [2 favorites]

My dogs have been frequent hotel guests, and I leave them alone for short stretches of time. Highly suggest come kind of collapsible crate, more for your own peace of mind. Yes, housekeeping will not come in if your do not disturb sign is out. Bring lots of chew toys/Kong if your dog is into that.

I like to search beforehand and know where the nearest dog park is, nearest vet, etc.

Have fun!
posted by nancynickerson at 9:15 AM on August 28, 2021 [1 favorite]

I strongly suggest a crate; collapsible ones exist. Do some training beforehand so it's not too weird for your beautiful dog. Chew toys/kong with peanut butter are a great idea. Some dogs will express anxiety in a new place by chewing (expensive charges accrue) furniture or bedding. Dogs are quite adaptable, they will take their cues from you, so be confident that she will be fine. If you don't use a crate, consider putting down towels and leaving her in the bathroom. Leave your mobile number at the desk in case she barks and causes a disturbance. If you aren't sure she'll be well-behaved, you can ask the vet about tranquilizers.
posted by theora55 at 10:04 AM on August 28, 2021

Have traveled many times with dogs!

First thing on arrival, put the dog's bowl of water and bedding down (if you let the dog on the bed, cover it with one of your own blankets first.) Show dog these things and settle down for about half an hour. Then put dog on leash and walk directly to dog-potty-ok area, let dog sniff, super praise for potty! Then back to room immediately. Rest another half hour, then continue as normal.

Most hotels I've seen do not allow you to leave the dog in the room unattended, so I put them in the car to go to the restaurant (provided it's safe to do so) but I've also done it anyway with a quiet, no bark dog, after I've been in the room a day or so, but only after going out and waiting about 15 mins to see if dog is going to bark.
posted by The otter lady at 10:33 AM on August 28, 2021

I adopted a highly fearful dog at the end of April and then had to unexpectedly travel at the beginning of June. New dog wasn't able to cope being left with friends, so he came with me and stayed in the hotel room. It was totally fine.

I brought a crate and crated him whenever I had to leave the room, in addition to putting up the do not disturb sign. Didn't have any issues.

He didn't eat anything but treats the whole time we were gone, though, too stressed out for regular feedings, but that's normal in my experience of bringing dogs into new environments.
posted by phunniemee at 11:24 AM on August 28, 2021

Best answer: I stayed in a couple hotels while driving cross-country with dogs. One of them put us on the first floor near the side door so it would be easy for us to go out on walks, that was really nice.
posted by radioamy at 12:19 PM on August 28, 2021

Best answer: We have stayed at many hotel friendly hotels with our 80lb dog.

Bring their dog bed and some toys.
Have the permanent - Do Not Disturb sign up.
Call house keeping when you take your dog away (with you on a walk in the park, etc) and will be gone for several hours. It gives them a chance to clean the room while you’re gone.
We have left our dog in the room while we’ve gone to a restaurant. We turn the tv on to help mute the sounds of other guests/dogs. She was fine.
posted by Suffocating Kitty at 8:20 AM on August 29, 2021

Best answer: I don't think housekeeping will be an issue - they will respect the "do not disturb" sign. In fact, many hotels won't service your room unless you specifically request it now.

My rescue dog required some coaxing with treats and patience and praise when it came to bringing her inside the hotel through the double sliding doors at the entrance. First impressions and experience matter and so I wouldn't rush that part of the adventure.

Also, my pup was not a fan of the elevator or stairwell. I had to pick her up and carry her inside in order to get up to the hotel room the first few times. But once she saw that the elevator and/or stairwell meant she got to go outside for a walk/treat or inside for a treat, then she was much braver.

From my experience, random noises would cause my anxious dog to bark a bit. So try to stay away from the elevator and stairwells - ask for a quiet floor and room that doesn't have a lot of people passing by it. Most hotels ask for your cell number if you have a dog, so they can call you if anyone complains about barking.

Lastly, I have traveled with a blink mini video camera so that I could monitor my pup when I left her alone in the hotel room. Good luck!
posted by shw at 11:09 AM on August 29, 2021

highly recommend a licki-mat + peanut butter (or even canned salmon) or some other sort of enrichment for when you want to chill without your pup in your face or when there are weird noises or activity or when your have to leave them alone.

also recommend whatever their favorite chews are. like bully sticks or marrow bones for when you’re there with them.

I lived with my reactive sighthound-shepherd-mix in a quality inn & suites for a month. we made it through. she can’t be crated so she came with me when I left the room. I would suggest an upper floor (away from pedestrian activity) or a ground floor (for easy access to potty breaks). best of luck!!
posted by one-half-ole at 9:16 PM on August 29, 2021

Check the policies - some hotels don't allow you to leave pets unattended. I would absolutely bring a crate, even with a non-destructive dog though, because it is an extra bit of insurance.

Also, you might inquire about if they have specific rooms for pets. The time I did it, they "helpfully" housed pets in first floor rooms, which was not ideal or helpful at all, because my dogs could see/hear just about everything happening outside the hotel -- every check-in, pizza delivery, etc.
posted by pixiecrinkle at 8:29 AM on August 30, 2021

Some hotels really appreciate their canine guests. One time we stayed at the Drury Plaza Hotel St Louis at the Arch and they had an amazing bunch of goodies for the dog all set up in our room.

For anyone else who reads this thread: I have also stayed at a Drury Inn with a dog and had a great experience. They're a dog-friendly hotel chain, vs a hotel that allows dogs.
posted by phunniemee at 9:33 AM on August 30, 2021

Response by poster: Update: my worries were unfounded, things went great:

• For other future reference, this was at a Choice Hotels franchisee.
• Even on check-in I confirmed there were no extra rules on pets (other than the emphasized pet fee).
• We did give dog a dose of trazadone the first morning as prescribed by her vet, but it didn't seem like she needed it, the second day we didn't give her any and she was fine
• We were given a 4th floor room, the dog hated the elevator
• Dog loved being left in the room because she could take all her toys on the big cushy king-sized bed and just chill out for a couple hours while we were away, since outside was new, stressful stuff
• She wasn't really all that stressed outside, she wasn't tail-tucked and trying to hide or anything, just vary wary of all the new stuff. She decided where her potty place outside was and used that the rest of the time
• She figured out where everything was very quickly and seemed very miffed that she was too short to trigger the automatic sliding doors in the lobby
• There were three other dogs in the hotel; we heard one barking very loudly down the hall several times. The only time we know our dog barked was on one day when there were people lingering and talking loudly outside; she wasn't loud enough to be heard through the door, just an alert 'berf'
• Due to short-staffing the hotel had a sign up that they were only cleaning rooms on checkout, if you were staying multiple days you had to ask for trash disposal or new towels, but we did hang the do-not-disturb sign out anyway

Regarding crating: we're not against crates (we've had them for dogs in the past) but we're pretty sure this dog was a locked-in-a-small-cage-puppy-mill-mom and small spaces make her very panicky; since she's so good and doesn't cause trouble we haven't felt any need to crate train her. I can see advantage in case some stranger did try and enter the room but for our dog a crate would have really added to her stress about the situation.
posted by AzraelBrown at 3:08 PM on September 1, 2021 [2 favorites]