If you and your canine companion enjoy traveling together, you should probably know how to avoid pet fees at hotels. After all, nobody wants to overextend their vacation budget, and boarding your dog while you’re away can be even more expensive. Thankfully, more hotels, resorts, and other lodgings are becoming more pet-friendly, making traveling with your dog easier and less stressful. You could even make your beloved best friend an emotional support animal
Let’s learn more about how to avoid hotel pet fees and make the most out of traveling with your dog in tow.
Understanding Hotel Pet Policies
Although dogs are among the most beloved animals in the United States, they can be more than a handful to travel with, and even the most well-behaved can cause trouble in certain situations. Hotels and other lodgings enact pet policies based on the potential for disruption to the experiences of other travelers, and the associated fees are intended to cover significant damages. For some places, especially luxury hotels and resorts, the presence of pets can be off-putting to other travelers, so it might be in their best interests to be completely pet-free.
However, if your dog is a certified emotional support animal (ESA) or psychiatric service dog (PSD), most hotels will follow associated laws and let your well-behaved and trained canine stay with you fee-free. To avoid any issues in advance, here are some tips for making your travel as pet friendly as possible.
Research Pet-Friendly Hotels
While you’re in the planning process for your trip, start by researching pet-friendly hotels online. Many major chains have different policies between their various brands, with higher-end hotels remaining pet-free while other offshoots are happy to welcome your furry friend. But even some pet-friendly lodgings still charge fees, so before you rush to choose the first one you find, do some more research, and try to single out those that are completely fee-free. It may be rare, but it can certainly be worth it.
Call Ahead and Explain Your Situation
Another great idea is to speak to hotel management ahead of time about making special arrangements, however, if your canine isn’t a certified service dog, there are no guarantees. In some cases, you might be able to make special arrangements or hotel management could forward you to one of their more pet-friendly properties. Sometimes, a quick call or short email ahead of time can make a serious financial difference when you travel with your pup.
Make Sure Your Pet is Well Trained
No matter whether your hotel is pet-friendly or open to exceptions, it’s your responsibility to make sure your dog is properly trained and well-behaved. If your canine companion has some poor habits or needs a little help following commands, consider online dog training courses with Pettable, where a professional will guide you and your dog to a successful future as travel partners.
See if You Qualify for an Emotional Support Animal
If you want to make traveling with your dog a bit easier, consider looking into getting them certified with an ESA letter. While they don’t have the same protections as trained service dogs, ESAs have an easier time traveling, and you can often find better accommodations than otherwise. But just because your dog is an ESA doesn’t mean the hotel will waive its pet fees entirely; making your dog an official service animal can change that.
Service Animals Stay for Free
If your dog is a fully-trained and certified PSD or physical service animal, most hotels will let them stay for free thanks to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which offers strong protections against discrimination. Not only are hotels required to let your service animal accompany you, but they will also typically waive the fees, too. Plus, your PSD gains access to many more public accommodations, including shopping centers and restaurants.
Pet Etiquette During Your Stay
One of the best tips for traveling with your dog is to make sure you both mind your manners. Keep your dog on its best behavior and handle it calmly and carefully, so other travelers or hotel employees feel comfortable around them. Make sure they are only doing their bathroom business in designated areas, barking is kept to a bare minimum, and they don’t do anything to make other guests feel uncomfortable or threatened.
How to Get an ESA Letter
If you want to increase your chances of having pet fees waived, consider getting an ESA letter for your dog. With an ESA letter, you will show hotel and restaurant management that your canine is well-behaved and essential for your own comfort and emotional safety. Pettable can make this process easy, so trust us to guide you through it.
Take our Assessment
For starters, take our online assessment and let our professionals guide you. By answering a few questions, we can determine how an ESA can improve your life and make personalized recommendations. Whether you already have a dog or are looking for a new canine companion, you can get started with our questionnaire.
Attend a Brief Consultation
Next, attend an online consultation with a licensed mental health professional (LMPH) through Pettable. They can assess your mental and emotional health and diagnose you with the disorder that you are living with — and write you an ESA letter.
Get Your ESA Letter with Pettable
Once you have seen an LMPH, we’ll give you the ESA letter and you can begin planning your next trip. You and your beloved dog will now benefit from a few perks, and in many cases, avoid paying unnecessary pet fees at hotels and resorts, giving you the financial flexibility to make the most of your vacation. Get started with Pettable today!
