Dog Accommodation in Hotel - Your Thoughts?

madrabui

I'm hoping that a few boardsies can give their opinion on the dog accommodation provided by a hotel.

I booked into a hotel and the kennel is free as standard. When I arrived, I checked the kennel and it wasn't heated. I've an indoor dog who is a pet, not a working dog.

What persuaded me to book the hotel was that I could bring my dog. The website stated that it had 'purpose built kennels' and which were 'cosy and warm'. I've a photo attached. The kennel was in a unheated storage warehouse with all the usual hotel paraphernalia e.g. chairs, kegs, cleaning products.

When I saw this I did not stay at the hotel and drove back home. Upon requesting alternative solutions, the hotel confirmed that there are no kennels in the area. The forecast for tonight is 0c and that's what the car said driving back home.

Just adding this - I forgot to add, that I had no direct access to him only staff. If I wanted access I had to get the staff to open the side gate of the hotel. The receptionist was running the reception on her own, so when I went to see it twice she had to leave the reception unmanned.

I would like to give the hotel some constructive criticism. If you were booking a hotel with your dog, would this arrangement suit you and your pet?The hotel said that they never had a complaint before and even sometimes have a waiting list.

Dunny

Absolutley no way.

ene

not a chance, that seems ridiculous that the hotel offered that as a perk of staying there. I would in no way leave my dog there overnight. You would have no clue if the area was cleaned etc before you used the space and i dont see from the picture how they could hose down the space after each dog.

I think you need to name and shame the hotel! Also i hope you got your money back!

Hooked

That's about the loosest definition of a kennel I could imagine. I only ever considered a hotel stay with our husky twice (we normally camp or bring him with us to rented houses) and one was in county cork. Name escapes me...

Rang the hotel first to ensure their definition of pet friendly meant 'pet stays with you in the room'. A kennel (no matter how heated or posh) wouldn't be my cupán tae! Hugo is crate trained and we have a fabric crate as well as his metal one. Made a similar enquiry in Doolin which never materialised.

Both hotels has no problem once I explained that the dog was a family member (crate trained and behaved) and not going to be any trouble.

That 'kennel' is a joke. How can they dress it up as 'purpose built' and 'heated'... Hope you weren't charged OP.

Whispered

No way! There is absolutely no way in hell I'd leave my dog there. I'm shocked to be honest.

I hope you weren't charged for the nights accommodation seeing as how you "cancelled" so late. Not that you had any choice. One of my dogs is a bad traveller, I'd be absolutely livid to travel there with him to have to return home again.

boomerang

No way, José. I wouldn't want to stay in a B&B or hotel anyhoo that would require me to put the dog in a kennel. I'd be too worried about the dog to relax!

I won a stay at a super-dooper hotel in Skibbereen but I never went because the dogs would be in a kennel on the grounds. Same with Gabriel House B&B in Cork - they offer a kennel on the grounds if you have a dog. Okay it's a nice option to have but it wouldn't me.

On the other hand, I've stayed in Mountain View B&B in Cork with the dogs and they are allowed in the room. Julie even provides an extra blankie for them to lie on if you want to have them sleep with you on the bed!

madrabui

Phew, thanks for taking time to reply. I was thinking that I was over-reacting when the hotel staff said that they never had a complaint and that sometimes they even have a waiting list.

Tranceypoo

I mean that's just some fencing put up in the corner, concrete floor, awful, no way would I leave my dogs there, no way I would have done exactly the same as you OP, turned round and gone home. And they may say 'oh we've never had any complaints' but you only have their word for that, have you looked on Trip Advisor?

westies4ever

not a chance would i leave my dogs in that - it doesnt even look safe. and what if there was a fire or an emergency and they're behind a locked gate with no way of you getting to them without a staff member.

i cant believe they are marketing themselves as dog friendly.

its a long time bug bear of mine, place that are advertised as pet friendly so often are not. its so hard to go on holiday with the dogs in Ireland.

madrabui

Tranceypoo, Thanks for that tip. There's only one review of the kennels and it's negative.

madrabui

westies4ever wrote: »

not a chance would i leave my dogs in that - it doesnt even look safe. and what if there was a fire or an emergency and they're behind a locked gate with no way of you getting to them without a staff member.

i cant believe they are marketing themselves as dog friendly.

its a long time bug bear of mine, place that are advertised as pet friendly so often are not. its so hard to go on holiday with the dogs in Ireland.

I didn't even think of a fire! The only review on Tripadvisor from a pet owner, says that they had to move their dog because of flooding.

madrabui

ene wrote: »

not a chance, that seems ridiculous that the hotel offered that as a perk of staying there. I would in no way leave my dog there overnight. You would have no clue if the area was cleaned etc before you used the space and i dont see from the picture how they could hose down the space after each dog.

I think you need to name and shame the hotel! Also i hope you got your money back!

I feel so stupid now. I was looking at it and trying to see if it had been cleaned. Obviously it can't be properly cleaned without any drainage available.

I've learned so much from this experience already. Thank god we only had a 2 hour drive home.

Kloecor

I can't believe this! My dog is an outdoor dog and I still wouldn't leave him in that. I'd be heartbroken leaving him there, it looks awful! Looks more like a punishment than a place for your dog to chill out. I would have drove home aswell, what a disappointment!

madrabui

Kloecor wrote: »

I can't believe this! My dog is an outdoor dog and I still wouldn't leave him in that. I'd be heartbroken leaving him there, it looks awful! Looks more like a punishment than a place for your dog to chill out. I would have drove home aswell, what a disappointment!

Exactly. It was supposed to be a treat for the three of us. On the drive home we were both thinking that we wouldn't have slept a wink.

He on the other hand is delighted. In our sleepy haze we both fed him this morning. He didn't let on at all that he was full!

westies4ever

any chance you could pm me the name of the hotel so i can put it on my 'avoid' list?

Whispered

westies4ever wrote: »

its a long time bug bear of mine, place that are advertised as pet friendly so often are not. its so hard to go on holiday with the dogs in Ireland.

Me too, although we stayed in a very dog friendly house in Donegal last summer. Perfect. If you want details let me know!

westies4ever

Whispered wrote: »

Me too, although we stayed in a very dog friendly house in Donegal last summer. Perfect. If you want details let me know!

please do - i have a fab one for dingle as well i'll pass it on if you want. A lovely lady owns it. its in the middle of nowhere (just at the foot of mount brandon) but if you're like me, its heaven. its just nice to have a few options.

my male dog has seperation anxiety and while he'll happily sleep in the kitchen at home, if hes anywhere strange he'll cry unless hes in the room with us.

i also hate these rental houses that say they are dog friendly but then the dogs must stay in the kitchen at all times etc and aren't allowed on furniture etc. id spend my whole holiday stressing about them!

Whispered

westies4ever wrote: »

please do - i have a fab one for dingle as well i'll pass it on if you want. A lovely lady owns it. its in the middle of nowhere (just at the foot of mount brandon) but if you're like me, its heaven. its just nice to have a few options.

my male dog has seperation anxiety and while he'll happily sleep in the kitchen at home, if hes anywhere strange he'll cry unless hes in the room with us.

i also hate these rental houses that say they are dog friendly but then the dogs must stay in the kitchen at all times etc and aren't allowed on furniture etc. id spend my whole holiday stressing about them!

In this one, http://www.donegalholidayhome.net/ they do say dogs are not to be on the beds. Which was fine for us because we wouldn't have them sleeping in the room with us anyway (wet nose kisses on the couch = cute, wet nose kisses at 3am = not so cute). They ask not to have them on the furniture, but they're leather couches, so we brought a big vet bed and covered it. There are pics on their FB page of dogs snoozing on the couches so I'd imagine it's only to cover themselves if there is a lot of damage done or something.

westies4ever

Whispered wrote: »

In this one, http://www.donegalholidayhome.net/ they do say dogs are not to be on the beds. Which was fine for us because we wouldn't have them sleeping in the room with us anyway (wet nose kisses on the couch = cute, wet nose kisses at 3am = not so cute). They ask not to have them on the furniture, but they're leather couches, so we brought a big vet bed and covered it. There are pics on their FB page of dogs snoozing on the couches so I'd imagine it's only to cover themselves if there is a lot of damage done or something.

thanks for that - ill certianly look into it. mine will sleep in their own beds on the floor but they just like to be near us.

this is the one we stayed in - http://selfcatering.travel/an-nead-pet-friendly-cottage

the owners name is cait and she is just so nice. its a little old fashioned but very comfortable and warm and i found i could relax completely in it.

there are houses close by with working sheep dogs who jumped the wall and came into the garden every day but they were friendly and caused us no bother.

Whispered

westies4ever wrote: »

thanks for that - ill certianly look into it. mine will sleep in their own beds on the floor but they just like to be near us.

this is the one we stayed in - http://selfcatering.travel/an-nead-pet-friendly-cottage

the owners name is cait and she is just so nice. its a little old fashioned but very comfortable and warm and i found i could relax completely in it.

there are houses close by with working sheep dogs who jumped the wall and came into the garden every day but they were friendly and caused us no bother.

Ah that look so lovely! We were talking about going to Dingle actually this year so that might be perfect. I see it says "two well behaved pets" - do they specify a size or breed? I ask because we have shown up at "pet friendly" camping place before, having checked if 2 dogs were allowed, to be told "oh I didn't mean dogs like them" and then she had a go at me about not picking up after the dog BEFORE we even entered the park. So I am always a bit wary and now I tend to double check everything is ok before going.

Are there walks locally - that you wouldn't have to drive to get to?

westies4ever

Whispered wrote: »

Ah that look so lovely! We were talking about going to Dingle actually this year so that might be perfect. I see it says "two well behaved pets" - do they specify a size or breed? I ask because we have shown up at "pet friendly" camping place before, having checked if 2 dogs were allowed, to be told "oh I didn't mean dogs like them" and then she had a go at me about not picking up after the dog BEFORE we even entered the park. So I am always a bit wary and now I tend to double check everything is ok before going.

Are there walks locally - that you wouldn't have to drive to get to?

there was no mention of any restriction on breeds. she does prefer the dogs downstairs and has a little gate at the top and bottom but this was alos for kids as the stairs were a bit steep.

my westies treated the place like home. scamp even lifted his leg on a few things (i know ashamed) but he was nervous in a new place. i had plenty of wipes etc with us and cleaned after him. cait sent me a message when we got home thanking us for taking such good care of the house and telling us we were welcome any time. she was very easy going and helpful. its an irish speaking area as well.

there are plenty of lanes etc locally but to be honest we did drive each day to beaches etc. lot of sheep farmers around so i was wary but i walked them up and down the lanes on their leads at night to tire them out fully before bed.

the local pub did food etc and they were happy to allow the dogs lie at our feet ( we asked first to be polite). we generally cooked ourselve and we were luck with the weather so we brought a portable bbq and used that a fair bit as well.

ill be back again for sure, we just wanted somewhere different. i'll pm caits number - you can tell her the northern couple with the westies from last year recommended her

Whispered

It sounds perfect. Are the beaches a far drive? And are the very busy. (Sorry I won't ask any more questions!)

westies4ever

not at all your fine. dingle itself was less than 10 minutes drive. murreagh was our morning walk and around 15 minutes (maybe less - i cant quite remember) but its a very scenic drive.

theres a beach down at slea head which was unbelieveably gorgeous and at the back of the beach there are loads of rockpools - my two had a ball! its where ryans daughter was filmed. you can climb away up with them as well and see the views over to the blaskets. just stunning. we went first week in september and i didnt find it busy at all.

Whispered

We'd be looking near the end of September I think so should be quieter again. Thanks.

madrabui

http://www.tv3.ie/ireland_am.php?video=61051&locID=1.65.74

By coincidence TV3 this morning had a section 'Travel journalist Julianne Mooney gives her top pet-friendly destinations'.

toadfly

No way OP would I keave my dogs there, thats horrible.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a one bed apartment/holiday home that allows dogs including a restricted breed? Most are too expensive for us as it would only be the two of us and it might be cheaper to go in the summer months if it was a smaller place. Location not really important as long as its outside of Mayo & Galway!

borderlinemeath

TillyGirl wrote: »

No way OP would I keave my dogs there, thats horrible.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a one bed apartment/holiday home that allows dogs including a restricted breed? Most are too expensive for us as it would only be the two of us and it might be cheaper to go in the summer months if it was a smaller place. Location not really important as long as its outside of Mayo & Galway!

When I'm going self catering around Ireland I have booked through

http://imagineireland.com/Dog-Friendly-Holiday-Cottages-In-Ireland/default.asp.

I've got good value through them (albeit with bigger groups)

westies4ever

borderlinemeath wrote: »

When I'm going self catering around Ireland I have booked through

http://imagineireland.com/Dog-Friendly-Holiday-Cottages-In-Ireland/default.asp.

I've got good value through them (albeit with bigger groups)

a good site, i've used it myself. its definitely easier if you only have one dog mind you - finding somewhere that takes two is a bit harder!

ISDW

If I can't sell my house (which is looking increasingly likely) then I'm hoping to sell my land, and rent the house out as a holiday let, dog friendly of course. There is about 3/4-1 acre around the property, and its fenced for my huskies, so should keep most dogs safely contained. Stunning Atlantic views out the back, mountain views out the front.

dogluver

I wouldn't have left my dog there. It just doesn't look safe and to think I would haven't direct access to him would worry me silly. Whenever we go away with him I always make sure we can have in the room otherwise I wouldn't go!

westies4ever

ISDW wrote: »

If I can't sell my house (which is looking increasingly likely) then I'm hoping to sell my land, and rent the house out as a holiday let, dog friendly of course. There is about 3/4-1 acre around the property, and its fenced for my huskies, so should keep most dogs safely contained. Stunning Atlantic views out the back, mountain views out the front.

will there be a discount for boardsies???

BullBauld

TillyGirl wrote: »

No way OP would I keave my dogs there, thats horrible.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a one bed apartment/holiday home that allows dogs including a restricted breed? Most are too expensive for us as it would only be the two of us and it might be cheaper to go in the summer months if it was a smaller place. Location not really important as long as its outside of Mayo & Galway!

Sneem Hotel have apartments and is pet friendly. The main hotel itself is pet firendly too.

I stayed in the apartments a few years ago. Very nice.

ISDW

westies4ever wrote: »

will there be a discount for boardsies???

Only for some :rolleyes:

Whispered

ISDW wrote: »

If I can't sell my house (which is looking increasingly likely) then I'm hoping to sell my land, and rent the house out as a holiday let, dog friendly of course. There is about 3/4-1 acre around the property, and its fenced for my huskies, so should keep most dogs safely contained. Stunning Atlantic views out the back, mountain views out the front.

I'm very interested in this. Please hurry up! We'd like a week end Spet beginning October please! :pac:

fifib

have stayed at 2 pet friendly hotels. Brooklodge in co. Wicklow - they asked when making reservation about size of dog. below the knee (which ours is) stay in room with you and we had a ground floor room just off the reception which was very handy for pee-pee's. only bad thing is our window faced the reception entrance and it had a lovely window seat which our dog used as a look out to guard the hotel! she barked at everyone passing! They have kennels for the larger dogs but we did not see them. this was a fab hotel! they even brought us out our breakfast from the buffet room to the porch area outside so we could have breakfast with the dog!

other hotel was Dromhall in Killarney. they did not ask size of dog when booking. we had a room on 1st floor. dog loved elevator especially when other people were in it cos she got loads of attention! only drawback was no green area on hotel grounds (from what we could see) so we had to bring her down the road to a nearby housing area for her pee-pee's (she will only pee on grass!).

our next doggy hotel will hopefully be pontoon bridge in mayo - looks fab and with the lake etc lots of running round for the doggies!

You know, its a step in the right direction although i wouldnt feel comfortable leaving my guys there. I really think business should start looking at allowing dogs etc .. I think they are missing out on something there .

Jelly2

westies4ever wrote: »

please do - i have a fab one for dingle as well i'll pass it on if you want. A lovely lady owns it. its in the middle of nowhere (just at the foot of mount brandon) but if you're like me, its heaven. its just nice to have a few options.

Another one in Dingle - Pax Guest House, just on the edge of town. Brilliant for dogs!
Also, The Waterfront in Baltimore - well-behaved dogs allowed in the bedrooms there too, and in the bar (which does nice food).

toadfly

fifib wrote: »

our next doggy hotel will hopefully be pontoon bridge in mayo - looks fab and with the lake etc lots of running round for the doggies!

Pontoon Bridge is lovely, I'm from very near there. The views from the dining room on a clear day are fab!

Ashlee Lodge Hotel in Blarney is a place we have stayed. They have a room beside the fire exit they use for dogs .

Vel

Why is it that when you enquire further with many of these so called 'pet friendly' places it transpires that they allow dogs, yes, but only small ones. Is there a perception that smaller dogs are less likely to cause damage or something like that?

madrabui

Vel wrote: »

Why is it that when you enquire further with many of these so called 'pet friendly' places it transpires that they allow dogs, yes, but only small ones. Is there a perception that smaller dogs are less likely to cause damage or something like that?

I always assumed it was something to do with insurance?

boomerang

I think they feel smaller dogs will be less of a nuisance/imposition on other guests.

But my greyhound doesn't shed and doesn't woof. She's a model guest!

Cedrus

madrabui wrote: »

I'm hoping that a few boardsies can give their opinion on the dog accommodation provided by a hotel...........................................................................................
I would like to give the hotel some constructive criticism. If you were booking a hotel with your dog, would this arrangement suit you and your pet?The hotel said that they never had a complaint before and even sometimes have a waiting list.

It looks very much as if someone had an idea to improve business "Let's offer Pet Friendly Accommodation" without thinking it through at all.

Apart from all of the practical difficulties and safety issues already mentioned, imagine the terror of being locked into a strange place full of strange smells and sounds. In my experience those spaces are full of pumps, compressors and coolers whirring on and off randomly, gurgling drains, bottles being put out after the bar shuts and keg deliveries first thing in the morning.

If you HAD to stay, putting them in inside their own crate might insulate them a bit but given any choice no way would I leave my dogs there.

There are plenty of dogs living in conditions like that and much worse but I don't think the hotel understand the market demographic, the dog owner who thinks that is reasonable kenneling is unlikely to be travelling with their dog.

_Lady_

Would it still be considered on topic here to ask for some tips from some of you who've gone on camping holidays with pooches before - further to one of the responses to the OP? Really excited about bringing Fred away for a night or two in the tent, hopefully by a beach, which he'll never have been to before but wondering how best to prepare for it? He's quite big and boisterous for a hotel and we couldn't afford to rent out a whole house so if we get to bring him away this year camping will be it. So any tips/things to remember?

Whispered

We bring our two boys camping.

As soon as we get to the site we go for a walk, before unpacking or anything. They feel more settled and having gone to the toilet will be likely to just relax while we set up the tent.

You can get ground stakes for dogs in the pound shop for 2 euro or so. They screw into the ground and you can attach the dogs lead to it. Obviously we don't leave them unsupervised on it, or tied away from us. A nice long lunge line will give him loads of space to snuffle around, find a spot to sunbathe etc. You might not need it, but we find it very handy. It means if we take out eyes off them for a minute they're safe. Although the amount of times we'd be sitting having a bit to eat, only to be clotheslined by the lungeline

Bring wind guards and set them up all around your little area. If he can't see everyone passing then he will be more relaxed.

We pack their food into kongs, treat balls, frozen into iceblocks - anything that will take them a while to get through.

Don't forget poo bags, extra blankets for him, towels, water dish, a selection of toys and a doggy first aid kit.

I know it probably goes without saying, but a tent isn't secure, so you can't leave the dog alone in the tent. He could break out (as I learned once, while in the tent with Harley, he heard K coming back and burst through the zips to greet him, collapsing half of the tent.) or he could be taken so one person should be with him all the time.

Do you have a place in mind?

_Lady_

Thanks Whispered! I'm probably thinking of Rosses Point in Sligo as I know it inside out and spent lots of time there myself as a child. Also we didn't want to have to travel too far as he's not a great traveller and barks a lot in the car. Any tips on that would be very welcome as well. I'm thinking for a longer journey if I sit in beside him in the back where he's belted up, he may snuggle into my lap eventually and go for a snooze. But he generally does a lot of crying/frantic barking so not sure how the journey issue will go.

Binka

There's no way I'd leave either of my boys in a strange place alone in a cold cage. They'd be terrified that they were back in the rescue kennels.

I had a great experience on a holiday in Donegal a few years back when I only had 1 lurcher. He was a big fella and was welcomed without a bother at Jacksons Hotel in Ballyboffey, Donegal. All dogs allowed in the room with you. The women at reception were lovely and made a big fuss of him. They had weddings going on and everything but treated us really well.
We spent one night there and went on to a privately owned rental cottage in Annagry near Bunbeg. All went without a hitch and we were most welcomed (and he was a very big dog).

Whispered

_Lady_ wrote: »

Thanks Whispered! I'm probably thinking of Rosses Point in Sligo as I know it inside out and spent lots of time there myself as a child. Also we didn't want to have to travel too far as he's not a great traveller and barks a lot in the car. Any tips on that would be very welcome as well. I'm thinking for a longer journey if I sit in beside him in the back where he's belted up, he may snuggle into my lap eventually and go for a snooze. But he generally does a lot of crying/frantic barking so not sure how the journey issue will go.

Can't help there I'm afraid, I have a bad traveller too.

coathanger

We are currently looking for dog friendly breaks,so if you could pm the name of the hotel,i know to avoid it!We stayed in Beech Hill Hotel in Derry,couldn't recommend it highly enough,the dogs were allowed in the room with us,set in 32 acres of woodland.We are hoping to go back again some day,but would like another break so if one has any recommendations,that would be great.

JustAThought

coathanger wrote: »

We are currently looking for dog friendly breaks,so if you could pm the name of the hotel,i know to avoid it!We stayed in Beech Hill Hotel in Derry,couldn't recommend it highly enough,the dogs were allowed in the room with us,set in 32 acres of woodland.We are hoping to go back again some day,but would like another break so if one has any recommendations,that would be great.

Sounds Georgous!!!


I may have a solution for the people who were looking to holiday. I needed to rent a ace with my dog last year ( long story short) I found this fabulous organisation ; Irish Landmark Trust. They have some AMAZING historical properties that are available to rent and some of them allow you to bring your dog. I have a big high energy dog & there was no problem . People were lovely & I got no hassle whatsoever.

Their website is something like Irishlandmarktrust.com but if you google it it will come up. they restore "sympathetically" unique Irish buildings - schoolhouses, gate lodges, city centre news, lighthouses , lodges etc & you can rent them!!!( and for some you can bring your pet!)

"We " rented the gate lodge at Castletown Lidge in " Kildare/ near Leixlip/Lucan" - as you might expect it was on the grounds of a 50 or so acre public park with river, cafe, etc- when I wanted to head down to the village fido stayed in the house all happy & tired out from running - in this place if has a fully enclosed gated garden with 8ft walls & iorn fence - she couldn't get out at all ! Happy days.

All their properties are different - i will definitely be using them again - and for me the great part was ghat the places are so unique my friends came down for tea & to visit with their dogs too & go for a romp!

I'd highly recommend them.
The only thing was their website was a bit old fashioned to use - do have a cup of coffee for your browse!

I've done the B&B thing with the dog which was a bit of a stress - get there place had horses in the garden or dog suddenly had to be left in a crate while I wasn't there etc. personally this is my new way forward for having to holiday in Ireland - and I don't have to double my travel going to & from kennels as well as to the destination - perfect!!!

Checked it!

http://www.irishlandmark.com

I'll definitely be using them again : )

coathanger

Just back from the Waterfront hotel in Baltimore with my 2 JRts,we had a great time,dogs were allowed in the room & in the bar,which was great,we had our own private decking area outside our room,so the lads could sit out there with us in the afternoon,catching the sun,great walks around there.The hotel staff couldn't have been more welcoming,the dogs got a great fuss made of them from all the staff,water from the bar everynight when we were having a drink,our planning our next trip back already:D