Six Pet Hotel Room Tips #spon @Nutrish

My pals, since I travel so much, I have become quite the hotel expert. Sometimes I feel like they are my second home. I have found that hotels vary greatly in how friendly they are to us pooches. I have stayed in very nice hotels with dog menus, all the way down to some scary ones where I didn’t want to walk on the carpet or go outside to potty. Since I get a lot of questions when I travel about staying in hotels with pets, I have compiled the following list of my top six hotel room tips with the help of my friends at Nutrish.

What to bring?

Packing for us pets can be a little overwhelming. I have yet to see a hotel that has a sign that says “Did you forget your dog’s toothbrush or water bowl? Just call down to the front desk and we have complementary replacements” (but wouldn’t that be awesome!). To help you make sure you don’t forget something when you travel, I have made a video of what I packed for a cold weather trip last month. Check it out below!

One important thing you MUST pack is our food. I would suggest you bring what I eat: Rachael Ray Nutrish Zero Grain Food. It is a super premium food made with real beef, turkey, or salmon, but without glutens, grains, or fillers. It also has vitamins and minerals us pups need to have a complete diet. All the meat comes from cattle, turkey, and bison that only live here in the US. There is also no poultry by-product meals, artificial ingredients, or colors, which is great for us allergy pups! You can pick up your own bag at most places you would normally shop for groceries. For more information about this Nutrish food, click here: Nutrish Zero Grain

To find a store near you, visit the store locator.

Mom also said I should mention that the spot in your bag that held our food is perfect for souvenirs! As the trip goes on, we eat the food down, which frees up room in the luggage.

Find a pet-friendly hotel with a great pet policy.

You should thoroughly research the hotel before you show up at the front desk asking for a room key. Unfortunately, many hotels do not allow pets. Among those that do, many have limitations like only allowing dogs under a certain weight limit, only one dog per room, or only allowing certain breeds. Some hotels say they are pet-friendly, but they only have a limited number of rooms in which they allow pets. If those are full, they may not let you stay there. This is why it is important to read the hotel websites (even the small print). Once you think you found the right hotel, you might want to call them before booking to make sure their website information is up to date. One great website we use to help us research hotels is BringFido.com.

Location, Location, Location

Request a room on the ground floor if possible. When us pups need to go, we need to go, so we don’t like having to wait for an elevator from the 30th floor. Typically, lower level floors are better for us, and the ground level is the best. Also, when you check-in, go ahead and ask the front desk where we are allowed to potty at. Some hotels have designated areas for this. If you can ask for a room close to the pet potty area it will mean less walking for you and less chance of an accident for us.

We want our own space too!

When you finally get to the room, setup your pet’s space first. This allows your pup to go ahead and get comfortable with their new environment. Personally, I like to have my bowl filled with water setup as soon as we arrive. Mom usually puts it in the bathroom area in case it spills. If you brought a crate, go ahead and set that up so your dog has a place to relax until you unpack your belongings.

Since I‘m allowed to sleep on the bed, I also jump up there first thing and make sure it is up to my standards. Mom also unpacks my travel bag and sets up a drawer just for me so she can easily find anything she needs for me. If you have a shedding dog, your may want to consider putting a clean blanket or sheet on the bed and the couch so fur doesn’t get on everything. Sometimes hotels will charge a cleaning fee if we leave our hair all over the room.

We may have to stay in the room

Many hotels do not allow dogs in their common areas such as the breakfast area, dining room, lobby, pool, or exercise room. This makes it important to check with the front desk before you go exploring the hotel with your pup. Also, some hotels may not allow you to leave us in the hotel room alone when you leave.

Remember you are a doggie ambassador for all of us

If when you stay at a hotel you make sure your dog is well behaved and you follow all the pet rules, it opens the door for other hotels to become pet-friendly too. It also may encourage other hotel guests that see you with your dog to consider bringing their pet(s) on their next trip. However, if you and your dog don’t follow the rules, that hotel may decide to no longer allow dogs … which would make me very sad.