As travel continues to expand and develop, more and more guests are looking to book a pet-friendly Airbnb for their trips. Many guests opt to book longer “staycations” and working trips and need to bring their pets along. Making your rental pet-friendly will not only attract families on vacation but also remote workers and other domestic travelers.
Keep reading to learn the benefits of offering a pet-friendly Airbnb to guests, as well as how to tailor your rental to make it the perfect pet getaway.
Should I Allow Pets in My Airbnb?
Before making your property pet-friendly, you will need to weigh up its pros and cons. Many pet-friendly hosts are pet owners themselves and are happy to allow guests to bring pets into their rentals. If you choose to allow pets, be prepared to deal with any accidents or mess that could affect your rental.
If you are allergic or aren’t used to animals, the extra stress may not be worthwhile. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to decide whether the benefits of allowing pets are worth the extra work.
What are the Benefits of Making your Airbnb Pet-friendly?
Opening your rental to guests traveling with pets can bring various benefits for your business.
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Market your rental to a wider range of guests
Hosts who make their vacation rentals pet-friendly can expand their marketing appeal to a wider audience and attract more guests. Doing this could have a good influence on your occupancy rate, as the larger the audience, the greater your chances are of having a fully-booked vacation rental.
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Increase your nightly rate
It’s common for rentals that allow pets to charge a higher nightly rate than regular rentals. This is because guests are willing to pay more to be able to travel with their pets. By increasing your nightly rate you can improve and sustain your rental revenue growth.
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Improve the guest experience
Providing a pet-friendly Airbnb can improve the guest experience. When guests are able to bring their furry friends along on their trip, it creates a more special and memorable stay. Guests will enjoy staying at your rental and will be more likely to leave positive reviews and recommend your property to other guests traveling with pets.
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Break through the competition
Allowing owners to bring their pets to your rental also gives you a competitive edge online. Airbnb has a filter on its platform which enables users to tailor their search results for pet-friendly listings. By switching this filter on, you’ll be competing against fewer rentals and can get more bookings.
How to Make your Airbnb Pet-friendly
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Pet-proof your rental
If you have a private room or areas that are off-limits to pets be sure to install a gate or barrier to prevent them from entering. Keep trash cans and bins sealed or locked away to prevent pets from digging.
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Choose pet-friendly fabrics for your furniture
Opt for fabrics that are more resistant to fur and stains, like microfiber or canvas, as your fabric for your indoor and outdoor furniture. Other protective measures include using slipcovers that can easily be removed and washed.
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Install surfaces that are easy to clean
Avoid absorbent carpets or rugs and surfaces that will be difficult or time-consuming to clean. Hard surface floors such as tile or wood floors are ideal.
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Provide extra linen and sheets for emergencies
Prevent any potential problems by providing additional linen and bedding for your guests in case their pet has an accident. Include clear instructions for where to place the dirty linen after it’s been removed.
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Provide any additional pet-friendly amenities
Provide things like food and water bowls for dogs and cats, or let guests know if they should bring their own. A litter tray with extra litter for cats and a scooping tray for dogs should also be supplied. For an extra touch, add some fun cat and/or dog toys that pets will enjoy playing with.
How to Market your Rental to Airbnb Pet Owners
- Update your listing — Let guests know that you have a pet-friendly Airbnb by updating your listing. Under the booking settings of your listing, select the “pets allowed” option so it will be displayed in search results.
- Update your rental description — It’s a good idea to also keep your description up-to-date by including your pet policies. For instance, you may allow cats but not allow dogs, or you may have a limit on how many dogs a guest can bring, etc. Supplying this information upfront will save your guests time and prevent any misunderstandings or guest complaints from happening.
- Update your house rules — Edit your house rules to include the regulations relating to pets in your rental. Be specific about where pets are allowed to go and leave instructions for cleaning up after pets.
How Much Should You Charge for Your Pet Fee?
As mentioned earlier, many hosts who manage pet-friendly Airbnbs charge a higher fee for admitting pets to their rental, commonly known as a pet fee. Take a look at how much money you’re spending a month on rental and amenity upkeep related to pets. This includes fixing damaged or broken items, restocking litter, cleaning, and washing any dirty sheets or materials.
Make sure that your pet fee covers all these ongoing costs, so you are not paying for it yourself. Once you’ve calculated your pet fee, you can either divide it and add it to your nightly rate or charge it as an additional fee.
Conclusion
Making a pet-friendly Airbnb rental takes some consideration and careful planning, but going that extra mile can attract more guests, increase your booking rate, and bring in greater overall revenue for your vacation rental business.