Thanks For Visiting

335. Tips for Effectively Welcoming Dogs to Your Short-Term Rental

Feb 22, 2024

Sara Sokol, founder of Dogs Welcome community, shares tips on welcoming dogs in vacation rentals. Topics include defining pet-friendly, managing damage, communication strategies, cleaning tips, and pet fees. Opening listings to pets can boost bookings if done right.

55:17

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Episode guests

Sara Sokol

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Setting clear pet rules is crucial for welcoming dogs to short-term rentals.

Implementing special cleaning procedures and pet fees is essential for successful hosting.

Expanding rental audience by allowing pets requires proper planning and policies for a smooth experience.

Deep dives

Establishing a New Short-Term Rental

Starting out as a new host can be overwhelming, but a game-changing event for new hosts is scheduled for February 27th at 1 p.m. EST. To transition from a new host to a super host, visit the waitlist at thanksforvisiting.com/waitlist to mark your calendar.

Introduction

2min

Optimizing Short-Term Rentals with Manouin and Breezeway

6min

Welcoming Dogs in Vacation Rentals

23min

Strategies for Reducing Airbnb Fees and Welcoming Dog-Owner Guests

5min

Creating Dog-Friendly Guidelines for Short-Term Rental Properties

17min

Wrapping Up the Episode with Gratitude and Invitation to Exclusive Workshop

2min

Today’s expert guest is Sara Sokol. Sarah is the creator of the Dogs Welcome Facebook group and vacation rental listing website as well as owner/operator of her own very pet-friendly, and award winning, vacation rental on the coast of Maine.

She created the Dogs Welcome community as a place to connect dog friendly STR hosts with humans who travel with their dogs as a place to advertise her own property and has watched the community explode with growth over the past year and a half. Its website now features sortable listings to make it even easier for travelers with their pets to find appropriate lodging.

We detail her journey from dog training into dog hosting, reveal her incredible communication style for conveying house rules as they relate to pet behavior, and spend a healthy chunk of time on cleaning recommendations, pet fees, and the all-important couch covers.

If there’s one thing we know about people, it’s that they love (and travel) with their furry friends. Opening up your listing to pets is a surefire way to expand your audience and supercharge your bookings – as long as you have the right plans and policies in place to make it work.

(00:01:24) #STRShareSunday: @hillsideamble

(00:05:06) Sarah Sokol: Pet Vacation Expert

(00:08:41) Defining Pet-Friendly vs. Pet Welcoming

(00:16:37) Being a Good Neighbor as a Pet-Friendly STR

(00:22:18) Managing Damage & Special Cleanings

(00:41:37) Dogs Welcome Facebook Group

Resources:

• Visit thanksforvisiting.com/workshop to watch our Hosting Business Mastery Method workshop!

• Airbnb Essentials Checklist: hostchecklist.com

• Website: dogs-welcome.net

• Sara's favorite things: dogs-welcome.net/my-favorite-things

• Breezeway pet-friendly checklist: breezeway.io/pet-checklist