How to write a clear pet policy and fees section for your inn
"Can I bring my dog?" is one of the first questions guests ask a small inn, and one of the most often unanswered. Sometimes the answer is only in the booking step. Sometimes it's on a page from three years ago with an old fee. Either way the guest has to email you and wait, or they guess.
A clear pet policy takes ten minutes to write and saves a lot of back and forth. Here's what to cover, with wording you can adapt.
If you welcome pets, answer these six things
- Which animals. Dogs only? Cats too? Be specific, because "pets" means different things to different people.
- Which rooms. Many inns allow pets in one or two rooms only. Name them, so a guest doesn't fall for a room the dog can't stay in.
- How many and how big. "Up to two dogs" or "one dog under 40 lb" heads off the Great Dane surprise.
- The fee, and exactly how it's charged. Per night or per stay? Per pet or per room? Refundable deposit or cleaning fee? "$30 pet fee" is ambiguous. "$30 per stay, per dog" is not.
- The house rules. Leashed on the grounds, not on the furniture, not left alone in the room, crate if left alone. Whatever matters to you.
- How to tell you. "Please add your dog when you book, or tell us in the booking notes" stops guests from simply turning up with one.
Well-behaved dogs are welcome in our two Garden Rooms (up to two dogs per room). The pet fee is $30 per stay, per dog, added at booking. Please keep dogs leashed on the grounds and don't leave them alone in the room. Cats and other pets aren't able to stay with us, sorry.
If you don't allow pets
Say it plainly and kindly, and mention service animals (below). If you know a good local kennel or pet sitter, a one-line recommendation turns a "no" into goodwill.
We're not able to host pets, as we have resident cats and guests with allergies. Service animals are always welcome. If you need a kennel nearby, we like Maple Lane Pet Lodge, ten minutes away.
A note on service animals
In the US, service animals generally aren't treated as pets, and many lodging businesses can't charge a pet fee for them or turn them away. There are exceptions (for example, some very small owner-occupied inns), and rules for emotional support animals are different again. Rules also vary by country and state, so check what applies to you rather than relying on a blog post, this one included. Whatever applies, a single sentence on your page saves an uncomfortable conversation at the door.
Put the other fees in the same place
Pet fees are just one of the charges guests hate discovering at the last step. While you're writing, list the others in one short "Fees" section:
| Fee | Say exactly |
|---|---|
| Extra guest | Per person, per night? Do children count? |
| Cleaning fee | Per stay, and whether it applies to every booking |
| Early check-in or late check-out | The price, and that it depends on availability |
| Cancellation or change fees | The amount and the cutoff date |
| Taxes | Whether your listed prices include them |
Keep the wording the same on your website and your booking page. If one says $25 and the other says $30, guests notice, and they remember.
Where guests look for it
- On your FAQ or policies page, under a heading that actually says "Pets".
- On the room pages for the pet-friendly rooms ("Dogs welcome in this room, $30 per stay").
- In your booking step, so the fee is added before payment, not after.
Why this matters even more with a website chat
If you use a chat on your site that answers from your own pages, the pet section is what it reads when a guest asks "can I bring my dog?" A clear, current policy means a clear, correct answer.
And if the policy isn't written down anywhere, a well-built chat shouldn't guess. InnReply, for example, will tell the guest the inn can confirm its pet policy and offer to pass the question to you by email. That's the right behavior, but it's still better for the guest to get the answer straight away, which only happens if it's on your site.
Ten-minute checklist: animals allowed, which rooms, how many and how big, the fee and how it's charged, house rules, how to tell you, service animals, and every other fee in one place. Then read your booking page and make sure it says the same thing.
Want to see it on a real-looking inn site? Ask the sample inn's chat anything, then try it on your own site. The Free plan covers 1 location and up to 40 chats a month, no card needed.
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