Learn how STR Legend member Mathieu Laflamme increased revenue on his units by going pet-friendly.
Click on the video below to watch and listen to this podcast episode:
Topics & takeaways
– There’s been an increase in guests traveling with their pets (mostly dogs)
– People travel with their family for a Staycation / work away from home
– They bring their pets because it’s easy by car
– 14% of Americans have travelled with a pet in the last three years
– 50% of dog owners would pay more for a pet-friendly stay (Tripadvisor)
Topic 1: What type of pets do you allow?
– No one can decline service animals in whole house listings so there are no guarantees
– I do not accept cats, cat urine smell is too hard to deal with
Topic 2: How much to charge for Pet fees?
– Do your pet friendly units make more $?
– Mathieu charges $50 per night, capped at $200
– Charge per night / per stay, between $10 to $50 a night, $100-$250 per stay or week
– Charge based on breed and age, and charge consequently (big dogs, more expensive)
– Are hairy dogs more expensive?
Topic 3: Risks: damages, extra cleaning expenses
– Concerns: They ruin my dream vacation home? What if a guests dog bites the neighbor's kid? And don’t dogs shed a lot of hair?
– How realistic are these concerns?
– Add dog specific rules to your house rules (off-leash, barking)
– The Airbnb host guarantee doesn’t cover pet damage but it doesn’t void other damage claims, thats why you blame the human not the pet 🙂
– Risks depends on the decoration and furnishings of your units
– Guests who travel with their pets generally have well-behaved pets.
– Lot of hosts reporting zero issues with over 1000 stays
Topic 4: Should you cater to pet friendly specifically?
– Yes, my property is pet-friendly but I don't note it in my property title or description because I still attract mostly non-pet bookings at full price.
– I assume most pet owners use the search filter so they don't need a banner
– There are definitely people who rather not stay at a pet friendly Airbnb unit