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It Pays to be Pet Friendly

Let’s face it, pets are part of the family.

There’s a growing trend towards furry friends joining in on the fun and heading on vacay, and accommodation providers are shifting their policies to welcome our four-legged friends.

Allowing guests to bring their pets into your campground provides great guest experience and can even serve to boost your revenue.

Rather than paying for a pet sitter, most guests would rather bring their pet, so as a Holiday Park, you can research local boarding rates and match that fee per pet, per night!

“We figure out what the boarding rate in the area is. If it’s around $35/night — our pet fee will be $35/night per pet. When you have a guest with 2 pets staying for a week, you do the math. So not only are they having a great guest experience because they were able to bring their pet — you’re Cha Ching, Cha Ching — making money!

– Kathleen Walsh, Advanced Outdoor Solutions

Let’s take a look at this example…

Imagine what you could do with this extra revenue?

As a pet friendly park, there are costs involved like doggy waste bags, or maybe you’ll invest in a fenced agility park. By charging for pets, you’re recouping your costs and maximizing revenue to reinvest back in your park.

How to cater for pets: 

  • Assign some pet friendly cabins with inside access, but always keep non-pet cabins for guests who may have allergies.
  • BIG4 Saltwater Yamba, constructed a doggy day spa area with a wash bay, drying facilities and washing machine for pet gear.
  • Prime Pet Friendly Tourist Park offer doggy day care in-house to allow guests to enjoy a day out without their pup. You could also partner with a local doggy day care provider and see if they are open to providing you a referral fee. Genius!
  • Leash-free agility parks
  • Designated pet-friendly areas at your onsite café or restaurant

Remember to remain considerate of guests who may not be a fan of pets. Enforcing dogs on leashes at all times when they’re not in designated areas is so important to ensure everyone is comfortable and safe.

“We really roll-out the red carpet for our pets. If you haven’t use Tail-bangers (located in North America), you’ll want to look up tail-bangers. We partner with them to get custom made dog cookies for our parks. So they may have our logo on them, or they may have ‘welcome four-legged family member. Part of the guest experience is making their pets feel like they’re part of the family.”

Kathleen Walsh, Advanced Outdoor Solutions

Want more tips or help estimating your return from pets?

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