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
