What To Put In Your Pet-Friendly Airbnb
BY MIKEL HUBBARD
FORMER HGTV PRODUCER | CO-FOUNDER, THE HOST CO |
OWNER, TIMES EIGHT PROPERTY & DESIGN
Pets: the age-old Airbnb question. Should we let them into our Airbnbs, or are they not worth the risk of damages and fees for guests?
We’ve written a couple posts on this, but our short answer is: yes, we do believe it is generally worth it to make your Airbnb open to pets.
Yes, pets damage things; yes, some neighbors may not like the addition of furry friends into the neighborhood; and yes, extra cleaning / fees may be needed. Those are definitely possibilities, and things to consider when deciding if your Airbnb should allow pets.
However, people — and kids! — damage things too. Most pet owners act responsibly, and it helps your listing stand out and increase your clientele within the broader hosting community. We’ve always had our listings be pet-friendly, and we haven’t regretted it at all. (Here’s another article we wrote about pets and the pros and cons of putting your listing as pet-friendly.)
One big thing to note: in order to make a pet-friendly short term rental work, you need to prepare differently than a normal host. Adding pet amenities and appropriate things to leave out are key to making sure you prevent as many accidents as possible — and make sure your guests are comfortable!
(We will also list links to purchase these items on Amazon.)
What To Put In Your Pet-Friendly Airbnb
Dog Beds
A dog bed is an incredibly important part of an Airbnb that allows pets. This will give dogs a spot to sleep and rest on that’s not your furniture, and should help limit dog hair! We’ve also found that sometimes cats sleep on these beds too, so it’s really just a pet-sized hotel bed.
There are quite a few options for our furry best friends — ranging from affordable to pricey. There are also beds that vary in size, depending on the size of the dog.
We recommend medium to large sized beds, so you’re prepared for the biggest but accommodating for the smallest. Our affordable recommendation is the MidWest Homes for Pets Plush Bed, at a very reasonable $9.99.
Slightly more expensive, but still cute and sufficient is the Amazon Basics Pet Dog Bed at $28.70 with over 22,000 reviews.
Dog & Cat Bowls
This one is a way to ensure pet owners don’t have to feed their cats and dogs using your Airbnb’s plates, bowls, and other kitchenware, and so pets don’t leave a mess with food all over the kitchen floor. We recommend deeper bowls for dogs than we do for cats, who can have shallower water bowls.
There are lots of cute, affordable designs that can match your home’s interior design. Check out these Cat Food Bowls shaped like kitty ears, at $15. We also love Epets Love’s silver bowls that have that classic “dog bowl” look, complete with a station and holder to prevent dogs from moving the bowl and spilling it everywhere. You can find these at a price of $15.99.
Poop Bags
These are pretty obvious: every animal poops. Having a setup already there will help your guests’ pets avoid horrible accidents!
There are different philosophies on how much of this to provide for guests, but we recommend going all the way. Here are our recommendations for each category:
Poop Bags: Why not spend a few extra bucks and be earth-friendly with your poop bags? Here’s some Earth Rated Dog Poop Bags for $11.39 (a 270 count!) That’s a good deal right there.
Cat Box/Litter: Traveling with cat requests are much more rare, so we would just recommend those guests bring their own litter box.
Lint Rollers
This will be super helpful for those pet owners or future guests who are more sensitive to pet hair — or for those pet owners who want to clean up your furniture a bit before the cleaners arrive!
Here’s a 4-pack by Evercare Pet Hair that’s 60 layers for $21.99 — so you can stock up for future pets all at once!
Sell Dog Treats in your Host Co Store!
You don’t have to sell these, per se, but why not make a little passive income for extra treats at your vacation rental? Especially if you’re providing everything else here, we think it’s totally reasonable to offer some nice, healthy treats for puppies and kitties — alongside nice, healthy snacks for their owners!
Why not some Rachel Ray treats for our puppies? Here are some Nutrish Turkey Bacon Grain Free Dog Treats at $9.29. We think that’s a pretty good deal! But there are a few other cheaper options as well you can surf on Amazon.
Greenies are good for cats’ teeth because they make them chew and sink their teeth into the treats, which is good for their gingivitis. Here are some SMARTBITES for Healthy Skin and Fur, at $4.26. Why not mark them up a couple dollars and sell them?
If you set up your listing for success, you will seriously expand your clientele — because a lot of Airbnb owners don’t make these investments, and miss out on a lot of extra guests who are normally very respectful of your boundaries!
Did we miss any products? Comment and tell us what else a pet-friendly host should add to their VRBO or other short-term rental.