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266. Hosting Hotline: Pawsome Hosts, Tips to Make Your Airbnb Pet-Friendly · Thanks For Visiting

• 0:00
  Sarah: Hello listeners, welcome back for another great episode.
• 0:02
  My name is Sarah Karakaian.
• 0:03
  Annette: I am annette Grant, and together we're--
• 0:05
  Both Annette & Sarah: Thanks for Visiting.
• 0:06
  Sarah: And this is the--
• 0:07
  Both Annette & Sarah: Hosting Hotline.
• 0:08
  Sarah: And we talk about pets today.
• 0:10
  Annette: Who let the dogs out?
• 0:12
  Who?
• 0:13
  Questions: Hey, good morning guys.
• 0:14
  It was so great seeing you last week at InvestHER Con.
• 0:18
  I am glad I got to chat with you, Annette.
• 0:22
  And Sarah, sorry I didn't get to meet you.
• 0:24
  I was thinking of a podcast you guys did about hosting dogs.
• 0:30
  I'm looking specifically for the items I need to get, and I can't find it.
• 0:35
  So anyway.
• 0:37
  Sarah: Okay.
• 0:37
  And then she goes on to give her personal information, so we pausedit.
• 0:40
  Annette: And she talked to me at happy hour, and Sarah was nowhere to be found.
• 0:44
  Sarah: She's very on brand.
• 0:46
  Annette: So let's go behind the scenes a little bit.
• 0:47
  If you ever see me out, please stop me, approach me.
• 0:51
  You can take me in happy hour, but I'm happy to answer
• 0:53
  any questions and hang out.
• 0:55
  Sarah loves people.
• 0:58
  You just might not see her out and about.
• 1:01
  Sarah: I'm behind.
• 1:02
  I'm getting work done, that'swhyI'm--
• 1:04
  Annette: Yeah.
• 1:05
  Can I do it one more time?
• 1:06
  Who let the dogs?
• 1:07
  Okay, fine.
• 1:10
  She doesn't like that one.
• 1:11
  I like that one.
• 1:11
  All right.
• 1:12
  This is a great question.
• 1:13
  My first thing that I want to give a shout-out to, and we'll put a link, is
• 1:19
  I think hosting pets is a great reason to have a device, like NoiseAware.
• 1:24
  So if you have someone that brings a pet and the dog is incessantly barking,
• 1:30
  that hopefully would help you know if that was happening ahead of time, so
• 1:37
  you can get ahead of it depending on how close you are to your neighbors and just
• 1:41
  seeing, are they leaving the dog there for extended periods of time unattended to?
• 1:48
  And just something that will help you have a pulse on the pet activity.
• 1:55
  Sarah: There is so much dog content we could-- but that's
• 1:57
  for lots of different episodes.
• 1:59
  But today we're going to talk about what amenities you can leave your guests--
• 2:05
  Annette: Our fur friends.
• 2:06
  Sarah: Our fur friends if you are pet-friendly, dog-friendly.
• 2:11
  And we are going to niche down to dogs, but we want this list to open up your mind
• 2:16
  and think about other ways that you could really surprise and delight both your
• 2:20
  four-legged guests and your human guests.
• 2:24
  With that being said, all of these suggestions come with the caveat
• 2:29
  of making sure you either chat with your insurance provider--
• 2:36
  Annette: Homeowners association if you have one.
• 2:38
  Sarah: Right.
• 2:39
  This is obviously blanket ideas for you.
• 2:41
  Whether or not they're a good fit for you in your specific business,
• 2:44
  make sure you do your own--
• 2:45
  Annette: We will not be held.
• 2:46
  liable for anything in this episode.
• 2:48
  Sarah: We just are liable for great ideas that you need to suss out for yourself.
• 2:51
  Okay.
• 2:52
  You ready?
• 2:52
  Annette: Yeah.
• 2:53
  Let's do it.
• 2:53
  Sarah: All right.
• 2:53
  So we have a list here for everyone.
• 2:54
  So something fun that you could provide is a dog bed.
• 2:58
  Comfortable and clean dog bed for your furry guests to relax and sleep in.
• 3:02
  Now, learn the hard way.
• 3:04
  There's also another idea we have here, what we started providing our listing, is
• 3:10
  those blankets that are super absorbent.
• 3:12
  What are they called?
• 3:14
  Annette: Blanket or a towel.
• 3:15
  Sarah: A towel.
• 3:16
  Super absorbent towel.
• 3:17
  The word is--
• 3:18
  Annette: Microfiber.
• 3:19
  Sarah: Thank you.
• 3:20
  Annette: Shout-out, Mary Jane, my mom.
• 3:22
  Sheuses microfibers for everything.
• 3:24
  Sarah: They make microfiber towels for pets for when they come in from the rain.
• 3:28
  Annette: And they even have a cute little paw on them so you can display them
• 3:32
  and know, hey, these are for the dog, and they don't ruin your normal towels.
• 3:35
  Sarah: But with that, make sure when you add these new amenities,
• 3:39
  before you add them, discuss the new systems and processes with your
• 3:43
  turnover team and inspection team.
• 3:44
  Don't just surprise them with these new things in your rental.
• 3:47
  Make sure you have what the new process is going to be to make sure that the dog
• 3:51
  bed is clean, and that the microfiber towel is clean and ready to go every time.
• 3:55
  Annette: Andthere's probably a water dish and a food dish
• 4:01
  that are specific for the pets.
• 4:02
  So those will also need to be cleaned.
• 4:04
  Sarah: And that was my next idea, was to provide those.
• 4:07
  I'm a pet parent, and I sometimes forget those.
• 4:10
  Annette: Yeah.
• 4:10
  I don't want a dog licking out of the same bowl I'm going to eat my cerealoutof.
• 4:14
  Sarah: Theymight do itanyway.
• 4:15
  Annette: I know, but at least let me live in the idea that everyone's
• 4:20
  going to use the dog dish.
• 4:21
  Sarah: So good.
• 4:22
  Okay.
• 4:23
  Some other things you could include to surprise and let your four-legged
• 4:26
  or furry friends, it doesn't matter how many legs they have, a selection
• 4:29
  of toys that they can play with.
• 4:31
  Annette: Appropriate.
• 4:32
  Mm-hmm.
• 4:33
  Sarah: Right.
• 4:33
  Yeah.
• 4:34
  Another idea is outdoor space, if possible, if you can provide
• 4:38
  a secure and fenced-in outdoor area where dogs can safely roam.
• 4:42
  One of our rentals, we could dial in the return on our investment of putting a
• 4:46
  fence in and making it a place where dogs could go outside and safely run around.
• 4:50
  It has catapulted this rentals booking availability and visibility
• 4:56
  on the OTAs, which is great.
• 4:58
  Annette: Mm-hmm.
• 4:58
  When they are outside, in the fenced-in arena, you know what we need to give them?
• 5:02
  We need to give them the doggy bags, maybe a scooper if he can too.
• 5:06
  But providing that and a place to dispose of it would be a lovely.
• 5:10
  Sarah: We made a YouTube video, and Annette refused to say the word poop
• 5:13
  bag, so I just want to say right now and make her feeluncomfortable.
• 5:16
  Annette: It's disgusting.
• 5:18
  Dodo sac.
• 5:19
  Oh my gosh.
• 5:20
  Okay.
• 5:20
  I'm getting loopy here with this pet episode.
• 5:23
  Who let the dogs out?
• 5:24
  AD MARKER
• 5:25
  Sarah: Next one, and this is our idea of the microfiber towel, is the doggy cleanup
• 5:30
  station or the pet cleanup station.
• 5:32
  Set up a designated area, like Annette said, with waste bags and disposal
• 5:35
  bin for easy cleanup after walks.
• 5:37
  Also the towel.
• 5:38
  What else could you provide for them?
• 5:39
  Maybe there's, I don't know, a detangler spray.
• 5:42
  That's what I put on my dogs.
• 5:43
  Annette: The caveat with all of it is making sure that you leave it so
• 5:46
  people can read exactly what's in all of-- if you're leaving something
• 5:50
  like that, they know the ingredients.
• 5:53
  I mean, a leash.
• 5:54
  Let's leave a leash just in case they forgot theirs at home.
• 5:57
  Sarah: You could potentially do that.
• 5:58
  There's grooming supplies that could be a part of that doggy cleanup station that
• 6:01
  include dog shampoo, uh, like we said, towels for handy guests for cleaning
• 6:06
  up the dogs after they need them.
• 6:07
  Maybe a dog-friendly brush or a pet-friendly brush.
• 6:10
  Annette: And listeners, this is above and beyond.
• 6:13
  Trust us.
• 6:13
  Because there's a lot of these things that we don't leave, but we're just
• 6:16
  giving you all the things today.
• 6:18
  But we don't want you to feel pressure that these are our must.
• 6:21
  Sarah: I'm pressuring you.
• 6:22
  No joking.
• 6:23
  Okay.
• 6:23
  Also, here are some non-physical amenities you can leave your
• 6:27
  guests, is a list of nearby parks and trails that are pet-friendly.
• 6:31
  Annette: Oh, I like that.
• 6:31
  Sarah: So provide information about nearby dog parks, trails, and
• 6:34
  pet-friendly attractions in your area.
• 6:36
  I mean, how nice of you to do that for your guests.
• 6:38
  They don't have to Google those things.
• 6:40
  And bonus points if you can go out and make sure these places actually are
• 6:44
  what they say they are, or make sure the reviews are positive, so you're
• 6:48
  not sending your guests on a wild goose chase or to something that's not great.
• 6:52
  Another idea is local pet services.
• 6:54
  So share information about local dog groomers, pet sitters, and
• 6:57
  veterinarians in case guests need any assistance while they're in your space.
• 7:00
  Annette: A 24-hour vet.
• 7:01
  Sarah: Yeah, I would love that as a pet mom.
• 7:04
  Annette: Yeah.
• 7:06
  I mean, besides building the dog house, I think we got it covered.
• 7:11
  Sarah: Well, last but not least, this ties in with the nearby parks and
• 7:13
  trails, but dog-friendly recommendations, provide a list of nearby restaurants,
• 7:16
  cafes, and shops where dogs are welcome, making it easier to explore
• 7:19
  the area with their furry friends.
• 7:21
  Annette: So they're not leaving them home alone.
• 7:23
  Something that the doghouse just brought to my-- what if you
• 7:27
  made some really cool doghouse?
• 7:29
  Remember Paris Hilton built that dog condo for her dog and--
• 7:33
  Sarah: Right now.
• 7:34
  Annette: It's okay.
• 7:34
  I don't care.
• 7:36
  Our listeners know what I'm talking about.
• 7:38
  But great question, and again, start with the basics, and
• 7:41
  you can always add on later.
• 7:43
  Sarah: Absolutely.
• 7:44
  Being pet-friendly does change the game.
• 7:46
  It really opens up your exposure to more people, but you have to be prepared not
• 7:54
  just with the amenities you leave them, but also with what happens when you
• 7:58
  turn that place over so that if the next guest who comes stays with you, they
• 8:01
  don't want to be a part of a pet-friendly space, can you reset the stage to a point
• 8:05
  where it can still serve their needs?
• 8:09
  The guests who come check in next, you need to make sure you're communicating.
• 8:11
  I've had guests appreciate that we say that we're pet-friendly because that way
• 8:15
  they know that place is not for them.
• 8:17
  Annette: Right.
• 8:18
  Let's just do one little bonus point on this episode, Sarah.
• 8:22
  There was a problem recently with pet hair in beds.
• 8:29
  How have you combated that?
• 8:31
  Because that was an issue for a while.
• 8:33
  We do want to be honest with the guests, some things that
• 8:35
  come along with furry friends.
• 8:38
  Sarah: Yeah.
• 8:38
  That's a whole other-- how much time you got?
• 8:41
  We tried a few things, listeners.
• 8:42
  So we tried a sign on the fridge saying--
• 8:46
  Annette: Yeah.
• 8:46
  I'm not a fan of that though.
• 8:47
  Sarah: Your pets are not allowed to sleep in the beds.
• 8:50
  And then we went a little bit of a less aggressive route, and we had a
• 8:53
  cute little 4 by 6 picture frame that just reminded our guests that we prefer
• 8:57
  the pets not to sleep in the bed.
• 8:59
  We also have in our house rules that if you want the pets in your
• 9:01
  bed, to bring your own linens.
• 9:02
  But here's the moral story.
• 9:04
  They're going to go into your bed anyway.
• 9:06
  And here's what worked for us, is, obviously, we charge a pet
• 9:09
  fee, and that's a whole other conversation, but we don't do it the
• 9:12
  way Airbnb tries to have us do it.
• 9:15
  We have our own system for collecting pet fees because one
• 9:18
  flat fee, one-size-fits-all, it does not work for our business.
• 9:22
  So knowing that we have extra funds to work with to get these linens to
• 9:26
  where they need to go, but in a easy to explain, we lint roll the bed
• 9:31
  before we take the bedding off the bed.
• 9:33
  So we remove as much hair as we can.
• 9:35
  We wash it by itself.
• 9:38
  Make sure it gets washed by itself.
• 9:39
  If you send it out to the laundromat, make sure it gets sent out by itself.
• 9:42
  And then we use-- what does work, and what I'll link to in the show notes, are these
• 9:47
  dryer sheets that are made to collect more pet hair, because Annette's referring to
• 9:52
  one instance where I stripped a bed that had a dog on it, and Iint rolled it off.
• 9:57
  As you couldn't get it all off, we washed it separately, and I could
• 10:00
  still see some hair on the bedding, and I put it in the dryer anyway,
• 10:03
  and I put it with those dryer sheets.
• 10:05
  I took it out.
• 10:06
  Nothing.
• 10:07
  It was awesome.
• 10:08
  It was good to go.
• 10:09
  So those are my tips.
• 10:11
  That's what works for me.
• 10:12
  If you have any more tips you want to add to that, let us know.
• 10:14
  Annette: Yeah.
• 10:14
  Pet-friendly places, reach out.
• 10:17
  Let us know.
• 10:18
  Sarah: All right.
• 10:18
  With that, hopefully that's helpful.
• 10:20
  I'm Sarah Karakaian.
• 10:21
  Annette: I am Annette Grant, and together we are--
• 10:23
  Both Annette & Sarah: Thanks for Visiting.
• 10:24
  Sarah: Talk to you next time.