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Category: Design & Furnishing
By: Daniel Kowalski
Reply by Tyler Jackson:
Pet-friendly listings have 15-25% more bookings than non-pet-friendly in our market. Here's how to capture that revenue without destroying your property: **Flooring (most important):** - Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP) everywhere — scratch-proof, water-proof, and handles accidents - If you have hardwood: apply a commercial-grade polyurethane sealant and add area rugs in high-traffic zones - Remove all carpet (dog odor embeds permanently in carpet fibers) **Furniture protection:** - Performance fabric couches (Crypton or Revolution) — handles fur, paws, and accidents - Machine-washable couch covers (Nolan or EasyGoing brand from Amazon) - Leather/faux leather furniture resists fur and cleans easily - Keep a lint roller and pet hair remover brush accessible **Odor prevention:** - Air purifiers in main living areas (Levoit are affordable and effective) - Machine-washable throw blankets on all seating surfaces (wash between every pet guest) - Angry Orange enzyme cleaner for any accident spots - Deep clean protocol after every pet guest (your cleaner charges $20-40 extra) **STR-specific pet amenities (low cost, high impact):** - Dog bowls (food + water) — $10 - Pet bed — $20-30 - Poop bags + a small basket by the door — $5 - Fenced yard (if possible) — MAJOR selling point - List of pet-friendly local restaurants, parks, and beaches in your guidebook **Pricing structure:** - $30-50 pet fee per stay (covers extra cleaning) - Clearly state: max 2 dogs, under 50 lbs (optional — some hosts allow all sizes) - Require pet deposit or proof of pet damage liability **Listing optimization:** - Add "pet-friendly" to your title: "Modern 2BR | Pet-Friendly | Fenced Yard" - Include a photo of the dog bowls and pet bed staged in the property - List ALL pet amenities in the amenity section This setup costs about $200 in pet-specific additions and generates thousands in additional bookings from the pet-owner demographic.
Reply by Jake Anderson:
I've been pet-friendly for 3 years and here are the real numbers: - 22% of bookings include pets - Extra pet cleaning: ~$30 per pet stay - Pet fee collected: $40 per pet stay - Net additional revenue: ~$10/stay in fees PLUS 22% more bookings Actual damage from pets in 3 years: one scratch on a door frame ($40 touch-up paint) and one urine stain on a rug I was replacing anyway. The fear of pet damage is massively overblown. Dogs traveling with their owners are almost always well-behaved house pets, not feral animals.