[NAGDU] Guide dogs in hotel rooms

Wed Jun 22 13:06:21 UTC 2016

While staying at hotels in the past, my experience has been:  most cleaning staff do not want to clean the room knowing that a guide dog has been present. We need to really work on getting this changed at most hotel chains simply because:we need to be treated like everyone else as far as having our rooms clean promptly, in a thorough manner.
furthermore, we should not be charged any more money  for having our rooms cleaned because we have  guide  dogs. The dogs are  not making any more of a mess than most people.
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 22, 2016, at 7:09 AM, Buddy Brannan via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> 
> I'm with you, Julie! Free wif, free breakfast, definite pluses. No, you're not required to give notice. However, I'd caution that rules may differ for things like a B&B, or certainly for AirBnB.com, which sets guests up with people who rent rooms out of their homes. Fair Housing rules may actually apply, which means if the owner lives on premises and has fewer than five rooms to let, those rules don't apply. I recently stayed at an AirBnB, and the homeowner, who had a slight dog allergy, said I could stay anyway, being as it was a short stay, but she would feel better about charging a small cleaning fee. I was fine with this arrangement; it is, after all, her home, and again, it would seem to me that the usual rules wouldn't apply in that kind of situation. But for a regular hotel, you aren't obligated to give notice or pay extra.
> 
> --
> Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
> Phone: 814-860-3194 
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> 
> 
> 
>> On Jun 22, 2016, at 7:11 AM, Julie J. via NAGDU <nagdu at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> 
>> The short answer is no, they can't require advance notice.
>> 
>> They can ask for whatever they like though.  They just can't make it a requirement of access to their establishment.   They also can't limit the rooms offered to you on the basis of your guide or restrict you from places in the hotel that other guests use.  They can't charge you extra, unless you or your guide causes damage that they would also charge other guests for repairs.
>> 
>> I don't give advance notice either.  I've never noticed a statement like that on any hotel web site, but then again I've never looked for it.  Free wifi and free breakfast is about all I look for! *smile*
>> 
>> Julie
>> Courage to Dare: A Blind Woman's Quest to Train her Own Guide Dog is now available! Get the book here:
>> http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QXZSMOC
>> -----Original Message----- From: Andrew Webb via NAGDU
>> Sent: Tuesday, June 21, 2016 11:38 PM
>> To: nagdu at nfbnet.org
>> Cc: Andrew Webb
>> Subject: [NAGDU] Guide dogs in hotel rooms
>> 
>> Hello,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I have another question, regarding staying at hotels with my guide dog. I
>> realize that federal and state laws require that hotels accommodate me with
>> my dog as they are places of public accommodation. My question is whether a
>> hotel can legally require me to notify them in advance of my arrival that I
>> will be bringing a guide dog. I note an advisory on the website of a hotel
>> where I have booked an upcoming stay, stating that "We do not allow pets in
>> the hotel, with the exception of certified service animals. We require
>> advance notice from guests that they will be staying with service animals."
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Can the hotel legally require me to give advance notice of my guide dog? As
>> a general rule I avoid announcing my dog to any public facility in advance
>> of arriving there, as experience teaches me that this sometimes gives
>> proprietors the opportunity to find pretexts on which to deny me service or
>> entry on account of my dog. For that reason my instinct is to disregard the
>> notice of the hotel's website, and just show up with my dog without advising
>> the hotel beforehand. However, I could see the argument that the hotel needs
>> advance notice, as they need to keep certain rooms animal-free on account of
>> allergies, etc., and thus need to ensure in advance that they have other
>> rooms available in which they accommodate service animals. I could possibly
>> see the argument that this is a reasonable accommodation, even though my dog
>> would not have access to all rooms of the hotel.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Can anyone comment? Ought I inform the hotel or not?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks,
>> 
>> Andrew
>> 
>> 
>> 
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