This page explains in a little more detail what is required from current and new customers who want to use our hotel. Please ensure you read all the information, and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch.
As a licensed dog hotel, there are certain rules that all dog hotels or home boarders must follow. This means that for all customers where their dog has not used our hotel services before, we need to assess their suitability for an overnight stay during a trial night before their main (longer) stay.
"There must be a documented trial session for dogs to familiarise with each other before they home board."
Animal Welfare Licensing Regulations
"For a boarding premises that keeps multiple dogs at once, there must be an overnight trial stay for all stays longer than 3 nights. Only one dog can be trialled at a time unless the dogs are from the same household."
5-Star Boarding Premises Regulations
Important: A kennels doesn't have to do this, but all other overnight care providers should be. If they don't, they are breaking the law.
1Why We Do Trial Stays
To ensure the main stay is not a stressful situation
- One night in our hotel rooms will help them get used to their new bedroom prior to the stay, meaning they will settle much quicker when they come for their main hotel booking.
- Even if they attend daycare, staying overnight is different. When dogs board, they do get time alone without a Pet Whisperer, sometimes in their own room, sometimes with a friend roaming around. This stay will help them get used to that and help us judge what sleeping arrangements are best for them.
To ensure your dog is suitable for our hotel
- Some dogs' behaviour changes at night. For example, if they usually sleep in your bedroom at home, they might not settle in a hotel room at OPW and may bark or howl to express their displeasure.
- Where dogs have severe separation anxiety, sometimes they can't be left alone even overnight due to their distress.
- Our staff do sleep when the dogs sleep, and we have other dogs staying overnight. Our staff and other dogs must get their rest, where dogs are vocal or distressed due to anxiety, our environment may not be suited to them.
2New Hotel Customers: The Three-Step Process
If you don't currently use our daycare services but would like to use our hotel in the future, here's what's required:
Full Day Assessment
All dogs must attend a full day assessment and settling session at daycare. Your dog will be joining daycare during their stay, so we need to check they're suitable and happy in that environment.
Trial Night
If the assessment is successful, your dog will then need a trial night in our hotel, as per the information above.
Four Daycare Sessions
All dogs who use our hotel must use our daycare at least 4 times in the 4 weeks preceding their main stay. We recommend at least one per week, but this can be done over any period. We also recommend not leaving a larger interval than 7 days between visits, as the purpose is to ensure your dog is completely settled in their new environment with their new friends.
3Key Things to Note
- The assessment day does not form part of the 4 days required.
- The trial night is a 24-hour period and will include daycare, this can count towards the 4 sessions required.
- Once a dog does not attend the centre for a 6-week period, a re-assessment is required.
- If the assessment or trial night are not successful, there will be no charges for your main stay or any future sessions that may have been booked.
- Your main stay and other sessions can be reserved pending successful completion of the relevant visits. A failure to attend the required sessions before your main booked stay may result in a refusal, and the relevant cancellation charges will apply.