London July 23, 2007 – TripAdvisor®, the world’s largest travel community, today announced the results of its annual travelling with pets survey, involving more than 1,100 travellers (and more than 700 pet owners) worldwide.

Having a Pet Can Seriously Damage your Holiday Options
Pets can have a considerable influence on their owners’ holiday plans. Just over half (53 percent) of all pet owning respondents and 41 percent of British said that they travel with their collared companions. It seems, however, that owning a pet can seriously damage your holiday options.

Thirty-five percent of pet owners said they will take shorter holidays because of their pets, 25 percent will take fewer holidays because of their pets and seven percent will only travel to destinations where they can bring their pets. Twelve percent said their pets actually prevent them from going on vacation.

Accommodating Pets and Demanding Dogs
When it comes to accommodation, 52 percent of pet owners said they will only stay at establishments that are pet-friendly when travelling with their furry friends. This is particularly important to dog owners - 64 percent compared to 38 percent of cat owners. Thirty-seven percent of respondents with pets would pay more to stay at places that are pet-friendly. This jumps to 50 percent when specific to dog owners.

Forty-eight percent of all travellers surveyed feel hotels should be more accommodating for pets. On the list of items animal owners would like to see hotels provide for their furry friends, pet-sitting service was at the top, according to 27 percent of respondents. Separate housing/on-site kennel was the second most popular choice at 16 percent, followed by pet bedding at 9 percent. Twenty percent of respondents who own pets admitted to having smuggled their animal into a hotel room.

According to the survey, Best Western is the most pet-friendly hotel chain. Holiday Inn and Red Roof Inn came in second and third, respectively. The top pet-friendly hotel is the Best Western Lake Norman in Cornelius, North Carolina, USA, based on pet-friendliness ratings on TripAdvisor.

Pet Worries
The biggest concern for owners about travelling with pets is that their animal will get stressed, according to 29 percent of all respondents (this was a particularly big concern among cat owners, at 48 percent). Twenty-two percent of travellers with pets feel their main worry is that no one is able to look after their pet when they are sight-seeing or touring (this was the greatest concern among dog owners, at 27 percent).

Why Bother?
Meanwhile six percent take a holiday to get a break from the responsibility of their pet! Why do they bother at all? Only 16 percent of British travellers said they actually enjoyed taking their- pets with them on holiday.

TripAdvisor’s Top 5 Pet-Friendly Accommodations in the U.K. (with some TripAdvisor member comments).

1. Headlands Hotel, Llandudno
“A really lovely family run hotel that makes everyone welcome - the plus side is the welcome of our dog, who loves the place as much as we do. Another most enjoyable stay at a family and dog friendly hotel! This is our sixth stay...