Large dog owners are the most underserved high-spending travel segment in STR — and operators are actively turning them away
With STR occupancy compressing nationally and RevPAR growth at roughly 0.5% in 2026, the operators holding rate are the ones who found a segment and owned it rather than competing on price in an oversupplied market.
One gap that keeps coming up in market analysis: large dog owners.
78% of dog owners travel with their animals annually. Average pet household spending exceeds $2,000 a year. The dog-friendly hospitality market is projected to grow at 12.2% CAGR. Meanwhile most STR properties and hotels cap at 25 to 50 pounds, leaving a high-spending segment with almost no good options.
Properties allowing pets are commanding 20% higher ADR than comparable non-pet listings in 2026 according to current STR industry data. That premium exists because demand outstrips supply — which is the definition of a market opportunity.
The inelastic pricing argument is real: if you are one of the only properties in your market that will take an 85-pound Labrador, you are not competing on nightly rate. You are the only answer to a specific question.
Has anyone built a deliberate program around this and tracked the revenue impact? Looking for operators who have actually run this, not just opinions on whether dogs are a good idea.