I almost never write reviews, but my experience was unpleasant and should be corrected. The woman checking us in was lovely and professional. We were traveling with our assistance dog and she asked for paperwork to prove it, which I provided after searching through emails. Later when I came down to grab delivery I mentioned that assistance dogs aren’t required to have “paperwork”, and she might pass this along to her supervisor because living with disabilities is already a constant hassle and they should consider changing how they approach things. Obviously, I understood this was not her personal policy.
The manager appeared to be listening in and then began addressing me saying that it is their policy to have proof. I said I understood but pulled up information about the Equality Act and assistance dogs that confirmed what I had mentioned earlier. Then she pulled up the Staycity website saying they charge extra for dogs and would be charging an extra cleaning fee. Keep in mind I had already shown proof that our dog was an assistance dog and she behaved perfectly the entire time. I informed her that this was discrimination and that an assistance dog is not considered a pet, but more like a medical device. Additionally, the law doesn’t require “proof” as there is no comprehensive assistance dog registry. It was a strange encounter that definitely left a bad impression. I had no personal vendetta, just wanted to make things easier for the next person.