Pet areas at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs

We just spent a couple of Days at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs, Va.

We were on the second floor of the Garden Wing (South Wing). I was working in the sitting area in the Garden Wing and noticed a number of people walking through with dogs. I had thought that they had a no pets policy and that these were animals coming back from the kennels.

After returning home I happened to check out their website and found that they offer "Pet Friendly Rooms. (Homestead pet rooms). I called the front desk and found that the first floor of the Garden Wings contained the "Pet Friendly" rooms.

I found this to be deeply disturbing. My wife and I are continually battling Lyme disease. We spent over $50,000 out of pocket and spent 2 years receiving high doses of antibiotics. We tend to avoid homes with pets when possible.

If I recall correctly, I did see people bringing pets through the Great Hall and the areas near the restaurants (Not in the restaurants).

The pet friendly policy bothers me on a number of levels.

1. The area around the homestead is full of deer. Dogs visiting there are likely to pick up ticks. Once these ticks are picked up, they can and will drop off in the building. Using the public areas can expose you to ticks.
2. I am not comfortable with the fact that housekeeping may be coming from rooms with animals before they visit our rooms, again increasing our exposure to possible tick bites.
3. As this policy progresses, I would think that an increasing number of people will be bringing their pets to the Hotel. The problem is that visitors may not be aware of the fact and may not be as alert as they should be for ticks. Keep in mind the miniscule nature of the deer tick and deer tick Nymph.

We really enjoyed our stay but unfortunately that will probably be our last visit unless this policy is reversed. If you are paying several hundred dollars a night to stay there, you don't expect to be staying in a kennel and exposing your family to ticks and Lyme.