TravTalk India Online Magazine
Pet-friendly hotels take extra precautions to guarantee that the needs of pets and their owners are addressed without jeopardising the comfort of other hotel guests. Pet-friendly lodging enhances the brand’s value, occupancy levels, and competitive advantage, opening doors for an inclusive environment across hospitality units across India.
Ananya Kukreja
Pet-friendly hotels are the ultimate niche, with major players of the industry actively adopting inclusivity. Brands in India are emerging to provide pet getaways and accommodations designed specifically for one’s woofers.
The increasing number of pets is a crucial factor driving this segment’s growth. According to a survey conducted in 2021, 59 per cent of Indian families have pets, and this number is expected to rise as the epidemic continues. With current travel restrictions across geographies, the focus has turned to vacations in drivable and nearby locales, frequently as a getaway if not a long holiday, and in either case, people want their pets to accompany them.
While some brands are still working on pet features, others anticipated this need and made special accommodations for pet owners, including extra amenities for both guests and their pets. IHCL, Marriott, Hyatt, Tree of Life Resorts, and Ibis hotels are among the brands that give such features and develop guidelines.
People pet predilection
Pets are not only considered a part of the family, but they are an essential part of the family for many people, according to most pet-friendly property managers. In present era, everyone owns pets, including bachelors, as opposed to just millennials and a few couples in the past. People do not want to entrust their pets’ care to others, and they also want them to engage on their adventures. For one thing, they miss each other, and besides, no one wants to leave their family behind. It is clear that people have a unique attachment for their dogs, to the point where they will strive to ensure their comfort and company. The hospitality industry, hence, must go beyond to render the same.
Pet-friendly properties
The fundamental difference between pet-friendly hotels and traditional hotels is that extra precautions are made to ensure that the needs of pets and their owners are satisfied while not jeopardising the comfort of other hotel visitors. Pet accommodation inclusion also adds to the brand value, occupancy levels, and competitive advantage of many hoteliers, who understand that it takes a lot of time and care to ensure the comfort of everyone concerned. The brand/property prefers to include as much as possible for their splooting guests in order to ensure their comfort and experience, whether two or four legged.
IHCL is proud of its brand portfolio, SeleQtions, which includes pet accommodation as a part of all properties under it. SeleQtions hotels launched the ‘Paw cations’ package in October 2020, after recognising the growing demand for this segment of travel.
The Taj Gateway Resort Damdama Lake, is a great alternative for guests looking to relax with their four-legged friends. With a well-defined pet policy, the resort attempts to alleviate the difficulty of leaving a vital member of the family behind.
In a conversation with
Amit Kumar, General Manager at Courtyard by Marriott, Pune Chakan, it was understood that cleaning after pets and their rooms is a challenge, where the room must be deep cleaned so as to not cause successive guests any allergic reactions, if at all and also not apprise the room as previously used by a pet; this holds true for all pet-friendly properties. Another such challenge the property faced at the inception of its pet-friendly services is developing the mindset of all team members toward pet inclusivity and training them with the added policies and protocols. These challenges have been easily eradicated by following the SOPs, regulations, and policies put in place before the programme launch.
Pet accommodations, according to George Bennet Kuruvilla, General Manager at The Westin Pune, result in increased revenue and a competitive advantage, if not necessarily an increase in occupancy. Their inclusion of pet-friendly rooms has allowed them to collaborate with a variety of businesses and foundations across the city to engage with local pet owners.
The idea of making Tree of Life Resorts not just pet-friendly, but pet-loving came about when Himmat Anand, Founder of Tree of Life Resorts, frustratingly, came across hotels labelled “Pets Not Allowed ‘while travelling with his pet Labrador, Jugnu. The resorts are the first branded group to grab the area of pet accommodation seriously. Pets, according to Anand, are the most accommodating guests one can have; they seek nothing in return and are content with whatever is done for them.
Another recognised smart and economic hospitality brand that recently announced its new tail-wagging offering which is perfect for a pet parent’s getaway is Ibis India hotels.
Elena Dede, Co-Founder and CEO of Woof Together, elaborates on pet-friendly hospitality, saying, “Allowing pets or tolerating pets is not being pet-friendly.” She claims that pet-friendliness is comprised of four main pillars: pet policy, pet facilities, emergency readiness, and training employees. There are many other things that need to be addressed which cover each aspect of having a pet-friendly environment where a set of rules and regulations must always be pre-decided.
A Dog’s Story founded by Himmat Anand provides pets that getaway, where one’s dog is the focus and the time spent with them is the priority. These retreats are intimate, with only two to three rooms and a dedicated team to look after the pets. The properties have the most amazing open spaces and are pure heaven for pets staying in cities. Initially they allowed guests to stay with them only if the guests were travelling with pets. However, they have slowly opened to letting people who are pet lovers and do not have their own pet to also stay amidst the furry ones.
Way forward – A succeeding segment?
As goes the popular proverb, also quoted by Kuruvilla, “Necessity is the mother of invention”. Rightly said, the time is now for pet-friendly excellence and there is no return from accommodating and serving pets like their human counterparts. With no huge investments required, pet getaway properties really do pose to have a prominent future and a potential “need of the hour.” There is a debate on whether pet-friendly is the focused niche to follow, or must companies expand their horizons towards specially designed getaway accommodations for pets. While some see it as a growing niche that can give more money opportunities, others see it as a heartfelt pursuit that should only be pursued with true passion. Inclusivity and diversity are important criteria in today’s growth, and a holiday with a difference welcomes both, via one’s passion for animals.
