Hotel professionals are always looking to tap into unserved or undeserved niche markets. By exploiting the openings of these markets, guest services can be added that are special and unique.

In the past few years hotels have initiated programs actively courting guests with pets. Pet stays- once limited to hotels in France, where pets are viewed with the same reverence as children - are now being embraced by several market-savvy hoteliers in the US.

Travel Industry Association of America recently reported that of the 62 million dog owners in the U.S., 29 million regularly hit the road with their pets. Joel Ehrenzweig, Director of The Write House, reports "that once you realize travelers with pets are a huge market and one that is virtually untapped at the luxury level, the opportunities for hotels and resorts seeking increased profitability are boundless. Pet-related profit centers exist for virtually every hotel."

An American Express Leisure Travel survey (Oct., 2003) reported that 13% of respondents described an ideal vacation as one that is "pet-friendly." The primary reasons guests give for wanting to bring pets along is to enhance their trip and feeling guilty leaving pets behind in a kennel.

To answer this need, Starwood Hotels & Resorts introduced an LTD (Love That Dog) program in its Westin, Sheraton and W brands. This program was developed after they commissioned a study looking at the habits of dog owners. They found that 76% of respondents said they would be more loyal to a hotel chain that accepted dogs, even when they weren't traveling with their pets. Eighty-two per cent said they did not believe that most upscale hotels allowed dogs, and 48% said that if they did, they did it reluctantly.

Newsweek reported (Jan. 17, 2005) that two thirds of Americans take their pets along on their vacation. Newsweek reported (Jan. 17, 2005) that two-thirds of Americans take their pets along on their vacations.

Some pet-friendly hotels are taking things further than providing necessities like food and water bowls. Pet pampering services now include massages, pedicures, personal diets, birthday cakes and pet room-service menus. The Golden Door Spa in Telluride, CO offers almost as many treatments for pets as it does for their owners.

"By offering pet amenities for guests, a property's image is enhanced because it recognizes the guest's close personal ties to his/her pet," states Ehrenzweig. "When we develop a pet-acceptance program for a hotel, it is critical that staff remember that pet owners view their pets as part of the family. Perceived as family members, guests expect that their pets deserve, and are entitled to, the same benefits, attention and care afforded other family members. The costs of these services are rarely a factor in a guest's decision to bring a pet along. Often the more a hotel charges for its pet-related services, the 'better' the quality those services are perceived."

With increasing domestic travel and airlines easing restrictions for flying with pets, guests will want their pets to be part of their vacation or business trip. Hotels will find that well-groomed guests will bring along equally well-groomed, well behaved pets. In addressing concerns over noise, odor and waste, The Write House offers solutions utilizing new echnologies that negate or eliminate these issues.

For hotels and resorts interested in exploring the development of a pet-friendly program, The Write House offers consultancy services ranging from practicality surveys to developing on-site state-of-the-art boarding, grooming and facilities. Ehrenzweig's background blends destination resort PR and marketing with twenty years of animal hospital and boarding kennel construction and management experience.

The psychological benefits of pets go beyond just companionship; they are immediate providers of joy, comfort and love. Volumes of scientific evidence back up the common sense knowledge that pets are extremely helpful in reducing people's stress and increasing well being; they offer a level of familiarity and comfort far beyond what even the most inviting hotel room can provide.

The systematic study of the health benefits of pets began in the 1960s when child psychologist Boris Levinson discovered the therapeutic value of animals quite accidentally. He inadvertently left his Labrador retriever alone in his office with one of his clients, an emotionally withdrawn, troubled young boy. When he returned, Levinson found the boy cuddling and enthusiastically playing with the dog.

Levinson believed the primary value of pets is their unique capacity to offer unconditional and nonjudgmental affection, leading to feelings of safety and trust- the hallmark of a quality hotel stay. Hotels willing to tap into this emotional reservoir will find that guests willingly transfer these feelings from the pet to the hotel. It is your hotel that is validating the pet-owner relationship by allowing the pet to stay. Even before checking in, guests will benefit from peace of mind, knowing that you provide supervised care for their pets.

By combining an understanding of human psychology and their guests' needs, hotels instituting pet-friendly policies become resources for reinforcement of their guests' personal values. An exercise facility for pets may be a necessity for the hotel, but it becomes an even more significant benefit for guests. And isn't guest satisfaction the name of the game?

Not hosting guests with pets has been costing hotels big money. Contacting The Write House to develop a pet-friendly policy and profit center is the first step in plugging this revenue drain.


Contact:
Ellen & Joel Ehrenzweig
The Write House
Martha's Vineyard, MA 02535-2618
writehouse@capecod.net