People always consider pets from the staid side as they can give true positive emotions and allow them to forget or switch from stress and related issues. However, using cats or dogs as a beneficial element in services bears numerous questions as huge people flow in the cafe or hotel transforms a moment of kindness and emotional contact from personal to not so pleasant general. Nevertheless, the current trends show that pets can be used for the creation of a homey atmosphere in public place and increase return rates and profit. Pet therapy, sometime also referred to as animal-assisted therapy, helps improve people mental, physical, social and emotional functioning with the aid of animals like dogs ,cats, guinea pigs, and rabbits, also they get a chance to be close with nature. Hence we could attract more tourist to the hotels and hotels become a place not only to get entertained but also a place to feel like home. Hotel Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is among the representatives of this new approach towards client’s comfort, which use pets to facilitate profits, which is becoming a new trend in services.
The Thriving Demand of Pet-friendly Hotels
Using pets helps in promoting business and has undeniable benefits. Thus, it is clear that cats, dogs or other animals create a more homely atmosphere in the public place and help clients to relax (Krashinsky, 2017) more over it is a marketing tool for the hotels to compete in this drastically changing industry. People spend billions on their pets each year, as travelers look for accommodations, they’re increasingly seeking out pet-friendly hotels. Simply offering pet-friendly stays can convince a traveler to book a room at a property, but many hotels are going the extra mile to make sure their furriest travelers are comfortable. Pet-friendly amenities offered at hotels include food dishes, water bowls, outdoor play areas, and dog runs. As every pet can be in tight contact with the customer, they are regularly washed and checked to meet sanitary norms, which allows visitors not to worry during contact. If someone cannot keep a favorite animal at home due to family members that are strictly against or cannot take it into the trip, services with pets look even more attractive for leisure. The immense popularity of specific animals in the social media confirms stable attitude of people to them and builds long-lasting relations, which is a definite element of the growing trend. Most of the pet friendly hotels create a special area only for pets and make sure other customers not offended with the pet activities.
However, using pets in public places and services also has drawbacks. Keeping animals clean is not cheap, but owners of such an option believe it matters (Krashinsky, 2017). At the same time, animals in status hotels should be well taught, what only increases needed maintenance. Other guests may be allergic or be turned off by the nearness of having pet friendly rooms. Potential damage to rooms/property. Extra cleaning needed for rooms and property. Potential liability biting, issues with other dogs, barking, fleas. Pet odors. Also, such a way of promoting business requires carefulness as every adverse case concerning pets can cast a shadow over the whole business. Another drawback relates to people that do not like pets at all; in this case, the hotel with suchlike reputation loses potential clients, what means that this trend cannot be used as the universal approach towards better revenues or success in general.
But creating a pet friendly atmosphere near beach side resort and hotels, hill station hotels, village resorts will give a financial boom to the owners. Because these hotels has acres of land to create a special area only for pets rather than a hotel in town. In millennium world travelling has become popular with family or alone. People only has a pet as their companion will like to travel only with their pets. A place can provide everything to client and the companion, a client will not think about money.
Future implications
The current trend of using pets in public places including hotels for better customer loyalty and return rates is on the developing stage. Thus, six more hotels in the Fairmont chain plan to use this positive effect of keeping cats and dogs in their apartments during the previous year (Krashinsky, 2017). Even though there are many obstacles in keeping pets in public places, owners could define this marketing step rather perspective for popularity growth. At the same time, when the trend will affect a wider audience, the appearance of hotels or other public places with a limited budget can hurt the idea. Thus, the lack of appropriate training for pets or non-compliance with rules of hygiene and cleaning will adversely affect the general attitude to the whole trend with pets.
References
Krashinsky, S. (2017, June 05). At luxury hotels, pets provide soothing experience – and a marketing opportunity. The globe and mail. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/marketing/at-luxury-hotels-pets-provide-soothing-experience-and-a-marketing-opportunity/article28383488/