Are pet guests really a problem?
Guests having pets in accommodation complexes was an unacceptable practice up until a couple of decades ago when a few places began thumbing their noses at local government bylaws
and allowed furry and feathered family members to holiday with their owners.
Since then the number of accommodation providers allowing pets has grown dramatically to the extent that many travellers will not stay at a place that still have embargos on pet stays.
It was always “health issues” as an excuse and, frequently, it was the local council that copped the blame. Those health issues seem to have disappeared and now many accommodation complexes not only accept but welcome pets.
Australia is well behind other countries that have gone the whole hog in welcoming animal guests. Pet beauty salons, pet menus, pet concierges, pet dream beds… all part of many property’s animal friendly service.
Even those travellers that can’t travel with their own pets can now ‘borrow’ the hotel’s goldfish or walk the resort’s dog.
Chicago’s Burnham Hotel is one of 23 Kimpton Hotel properties participating in the chain’s Guppy Love program. New York City’s SoHo Grand Hotel likewise lets travellers choose whether to share their room with some of its “goldfish team members”.
W Hotels offer doggy yoga classes!
Catie Copley, a black labrador at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, is so popular with guests that they can sign up via e-mail (Catie has her own address) in advance of their stay to take her on walks around town. New York’s Algonquin has a resident cat, Matilda’s official mission, according to her Facebook page, is “to nap in every corner of the hotel’s historic lobby” to welcome guests!
Research has shown that simply petting a dog can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol and psychologists have long posited that the sight of fish swimming in a tank or bowl has a similarly calming effect. Accommodation managers have also discovered pets are great for business.
But how does allowing pets in a complex affect the housekeeping routine? Not a great deal to one Sunshine Coast provider that has welcomed pets for 15 years.
“We have found that pet owners do not allow their pets to mess up or play up in their own homes and do not permit it to happen while on holiday. In fact, they appear to be on their best behaviour.
“In all the time we have been allowing guests to have pets, we have been totally incident free. Not so much as a turd on the lawn. We haven’t had to speak to an owner about barking (the dog that is) and we have had everything from a dachshund to a doberman. Cats, parrots and even a python that we were just a little concerned about but there was no problem.”
“As far as housekeeping? Maybe a bit of dog hair to vacuum up but probably not as bad as the sand that kids bring in on the feet! Certainly if Tiddles had tiddled, it was all cleaned up before the housekeepers were on the scene.”
“As long as there is no impact on other guests and rooms are cleaned to a high standard, we don’t see there is a problem.”
“We have had a few human guests that were a lot worse than the pets!”
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