Level up your establishment by going above and beyond for your customer’s furry friends
Pet-friendly is a topic that is gaining popularity, but what does it mean? At the end of the day, it’s a place or establishment suitable for pets, where they can attend and stay the same as you. This term applies to restaurants that welcome pets to their outdoor seating areas or hotels that allow pets to stay on the property and in the room with you. Unfortunately, pet-friendly is a relatively ambiguous phrase. It can adopt a different meaning depending on who is using it. So, while a hotel might say it’s pet-friendly, it might have many restrictions while a different hotel chain has fewer or none.
The difference between being pet-friendly and pet-perfect lies in the priority of pets and their owners. Being pet-perfect means designing an establishment in such a way that it puts as much priority and emphasis on amenities and features for pets as it does for people. This could mean additional safety features, but also activities, treats, and even isolation for when pets need some alone time.
Being pet-perfect is extremely important in today’s society because as we know, pet parents are traveling with their pets now more than ever. Having a pet-perfect brewery, restaurant, vacation rental, store, etc. helps to entice pet owners to frequent your establishment. Think of it this way, if a pet parent is on vacation with their dog in tow and wants to grab dinner, they’re more likely to go to the restaurant that not only allows dogs, but has clean water, treats, and pet-friendly staff to welcome their pet.
At the end of the day, being pet-perfect can help to increase bookings and reservations, create consumer loyalty, and have the potential to boost positive reviews and organic exposure on social media.
As a short-term rental owner, here are some key differences between the two approaches:
As we know, pet parents love to travel and oftentimes they’re bringing their pets with them. Being pet-perfect can only help attract this growing market of consumers, and it often starts with how hotels and short-term rentals show up for pets and their owners.
From the moment that a consumer books with a hotel, they should know that they and their pets are going to receive top treatment.
The short-term rental market is teeming with opportunity for growth in the pet space. From understanding why you should engage the pet market to how to create the best pet policy, we have everything you need to know on how to host pets in your vacation rentals.
It’s a real treat when we’re able to bring our pets out shopping with us and retail spaces that go the extra mile put themselves in a prime position for pet owners to return to. Some of the ways that retail spaces can go beyond pet-friendly are:
We’re already seeing more and more hospitality spaces welcoming pets, but how can we level up these meccas for connection to better include pets?
As long as pets aren’t back in the kitchen, having them in restaurants poses a low-risk for unhealthy contact. While not every restaurant makes a good candidate for welcoming pets, for those that do, being pet-perfect can come naturally.
But, it’s important for pet owners to do their part as well. According to Dr. Erica Irish, “a dog can be outwardly "healthy" but still carry zoonotic parasites like hookworms, and dogs on raw diets can make people sick when they lick people or objects. Studies from the University of Liverpool explain which pathogenic bacteria we should be concerned about when pets eat raw diets.”
This means that pet owners should not only make sure their dog is up to date on parasite preventatives, like Heartguard, they should also consider the risks associated with a raw food diet for their dog. Allergies to dogs may also be a consideration, which means that pet owners should groom their dogs prior to visiting any public place.
Anecdotally, we’ve seen dog owners choose gathering spaces like breweries or bars that are pet-friendly over those that aren’t. They can take a page or two out of a restaurant’s book with their pet amenities, but they can also consider adding other things like:
While pets aren’t always the best guests at sporting events, having special nights during the season where people’s pets can come and enjoy the sights is a great opportunity. The Charlotte Knights, a minor league baseball team in Charlotte, NC, welcome pets to several games throughout the season at Bark in the Ballpark and the pictures speak for themselves on how happy everyone is to be there.
You can check their website, social media, and internet reviews, but the quickest way to find out is to call the restaurant directly to ask.
Different hotel chains have different meanings for this term, but in general, it means they allow pets. Stipulations can include size, breed, and number of pets, which you can find out more about by calling or researching on their website.
Pet-friendly, at its most basic definition, means welcoming pets to an establishment. However, this can come with restrictions, and it usually does.
Lots of things can help a business be pet-perfect, but it starts with centering people’s pets in the same way to center them as customers. Be sure your business is pet-safe, so no dangerous plants and offer them water, treats, etc. Pet-perfect is a moving target, but making an effort to think of amenities you can offer for pets is a start.
