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A couple checks in at a My Place hotel .
“ The decision to allow dogs was not made as a revenuegenerating vehicle ,” said Binder . “ The pet fees assessed cover additional and necessary cleaning in preparation for the next guest .”
Each of the executives stressed there are no fees for service animals , which under the Americans with Disabilities Act , is a dog or — under a separate provision — a miniature horse ; none provided comments
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Bedtime at a Royal Sonesta .
regarding accommodating so-called emotional-support animals , which can be of any species , but are not protected under the ADA as an animal serving guests with disabilities . ( Some state or local governments have laws that allow people to take ESAs into public places .)
Meanwhile , there are petfriendly hotel brands that do not charge any fees at all , such as Motel 6 , Red Roof Inn and
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Kimpton Hotels , although so-called influencers on social media cite a swath of brands that are fee-free , when in actuality , they are not .
Ace Hotels just announced a new pet-friendly policy at its two New York hotels . When guests book a dog-friendly room and brings their dog ( under 25 pounds ), “ The pet fee [ is ] on us ,” Ace Hotels said . Each room comes with a wide range of dogfriendly goodies such as a dog bed , bowl and a placemat .
Most brands suggest pet parents contact the specific property to confirm the policy in place .
CANINE CHALLENGES Obstacles to having a pet policy in place typically involve situations that are controllable by the pet owner , according to most . “ Inevitably , you get a pet who damages something in the room or who is noisy ,” said Hattingh . Thomas added , “ These [ include ] not cleaning up waste , leaving the pet alone in the guestroom and barking or noise that causes disruption to other guests .”
“ There is always a risk of dogs barking , especially when they are left in the room by themselves ,” agreed Binder . “ We also find that many of our guests want to bring their dogs by the pool , which is not one of our pet-friendly areas for the obvious sanitary reasons , but also for the risk of heat-related illnesses for the dog .”
Still , said Thomas , “ Establishing a brand-wide standard permitting pets creates
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loyalty among pet travelers . Some properties report that up to 30 % of guests travel with at least one pet . Knowing that all My Place Hotels welcome cats and dogs will encourage guests to return .”
AMENITIES AND BEYOND Online data-cruncher Finmasters estimated Americans spent some $ 136.8 billion on pets in 2022 across a variety of expenses , with that number punched up by the American Pet Products Association to $ 147 billion in 2023 , with expectations that number will rise to an estimated $ 150.6 billion this year . It ’ s no surprise , then , that hoteliers would want to appeal to pet parents with a host of amenities at their properties , not only to make the stay experience a good one , but , perhaps , to encourage some “ souvenir ” buying of
Chow time at a My Place hotel .
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September 2024 hotelsmag . com 29 |