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Petra Wallner/Glow Images; Carlos S Pereyra/Superstock; Ken Gillespie/SuperStock
The New HosPETality
Upscale chains such as Loews Hotels, Westin Hotels, and Kimpton
Hotels have made their pet policy a strategic part of their brands, treat-
ing pets to upscale extras. Westin Heavenly Dog Beds and pet wel-
come kits redefine creature comforts. Kimpton’s directors of pet
relations happen to be of the canine persuasion. Loews delivers drool-
worthy dishes prepared by an award-winning chef and delivered to the
room. It all makes for good press. But the day-to-day reality of being
pet-friendly is not without its challenges.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” admits Mark Waltrip, chief operating
officer of
Westgate Resorts,one of a growing number of timeshare
resort developers that allow owners and guests to bring pets. The
Orlando, Florida–based company welcomes well-behaved cats and
dogs at its 25 resorts in nine states. “It’s something that the guest com-
munity has asked for, and we’ve implemented it fairly successfully,”
Waltrip says. “But, there are always challenges.”
Ironically, most problems stem from pet owners who don’t follow
the rules — leaving dogs unattended to bark ornnn scratch at the room
door, neglecting to clean up after their animals in designated areas, or
insisting their pocketbook-sized Chihuahua is a service dog, due spe-
cial access and privileges by law. More than once, the Westgate staff
has had to request that a guest abide by its rules or check out.
“We love dogs, but we also know that our responsibility is to pro-
vide an enjoyable environment for all of our guests,” Waltrip says.
“When you have a small percentage of your guests who bring pets who
are unruly, it creates massive problems across the resort.”
Like Waltrip, Robert Schmiak, hotel director of
Alpenland Sporthotel – St. Johann-im-Pongau,near Salzburg, Austria, has also
seen it all. Once, a dog left alone in a locked room figured out how to
nnopen the door and was discovered roaming the halls of the hotel in
search of his family. n
“Stuff happens,” Schmiak says. His laid-back attitude may be
partly attributed to the smaller size of his property — 140 units. When
something goes awry, he doesn’t mind handling it nhimself.
Cosmopolitan Cats and Canines
Then again, Europe has traditionally been much more relaxed about
accepting pets in mainstream life. When Kimpton boutique hotels
welcome four-legged guests to evening wine receptions in 27
American cities, it’s still buzzworthy. In Europe, dogs have been riding