Improving travel experience for hotel guests: Policy recommendations for pet-friendly hotels

Abstract

Pet-friendly tourism is a modern trend that has recently attracted a lot of attention. This paper offers a broad-perspective view related to the desire of people to travel with their pets and the implications for hotels where pet owners co-exist with other tourists who may not be equally fond of pets. Quantitative and qualitative studies are used for combining the views of hotels with those of tourists, to identify solutions that can improve the experience for guests both with and without pets. Results from studies are compared with recent literature findings, with emphasis on reasons and motives of tourists and hotels and the resulting policy implications. Evidence suggests that a three-fold dynamic interaction exists between hotels, guests with pets, and guests without pets, and the hotels must consider certain identified important factors and apply specific policies to successfully manage this challenging interaction.