Hotel & Motel Management - May 19, 2008 - (Page 20)

20 Guest Column IN THE details Pet-friendly hotels popular Create pet policy Extra cleaning required Higher revenue possible H&MM May 19, 2008 | HotelMotel.com www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition Should you let your hotel go to the dogs? n our society, pets are becoming less like “animals” and more like furry members of the family. According to the 2007 U.S. Pet Ownership & Demographics Sourcebook, 49.7 percent of pet owners consider their pets family members. Given our love of pets, it might seem advantageous for hotel owners to implement pol- I By Jaclyn McNally H&MM Guest Columnist icies allowing pets to stay at hotels. Loews Hotels has been a leader in this area and considers itself one of the most pet-friendly hotels around. But, before deciding to permit pets at a hotel, here are some considerations a hotel owner should take into account. Permitting pets can expose the hotel owner to lawsuits. A hotel owner could be exposed to liability in a number of ways (e.g., a dog bites a person or a guest stays in a room that previously lodged a cat and that guest suffers an allergic reaction). Although it is not guaranteed to prevent lawsuits, one way to limit legal exposure is to create a well-written pet policy. According to Diana S. Barber’s article, Is a Pet Policy Enough? Best Stop using your vacuum cleaner as CHANGES YOUR VACUUM FROM A BATTERING RAM a battering ram that dents furniture, scratches baseboards, bangs up doors and walls. And leads to bruising repair bills. Instead, tame the beast with a Soft Vac Protective Vacuum Cover. • Ends vacuum damage forever • Installs in seconds with Velcro tabs • Soft, durable cordoura fabric outside • High-density foam rubber inside • Eliminates costly repair bills • Extends vacuum cleaner life • Increases housekeeping productivity • There’s a Soft Vac model to fit any vacuum To learn more, contact your distributor, or call us at or visit INTO A GENTLE LAMB softvac.com. 800-866-7001, Practices for Inviting Pets into Your Hotel and Avoiding Litigation (Hotel Online, December 2004), the pet policy should be communicated to all employees and should include things like the type and size of the pet allowed at the hotel. Further, a hotel owner should contact his or her insurance providers to determine if there is additional coverage that can be obtained to afford further protection against pet-related liability. Allowing pets will increase expenses. Each room will have to be properly sanitized after a pet’s stay, which may require a hotel owner to purchase supplemental cleaning products that are formulated speciﬁcally to eliminate pet odors, stains or allergy-causing organisms. In addition, the carpet and furniture in pet rooms might have to be replaced more quickly than in a non-pet room. Also, insurance premiums likely will increase. Allowing pets could increase revenue. According to the Travel Industry Association of America, nearly 8.5 million travelers stay with their pets at hotels, so a hotel that permits pets may enjoy higher occupancy, thereby increasing revenue. Revenue also can be increased through the levy of a pet fee, which can be a universal amount for all pets or can be based on factors such as the pet’s type or size. Clearly, there is no universal answer to the question of allowing pets. A hotel owner must consider all of the factors and decide what is best for an individual hotel’s business plan and model. Although dogs are widely considered “man’s best friend,” that same dog also could be a hotel owner’s worst nightmare if the hotel is not properly suited or prepared. Just because Lassie goes to Loews does not mean that she should be welcome at every hotel. Timmy will just have to understand. hmm@questex.com Jaclyn McNally is an associate at Perkins Coie where she focuses her practice on real estate transactions and development, specializing in the acquisition, disposition, development and ﬁnancing of hotel properties. CIRCLE NO. 131 © 2006 SOFT VAC CORPORATION http://HotelMotel.com http://www.HotelMotel.com/digital_edition http://softvac.com http://softvac.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - May 19, 2008

Hotel & Motel Management - May 12, 2008 Contents Hotelier of the Year Leads Team to Victory Sheraton Builds on International Success Slower, Smaller Transactions in First Quarter Perspective Legal FAQ What Women Want Sales Clinic AAHOA Update Franchise Law Family Business Travel Trends Guest Column HotelWorld Update Trends & Stats Cleaning and Maintenance H&MM's 2008 Franchising Fees Guide FACs Evolve to Meet Brand, Owner Needs The Importance of Branding When Buying Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Classifieds Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - May 19, 2008

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