Traveling with pets can be an added layer of stress for any vacation plan. And with the recent surge of pet adoptions throughout the Covid pandemic, demand for traveling with pets continues to rise. In fact, a recent survey revealed that 70% of Americans plan to travel this summer, and more than two-thirds of American pet owners cite mental health benefits like tension relief and a certain sense of security as key reasons to bring their pets along when they travel.
To that end, several lifestyle hospitality brands under the Hilton Hotels umbrella are strengthening their partnership with Mars Petcare, and are now offering their guests access to virtual support during their stay through Mars PET On-Demand. The convenient online service answers questions related to traveling one’s cat or dog — at more than 4,600 hotels in Hilton’s portfolio across the U.S. and Canada.
The new information amenity applies to Hilton’s seven pet-friendly brands – Canopy by Hilton, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton and Home2 Suites by Hilton.
Traveling with Pets: Be Prepared
Mars PET On-Demand: Nearly 1 in 5 pet parents are worried about their pet’s health and behavior when traveling, and Mars Petcare’s latest offering can provide some peace of mind for those travelers when they’re away from home. Guests and their pets staying at Hilton’s pet-friendly brands in the U.S. and Canada will now have access to convenient pet health, wellness and behavioral support resources to answer questions related to traveling with your cat or dog. The Mars PET On-Demand service content includes advice from animal behavior specialists and trusted veterinary health experts.
Banfield Pet Hospital: Hilton guests can also take advantage of a special offer from Banfield Pet Hospital, the leading provider of preventive veterinary care with more than 1,000 general veterinary hospitals in the U.S. and Mexico, with a waived enrollment fee for new customer enrollments. For information, guests can ask for access to the Mars Petcare online service upon check-in.
“With 23 million families adding pets to their homes over the last two years, this summer will be the first time many of these pets hit the road with their pet parents,” said Jessa Paschke, Pet Behavior Consultant, Mars Pet Expert Team. “Through Mars PET On-Demand, we hope to be able to provide pet parents peace of mind through on-demand articles and one-on-one advice to make the whole travel experience, from packing to settling in at the hotel, as seamless as possible so everyone can enjoy their time away together.”
Confirming burgeoning trends around traveling with pets, Wag!, an app connecting pet owners with location-based pet care services, has partnered with Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants to offer a bevy of pet-friendly benefits on-site, marking a strong new amenity for the major hotel brand. Wag! polled 1,002 respondents and found that 70% of frequent travelers almost always seek out pet-friendly hotels, and 94% would trade away at least one common amenity – like a hotel bar – in exchange for more pet-friendly policies. The majority of respondents would even trade away concierge services and gym access.
Other Factors when Traveling with Pets:
* Putting pet needs ahead of your own: 26% of pet parents rank “pet friendly” as the top hotel attribute, ahead of service, convenience, comfort, and even affordability.
* The struggle is real: 84% have encountered at least one issue with overnight accommodations when traveling with their dog or cat.
* Transportation proves troublesome: 56% of frequent travelers have experienced confusion or other issues with the location of their dog on a plane.
* Because they’re worth it: 36% would pay over $100 per night extra for pet-friendly hotel accommodations.
* Removing the hurdles would make a world of difference: If they had no obstacles in doing so, 59% would bring their pets when traveling all or most of the time.
“Wag!’s survey findings reinforce what we continue to hear from our guests – that meaningful pet offerings and amenities are more important than ever for pet parents,” said Kathleen Reidenbach, Chief Commercial Officer at Kimpton. “At Kimpton, we are proud of our best-in-class pet amenities, which now include on-property and at-home walks and drop-ins through our partnership with Wag!”
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