Q TRAVEL – Within the framework of Dog Day, on July 21, Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén and Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort announced their conversion to pet friendly properties, and joined the group of Marriott hotels that already had this benefit in the country, such is the case of Aloft San Jose, AC Hotel San Jose Escazu, Residence Inn San Jose Escazu, the W Costa Rica and the JW Marriott in Guanacaste.
The love for pets drives the diversification of hotel businesses, oriented towards proposals in which complete families can enjoy, even if they have a pet.
Today dogs are considered one more member of the family nucleus, which encourages companies to look at solutions that respond to this reality. In addition to this, from the world health situation, two scenarios are generated, on the one hand, pets, as well as their owners, have needs for recreation and recreation after periods of restrictive mobility, and on the other, the most recent study of Booking.com indicates that in the search for accommodation the use of the filter “pet friendly” has more than doubled since the inception of travel restrictions and this trend will continue to increase services and amenities for furry travelers going forward.
From the tourist reactivation, the Petstaycation trend, which translates into sightseeing without leaving the country or city accompanied by your four-legged friend, takes on greater relevance.
According to data from Booking.com and Trekk Soft, more than 40% of travelers choose a destination based on whether they can bring their pet or not, and 49% would be willing to pay more to stay in accommodation that supports pets.
These factors, among others, strengthen the pet friendly offer in the travel and tourism industry, and more and more hotels are accepting dogs.
In this way, families with dogs have more options to vacation, either within or outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM).
“We are aware of the demand of travelers for spaces to share with their dogs and that is why we are pleased to announce that we are pet friendly,” said Dennis Whitelaw, manager of Costa Rica Marriott Hacienda Belén.
“Your pets are family, and no vacation would be complete without the whole family. But when it comes to caring for pets, not all hotels are created equally. At Marriott International, we love your pets and welcome them, just as we welcome you,” says the Marriott .com website.
Regarding amenities, each Marriott hotel brand has its own way of welcoming dogs.
For example, Costa Rica Marriott and Los Sueños Marriott do so with a bed, bowls, and room amenities for dogs, while the Aloft San Jose additionally offers bags for waste, sweets, and a toy, W Costa Rica awaits your dog with a personalized bed and gourmet sandwiches, and Residence Inn San Jose Escazu provides a tepee.
“We have seen an increase in the demand for services that involve pets, that is why at Aloft San Jose we not only welcome them, but we make them feel VIP with a kit from our Animals Are Fun program,” said Geovanny Umaña, manager of Aloft San Jose.
In addition to amenities, hotels join initiatives in favor of dogs, for example, through the volunteer program of Reserva Conchal Elegí Ayudar and Serve 360 of Marriott International, the W Costa Rica team joins for the protection of the animals, supporting the HalfWay Home Tamarindo dog shelter in different tasks so that the dogs are suitable for adoption, as well as in rescues, pets that have been abandoned and lost pets.
The best pet-friendly hotels in Costa Rica by Booking.com or visit the Booking.com home page here*.
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