When Philip and Cherie Crouch traveled, the couple wanted to take their chows with them, but it wasn’t easy to find a place to stay.

Today, Phil and Cherie are general manager and assistant general manager, respectively, of two hotels in Needles, CA, the Best Western Colorado River Inn and Rio del Sol Inn. They’ve made hos-PET-ality part of their daily business.

“We decided to make these pet-friendly hotels,” he says. “It’s a good thing for business. We probably do eight to 10 rooms per night for people who are traveling with pets.”

On a regular basis Crouch sees dogs, a few cats and fewer birds. Perhaps the most outrageous pet guest was a miniature pony named Patches. “He was house-trained and didn’t do any damage,” he says.

Crouch adds $15 to the room rate for guests with pets. “We do that because it takes an extra half-hour to 45 minutes to clean a room a pet’s been in,” he explains. “After a pet stays in a room everything gets washed. The carpet gets extra attention. We clean the bed skirts so we’re not passing hair on to the next guest. That’s one of our big focuses, cleanliness.

“When we originally started, we charged a $50 refundable deposit,” he recalls. “There just weren’t that many problems. Most people traveling with pets are cognizant about the damage their pets can do and are appreciative.”

Being pet-friendly makes sense to thousands of hotels. The “Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook” lists more than 13,000 AAA-approved pet-friendly properties in the U.S. and Canada. A pet friendly hotels website claims a list of 25,000 properties.

The directory is one way pet owners learn of friendly hotels. Other ways, according to hoteliers, are from websites or when calling for reservations. ““People will just keep calling hotels for reservations until they find one that takes pets,” says Cassie Scrima, area director of marketing at Marcus Hotels & Resorts, owner of 16 properties, including the luxury and pet-friendly Pfister Hotel in Milwaukee.

Pets Are Big Business
Pet lodging is big business, with the paws-ability of getting bigger. Americans own 78 million dogs and 86 million cats, reports the American Pet Products Association. Those pets are owned by more than half—63 percent—of U.S. households. And, nearly half of those consider their pets to be family members, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

“Our research shows nearly 30 million people travel every year with their pets, so obviously that’s a huge market that we don’t want to miss,” says Troy Rutman, director of external communications for Best Western. Best Western has more than 1,000 pet-friendly properties in North America and 1,900 globally.

“There’s a tremendous business case to be made,” says Steve Pinetti, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. All of Kimpton’s 51 boutique hotels welcome pets without adding fees to the room rate.

“People with pets are some of our most loyal guests,” he says. “I have hotels, like the Argonaut Hotel on Fisherman’s Wharf [in San Francisco], where we have 15 to 20 rooms with pets every night on a weekend, all year round.”

“More and more business travelers are traveling midweek with pets,” he says. For a guest who doesn’t mind driving or flying with a pet, staying pet-friendly can be cheaper, and more comforting, than leaving them in a kennel.

“Kimpton did it because, at the end of the day, from a business standpoint, it makes great sense,” Pinetti says.

Kelsey Bunker, co-owner of the Jupiter Hotel in Portland, OR agrees. "Being a pet-friendly hotel makes financial sense primarily from capturing a greater room share,” she says. “We’re offering an amenity that more guests are requesting. By allowing pets, making available pet packages and specific pet amenities, guests are choosing to stay at the Jupiter Hotel rather than at competing non-pet friendly hotels.”

The property logged 124 pet stays through May, putting it on track to beat 2010’s 252 pet stays. The Jupiter charges a flat $35 cleaning fee per stay, not per night.

The Pfister Hotel sees about three to five dogs each week. “I think people today are more connected to their family pets,” says Scrima. “People are looking to travel with their entire family. Once people find out you are pet friendly it creates a long-standing relationship with that guest.”

The Pfister charges $100 per stay. That covers deep cleaning the room. “We pay extra attention to the upholstery,” says Scrima. “The vacuum cleaner has a special attachment for hypoallergenic vacuuming pet hair and dander. We use pet-stain removal products.”

Recognizing and treating a pet well is part of guest service, says Lisa Mitchell, front desk manager at the Best Western Metrocenter Inn in Phoenix. “People are traveling with their pet because it’s a part of their family,” says Mitchell. Believe it or not, she says, “People can get real nasty if you disrespect their dog.”

On the flipside, people are particularly friendly when they receive a treat box for their dog. Mitchell’s property uses the Bio-Pro Research Travel Convenience Pack that includes a travel-size Urine Off Multi-Pet formula to treat accidents, Zorb-It-Up! Amazing Absorbent Sheets to absorb accidents, Poopy Pouches for picking up doggy deposits, possibly pet treats and an envelope for coupons and other offers.

Mitchell is effusive about the benefits of a treat box/bag/basket. “You must have it if you’re going to charge a pet fee. Guests feel like they’re getting something for it and there’s less resistance to the fee.” The Best Western Metrocenter Inn Phoenix charges $20 per day or $50 per week, per pet. They host between one and six dogs nearly every night.

Pampering Four-Legged Guests
Keeping pet owners happy has become more than a bed and a bowl.

“It’s important to really look at the needs of pet owners and how you can accommodate them, while at the same time providing exceptional service for travelers who aren’t bringing animals,” says Best Western’s Rutman. “That might include setting aside special rooms for pets and having a place onsite where they can go for walks, or providing maps and direction to the nearest parks. It really is important to remember that people do treat their pets as members of the family, so providing those little extras go a long way toward giving the entire party a great hospitality experience.”

Kimpton Hotels has, perhaps, the most interesting collection of pet services and amenities. For example, several hotels have dogs serving as “Director of Pet Relations.” Several properties offer an afternoon “Yappy Hour” to include pets.

During “Yappy Hour” at the Hotel Monaco in Portland, for example, a pet psychic does pet readings. Meanwhile, canine visitors to The Muse New York Hotel can join owners for side-by-side Hers and Furs Pet-icures.

Warm and fuzzy stuff aside, dog days can be messy. That’s where Bio-Pro Research's Pet Friendly program comes in. In addition to Urine Off cleaning solutions, the company offers an inside spot cleaning system and an outside convenience area system.

Cleaning is handled easily enough and true damage is uncommon to non-existent. “People who are staying at these type of hotels know not to bring a pet that would cause destruction We’ve never had any incidents or damage to the room,” say Scrima, who has first-hand experience traveling with her 80-pound shepherd mix and 40-pound border collie mix.

“I have two dogs. They’re my babies. Anywhere I can take them I’m pretty happy,” she says.