Article

Traveling with pets: designing hospitality services for pet owners/parents and hotel guests

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Abstract

Purpose Pet-friendly hotels are growing rapidly. The prevalence of pet adoption has largely resulted from the loneliness due to social distancing that happened during the Coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Many hotels around the world aim to become pet-friendly to satisfy the growing demand. Hoteliers believe that the popularity of pet-friendly hotels will continue, as pet owners often treat pets as their kids. This study aims to investigate how pet-friendly hotels need to design and manage pet-friendly services and policies. Design/methodology/approach Using grounded theory methodology, this research conducts interviews with 25 pet-friendly hotel managers from Hong Kong (HK). The study includes hotels from different hotel categories and classifications. It examines the conceptualization of pet-friendly service design, drawing on a service blueprint. Findings Building on the service marketing and service blueprint literature, this research provides a synthesis that reflects how pet-friendly hotels can serve both guests with and without pets. The findings reveal that pet-owner’s service expectations are formed on anthropomorphism, that is, an inclination of attributing human features to nonhuman entity. Hotel managers, and particular those who have pets personally understand better how pet-friendly service can be adapted to meet the expectations and requirements of pet owners while accommodating guests without pets. The market of pet-friendly hospitality is growing, with high profit potential from pet owners who are willing to spend generously. Research limitations/implications Data were collected from selected pet-friendly hotels in HK through interviews with pet-friendly service providers. The research is qualitative and exploratory in nature. It aims to explore and examine the multilevel pet-friendly hospitality service design from a managerial perspective. This research enriches the literature on anthropomorphism theory, the design of pet-friendly services and the application of service blueprint. Practical implications The research offers explicit suggestions for the design of pet-friendly hospitality services. A pet-friendly hotel service blueprint is developed. This can help managers to develop essential pet-friendly policies and service collaborations between internal departments and with external specialist organizations, maximizing the value for all stakeholders. Originality/value The study explores a rapidly emerging market and scrutinizes its specific design requirements. It extends theoretical insights by enriching the anthropomorphism theory and broadening the conceptualizations of service blueprint based on anthropomorphism theory.

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... In response to the promising market potential of pet owners, petfriendly services have received considerable attention from both researchers and industry practitioners across various sectors including hotels (Buhalis and Chan, 2023), travel (Alves et al., 2022), and workplace (Wilkin et al., 2016). However, the food service sector remains relatively understudied in this regard, despite the increasing demand for dog owners to visit restaurants with their pets. ...
... Upon conducting an extensive review of existing literature on pet-friendly establishments and consumer behavior, a notable research gap becomes apparent: the absence of investigations into the perceived value, specifically from the perspective of pet owners. While previous studies have explored factors such as anthropomorphism (Buhalis and Chan, 2023), and the quality of service (Alves et al., 2022), the values that pet owners attach to their dining experiences in these establishments have not been thoroughly examined. Hence, understanding the perceived value of pet owners is crucial for gaining insights into their intentions to patronize businesses, thereby filling this significant gap in the current body of knowledge. ...
... Over the past few years, there has been an increasing number of commercial and non-commercial establishments that allow pets, driven by the increasing demand from consumers seeking pet-friendly environments. A pet-friendly business is defined as one that provides commercial services not only to humans but also to pets, primarily dogs (Buhalis and Chan, 2023). Due to the surge in pet adoptions within families during the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in demand within the hospitality industry for establishments that can accommodate families traveling with their pets. ...
Article
The number of dog owners increased due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the foodservice industry, a noticeable gap exists related to the perceived value that consumers derive from visiting pet-friendly restaurants with their dogs. Therefore, this study aims to fill this gap using a scale development approach. Additionally, it seeks to identify the factors influencing consumers’ perceived value, purchase intentions, and willingness to pay a premium price for pet-friendly food services. This study identified eight dimensions of dog owners’ perceived value and confirmed the relationships between social norms and self-efficacy on dog owners’ perceived value. It also examined how perceived value influenced dog owners’ future behavioral intentions and willingness to pay a premium price. The findings of this study extend the understanding of consumers’ perceived value of pet-friendly food services and provide valuable suggestions for practitioners in the food service industry.
... This highlights the importance of embedding ICH in service delivery, such as staff interactions, guided experiences, and culturally informed hospitality practices. Buhalis et al. (2023) emphasize that culturally enriched service adds depth to the guest experience by fostering a personalized connection to the local environment. Hotels that train staff to incorporate local customs and traditions into their service repertoire are more likely to meet and exceed guest expectations. ...
... The strong relationship between the overall extent of ICH and satisfaction highlights the importance of maintaining a unified cultural vision throughout the themed hotel. As supported by Buhalis et al. (2023), achieving high guest satisfaction requires harmonizing all aspects of the guest experience under a culturally rich and engaging framework. ...
... Pet-accompanying tourism (pet tourism hereafter) is a growing trend where people travel with their pets or visit destinations to take care of pets (Tomassini, 2022). It allows pet owners to explore new places and create memorable experiences with their beloved companions (Buhalis & Chan, 2023;Joo et al., 2023). Several destinations worldwide are known for their pet-friendly environments and attractions, including Portland, Washington D.C., California, Las Vegas and Florida (Ying et al., 2021). ...
... To keep abreast of industrial trends, academic efforts to describe pet tourists' underlying psychological fundamentals have been made. Research streams have included the constraints of pet tourism (Thal & Hudson, 2019;Ying et al., 2021), motivation (Hidalgo-Fernández et al., 2023), emotion and benefits (Huang et al., 2022;Kanat-Maymon et al., 2021), attachment to pets through human-pet interactions (Wei et al., 2023;Wu & Chang, 2023), satisfaction with and loyalty to pet tourism (Wu & Chang, 2023), pet owners' responsibilities (Gurtner & Parison, 2021), co-creation of memorable travel experiences (Campos et al., 2017), challenges and opportunities for pet tourism (de Carvalho et al., 2017;Tomassini, 2022;Ying et al., 2021), and services to cater to the needs of pet travellers (Buhalis & Chan, 2023;Rubin, 2003). ...
... Adventure and culture combined packages: The regression results reveal a significant inclination towards new experiences and cultural enrichment among dog owners who also enjoy dog sports. Tourism packages (Buhalis and Chan, 2023) could be developed that offer a blend of adventure and cultural experiences. For instance, a weekend getaway could include dog agility courses set against the backdrop of historical sites or cultural festivals, al lowing dog owners to engage in physical activities with their pets while absorbing the local culture. ...
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This article investigates the leisure and travel behavior of Hungarian dog owners, focusing on their preferences for destinations and activities that accommodate their canine companions. The study utilizes a comprehensive methodological approach, including a quota sample of Hungarian dog owners, an online selfreported questionnaire, and advanced statistical analyses such as robust factor analysis with Robust Diagonally Weighted Least Square (RDWLS) extraction and clustering of factor scores, to explore the dynamics of pet inclusive tourism. Results reveal distinct clusters of dog owners with varying leisure preferences and demonstrate significant associations between these preferences and destination choices, underscoring the importance of dogfriendly accommodations and activities. The findings highlight a shift towards personalized tourism experiences catering to dog owners, suggesting that destinations should adopt inclusive practices to attract this demographic. This research contributes to the understanding of petinclusive tourism, offering practical implications for destination marketers and service providers worldwide to better accommodate traveling dog owners.
... Clientes com pets, geralmente atuam pelo antropomorfismo, isto é, tendência de atribuir características humanas a seres ou objetos não humanos(Machado et al, 2017). Isto implica em demandas de pet-friendly que incluem serviços de bem-estar para o cliente e seu pet, implicando no desafio para hóteis de incluir tais serviços ao mesmo tempo que acomoda clientes sem pets(Buhalis, & Chan, 2023). ...
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O mundo contemporâneo tem valorizado cada vez mais o bem-estar, a saúde física e mental e como determinadas experiências podem contribuir para isso. Nesse sentido, as redes hoteleiras têm investido na experiência pet friendly para compor um diferencial competitivo diante de novos perfis de clientes, que valorizam o acolhimento e a personalização do atendimento. Apesar deste ser um mercado em expansão, a hospitalidade como diferencial competitivo pelo pet friendly deve estar conectada a proporcionar ao cliente experiências que superem as suas expectativas. É nesse sentido que a presente pesquisa tem como objetivo analisar se as redes hoteleiras adeptas do pet friendly atuam, neste segmento de serviços, pelos princípios da hospitalidade. Trata-se de uma pesquisa descritiva, qualitativa, realizada pela revisão da literatura. O aporte teórico foi desenvolvido a partir de Guidara (2023), além de serem consultados estudos publicados nos repositórios digitais Scientific Eletronic Library Online – Scielo, Google Scholar e PubVet que trazem a perspectiva da hospitalidade pet-friendly e seus impactos no setor hoteleiro. Com a pesquisa foi possível compreender que o conceito da hospitalidade irracional está relacionado a transcender o atendimento ao cliente de forma tradicional, proporcionando mais do que esperado. Considera-se que para o ramo hoteleiro, a hospitalidade pet-friendly seguindo a abordagem teórica de Guidara (2023) se reverte em diferencial competitivo, gerando sensação de pertencimento por meio de experiências memoráveis. Entretanto, notou-se que as grandes redes hoteleiras ao ofertarem a experiência pet friendly não se atentam aos princípios da hospitalidade, perdendo a oportunidade de fidelização do cliente e vantagem competitiva.
... The need for services accommodating pets has experienced a substantial increase since the onset of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic [35]. Pet travel services is a continuously growing global market, for which an annual compound growth between 2024 and 2030 is estimated at 9.69% [36]. ...
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Pets, generally, and dogs have become an essential part of families. This situation implies that people consider their dogs when planning family holidays, excluding moving to a second home. This study aims to investigate the perceptions of dog owners according to the demand for tourist establishments where they can stay with their pets. A total of 1391 dog owners’ surveys were collected and analyzed, and various covariance-based structural equation modelling (CB-SEM) was developed to determine the suitability of the measurement model, the second-order factors, and the relationships between the different constructs. The main results of this research show that the motivations for traveling with the dog, the limitations this encounters, and, above all, the attachment that the family has with its pet significantly influence the choice of accommodation. The findings of this research will help hotel managers with the design of policies that meet the needs of families travelling with their dogs. The analysis of dog owners’ motivations for choosing tourist accommodation due to their attachment and the limitations for travelling allows us to obtain more accurate information.
... In modern society, an increasing number of people live with animals, especially pets, which have an increasingly significant position in daily life (Carr, 2017;Kurdek, 2008). Pets are considered the family members of pet owners and play the role of travel partners (Buhalis and Chan, 2023). In the field of tourism, animals are gradually being considered as partners of tourists, not just as ornamental resources (Ying et al., 2021). ...
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The objectives of this research were to develop a scale for constraints on bringing dogs along on tourism activities and to examine the influence of these constraints on owners' intentions to take dogs along on tourism activities. The responses of 518 Taiwanese dog owners were examined through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. The findings revealed three dimensions of pet-related tourism constraint (i.e. pets' specific constraints, pets' interpersonal constraints and pets' structural constraints). This measurement scale was found to be both valid and reliable. In addition, the constraints were found to negatively influence owners' intentions to take pets along on tourism activities. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast a customer‐focused service process diagram tool (blueprinting) with an organizational‐focused process diagram tool (business process modeling notation, or BPMN). Design/methodology/approach Using a hotel stay as an example, the paper presents both a service blueprint and a BPMN diagram. The authors then explicitly discuss the similarities, differences resulting from an ontological comparison of service blueprints and BPMN, and show where the two tools can be complementary. Findings The authors have found that one similarity is that service blueprinting segments processes into parts that are similar to BPMN's idea of swimlanes. However, the swimlanes in service blueprinting separate customer actions, customer‐facing employees’ actions and functions, and back‐stage functions, actors, and information systems, thereby effectively mandating certain swimlanes for the purpose of analyzing points of contact between the firm and a customer. Another similarity is that service blueprinting deliberately differentiates between different functional areas and roles within each area to highlight, and IT systems. But it does this to make clear where actions move across organizational boundaries to avoid damaging service support, and also to explain to back‐office staff their role in supporting on‐stage customer interactions. Unlike BPMN, service blueprinting has physical evidence as front‐stage indicators to customers of service quality and to constrain customer actions by carefully designing the servicescape. Research limitations/implications A limitation is that the paper only uses one example (a hotel stay). Practical implications The comparison provides service managers with guidance as to how to use the two tools interactively. Originality/value Firms, to represent business processes, are using BPMN in increasing numbers. Knowing how BPMN supports and undermines service blueprinting is important, because service to customers is the ultimate goal for all firms. Therefore, representing service processes requires the parts of service blueprints to be supported in BPMN. Business process outsourcing adds further urgency for the need to adequately represent the parts of service processes in BPMN.
Article
Qualitative research in tourism is often blamed for missing the tenets of ‘good’ science. There are two major reasons for this. On one hand, positivism is still the prevailing paradigm in many areas of tourism research. On the other hand, qualitative researchers often fail to explain how and why their methods are sound. This results in confusion and misunderstandings. In this paper, basic criteria to assess the trustworthiness of a qualitative study are listed, and triangulation is proposed as a way to implement them. Refining the concepts of corroboration and validation, triangulation consists of strengthening qualitative findings by showing that several independent sources converge on them, or at least, do not oppose them. Denzin’s four basic types of triangulation (i.e. data, method, investigator and theoretical triangulation) are described and illustrated by appropriate tourism examples.
Article
More people own pets than ever before. Further, people spend more money on pets than they ever have. The increase in pet ownership and spending on pets provides evidence of the importance humans place on the pets in their lives. This study explores the relationships between humans and their animal companions, specifically canine companions. Drawing on decades of research on personality, relationships, and well-being, the current research takes a cross-species approach to examine the influence of pet personalities on human outcomes. Using personality assessments for human and dog, the article examines how both personalities impact relationship satisfaction. The article also examines how human-dog closeness impacts owner well-being. Some findings corroborate results found in the human personality and relationship literature, but others point to some unique aspects of the human-dog bond. These results not only shed light on the human-dog relationship but also suggest some departures from the human relationship literature that could be explored in future research.
Pets allowed vs pet-friendly: you need to know the difference”, available at: www.apartmentguide.com/blog/pets-allowed-vs-pet-friendly-need-know-difference
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