Easyhotel offers ‘Pupgrade’ service for pet owners
UK hotel chain easyHotel is offering a new ‘Pupgrade’ service to enable guests to bring their pets with them for an additional £10 per night.
The move comes in response to London’s increasing obsession with ‘Social Petworking’, with a rising number of small dogs accompanying their owners on business trips.
To assist dog owners that can’t bear to leave their pets behind, easyHotel is trialling a new deluxe ‘pupgrade’ service for pets. For an additional charge, guests at easyHotel in Old Street can request an orange ‘pet yurt’, an orange ‘chewvet’, a bone on arrival and a small ‘Minibark’ fridge stocked with gourmet pet snacks and drinks. Snack options on the menu include treats developed by Michel Roux and a bottle of ‘Pawsecco’, a non-alcoholic dog food jus that can be poured over a dish.
Small dogs are becoming a fixture in offices and coffee shops throughout the capital, with particularly high concentrations in the tech and marketing communities of Shoreditch.
Muhammad Manan, operations director at easyHotel, said: “I’ve had requests for pets of all shapes and sizes, including on one occasion a horse. Unfortunately, due to headroom considerations, a small lift and limited availability of straw we had to turn that request down, but we’ll always do our best to make a pet feel welcome.”
Jorge Rodriguez, ‘Barketing’ manager at easyHotel, added: “We’re very pleased to be offering pet accommodation for our customers in all of our hotels. At £10 a night, it is arf the price of our lowest guest room rate. With an offer like that, we doubt that dog owners will paws. We wish all of our guests bone voyage.”
Studies indicate that dogs can have a positive effect on productivity and lower the stress levels of employees. A 2010 study by Central Michigan University found that having a dog in the office improved collaboration. Another study from the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, found that animals in the workplace make work feel more satisfying.
easyHotel’s network of locations has grown significantly this year, as has demand from business customers, with new hotels opening in Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Further openings are scheduled for the next 12 months.
Rodriguez added: “Our hotels offer our guests comfortable, stylish accommodation in the heart of many of Britain’s favourite cities at incredible prices, often for less than the price of pillow.
“We invest in essentials to enable our customers to make the most of their city experience – from bedside USB ports to comfortable beds – to give our customers what they want: a great time in the city and great night’s sleep with us. Pets deserve a decent night’s sleep, too, and we’re excited about this deluxe trial at Old Street.”
