It’s time for a pawcation – Times of India

CHENNAI: After more than a year spent in the confines of his house in Kerala, Ajith Kumar was eager to take his family for a holiday.
But not without his two Labradors. So, he bundled them, along with his wife and daughter into a car and drove down to Chennai and Puducherry having already made bookings online at places that would accommodate his dogs.
“With the pandemic still on, I didn’t want to leave my pets in a kennel. Surprisingly, when I checked online, I found plenty of options — hotels, resorts, and even homestays — that were all equipped to accommodate us,” says the 50-year-old software professional.
As lockdown restrictions eased, the country has seen the rise of revenge tourism. And pet parents form a considerable part of these tourists who are eager to hit the road in the safety of their own vehicles. It also allows them to take along their furry friends.And hotels and resorts across the country are now coming up with pet-friendly policies to cater to this demand.
“After the second lockdown eased, and more people got vaccinated and are travelling. As a business, we expected business travel to bounce back faster than leisure travel but what eventually transpired is that leisure travel took over, and revenge travel came to the fore,” says Vikram Kanchi, regional director (south), MakeMyTrip. “More people are also now looking for petfriendly accommodation on our site, and we have seen a rise in demand.”
A specially curated menu, spa on request, and a garden to gambol in — that’s what Radisson Blu Resort Temple Bay, Mamallapuram, as part of their pet-friendly accommodation plan, ‘GReaT Tails’, which they launched in October.
“Many people are doing road trips, and due to Covid-19, relatives and friends are hesitant to take in pets. So we now allow guests to bring along dogs and cats. In the room, we provide a bowl, pee mats, and have a sign on the door that says there is a furry friend inside,” says Vikram Cotah, CEO, GRT Hotels & Resorts. “We have also created a dog park with toys where they can play under the supervision of the pet parent, and interact with other dogs. We also have a special a la carte menu, with tuna for cats and chicken and rice for dogs.” The animals, however, need to be socialised, vaccinated and flea-free.
Indy Hotels and Resorts have also made three of the properties in Goa petfriendly since early 2020. “A lot of people were coming for longer stays — seven nights to even a month, so they wanted to bring their pets along,” he says.
Properties that have been pet-friendly earlier have seen a rise in demand. ITC Grand Chola, which has 78 serviced apartments, is pet friendly and has separate entry and exit points near the Killi porch to assure easy access for these special guests. “With more people choosing to move outside their homes where they have been cooped up in for so long, caring for their pets is a big concern,” says Zubin Songadwala, general manager, ITC Grand Chola. “We offer pet bowls, have provisions for pet food, like chicken, rice congee with vegetables, a curated menu by the chef, and have a vet on request.”
Supreet Roy, GM of Novotel Chennai Chamiers Road, says they are getting more bookings from pet parents.
“Earlier, we used to have three or four pets staying with us every month but now we have two or three cats or dogs every week,” he says. The hotel that gets guests from Andhra Pradesh, Bengaluru and Coimbatore has a pet-friendly menu and has begun offering toys.