Have A 'Pawsome' Vacation

With more pet parents wanting to travel with their four-legged babies, hotels are going all out to ensure you have the 'purr'fect holiday

- Smita Tripathi

IN THE FIRST WEEK of June as the mercury climbed above 40 degrees Celsius in Delhi, advertising professional Diksha Singh made for the hills with her daughter Lolita in tow. They drove down to the recently opened Hyatt Regency Dehradun, at the foothills of Mussoorie, for a week-long break. Singh chose the hotel because of Lolita-her two-year-old furry baby. For this pet parent, her dog's comfort was most important. Lolita, with her flowing blonde tresses, is a Golden Retriever and finds the Delhi heat quite unbearable. The hills are always welcome but for the longest time Singh had to search for homestays and smaller properties that were more pet-friendly than big hotel chains. However, all that changed post the pandemic. With more people wanting to travel with pets and road trips becoming the norm, a significantly larger number of hotels have become pet-friendly, ensuring that both you and your four-legged companion have a 'pawsome' vacation.

"In the last few years, the number of pets per household has seen a significant increase and guests are looking at pet-friendly properties in the city as well as vacation destinations to take their pet along for the ride. In such cases, the hospitality industry has to be accommodating and accepting of these pooches. As pets are becoming an integral part of the lives of families, it has become imperative for hotels to be welcoming and comforting for guests and their pets," says Sunjae Sharma, Managing Director - India & Southwest Asia at Hyatt Hotels Corporation. Besides Hyatt Regency Dehradun, Hyatt Place Hampi along with city hotels such as Park Hyatt Chennai and Andaz Delhi, among others, are pet friendly.