Starting a pet hotel is a great way to maximize the opportunities presented by the pet boom and the willingness of pet owners to spend on the health and well-being of their pet dogs and cats. Providing a facility and host of services that will enable pets to feel at home while their owners are away is also a way of offering valuable service to the community.
Plenty of pet owners are probably quite grateful that they can depend on a local pet hotel to take care of their animal companions while they’re visiting friends and family or are busy with work-related travel.
To make your foray into providing hospitality and boarding services to pet dogs and cats as smooth as possible, you need to be aware of the common mistakes that many newbie pet hotel owners commit. This way, you can take steps to avoid them and provide yourself, your customers, and pet owners with the best possible experience from the get-go.
Letting Your Stock of Essential Supplies Run Low
Pets require a lot of care, no matter if you’re keeping them for a lifetime or over the weekend. To ensure that the needs of all your charges are met, it’s best to stock up on the tools and supplies you need to make them feel right at home every minute of their stay.
Among the basic provisions, you’re expected to offer are well-maintained accommodations, clean water, high-quality food, and opportunities for the pets to play, socialize, and relieve themselves.
Do you have enough wholesale dog beds that are conducive to sleep? Are there enough towels and toiletry supplies to ensure that you can bathe the pets in case they get dirty? How about cleaning materials for keeping the pets’ quarters spic-and-span? If you have enough stock of your basic supplies, you’ll have one less thing to worry about while you’re keeping an eye on your charges.
Failing to Create a List of Procedures and Policies
To ensure everyone’s safety and comfort, rules must be set and followed by your staff, your pet-owning customers, and your furred guests. The procedures and rules implemented in the accommodation must be guided by forethought and precaution. While you want everyone to have a good time in your pet hotel, this shouldn’t come at the cost of safety.
Among the things you need to take note of include, but are not limited to, the following:
- the vaccination requirements for your canine or feline guests
- the services that each accommodation package covers
- how your personnel can safely do their jobs and interact with pets and their owners; and
- how pet parent customers and your hotel staff can work together in case something unexpected comes up while their dog or cat is under your care.
Not Giving a Lot of Thought to Your Pricing
Caring for pets and surrounding yourself with fluffy dogs and cats might be a dream of yours, but this doesn’t mean that you should be underpricing yourself. Your pet hotel must remain profitable to ensure its continued operation, and it’s on you to make sure that your services are justly compensated.
While you might want to make your services accessible to as many people as possible, this doesn’t mean that you should set your prices too low. Set a fair price for the use of your facilities and the services you offer, and you’ll be able to attract pet owners who share your standards of care. This will connect you with clients who are willing to support your business because it fulfills their particular needs, not just because it’s the cheapest option on the list.
Embarking on This Journey on Your Own
Running a pet hotel is a demanding job. You need a team of diligent workers behind you to ensure the safety and comfort of the dogs and cats under your care. It’s a good idea to build a team of people who care about animals and aim to provide both pets and humans with a good experience in your hotel.
In addition to finding the right people for your team, be sure to invest in their growth and development. This way, they can keep improving the quality of the services that they offer your clients.
Getting the Wrong Insurance Provider for the Hotel
Lastly, you need to have solid insurance for your pet hotel, the people you work with, and your human and animal customers. Remember, accidents can happen even if your pet sitter on duty is the most alert, attentive, and understanding person on your team. In case someone gets injured, something gets broken or lost, or conflicts arise, you need to have a reliable insurance policy to weather through these tough times. So, choose your insurance provider wisely and do your research before committing to a particular plan.
Make sure not to make these mistakes when planning and preparing for the opening of your pet hotel. By being aware of the pitfalls that people in the same situation are liable to make, you protect your business from circumstances that can stifle its growth. Exercising care and caution will also ensure you can fully provide the ideal services you want to render to the greater community.
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