As a Customer Relationship Manager at Hoteis Deville (Brazil), I had the unique opportunity to lead a Product Management Project aimed at creating and launching a Pet-Friendly concept, along with related products and services, across eight of their hotels.
This project presented a significant challenge as it was initiated at the request of the company's board, who held high expectations. Moreover, in 2015, the company held traditional beliefs about host dogs and cats in their hotels.
In order to persuade the board to reconsider their stance on this matter, I conducted an extensive benchmarking research campaign encompassing pet-friendly companies not only in Brazil and Latin America but also in North America and Europe. This research was instrumental in gathering valuable information and identifying emerging trends in the pet-friendly hospitality field.
The benchmarking research (step 1 image below) started by gathering information on the standards set by airline companies, international hotel chains, bus and train companies. Following this initial phase, we proceeded to analyze the competitive set of hotels in each location where Hoteis Deville had branches. This step proved to be pivotal in comprehending how our competitors provided similar services. It entailed examining aspects such as pricing, the range of amenities offered to pets, and whether these competitors welcomed both dogs and cats or had restrictions in place. Also, to understand the brazilian laws about hospitalaty industry and host animals, had been part of this research step.
Once I had compiled all the necessary data, I conducted a comprehensive presentation for the board. This presentation aimed to provide insights into both Brazilian and international standards within the hospitality industry, as well as those in the airline, bus, and train sectors. Additionally, I demonstrated how competitive set hotels were currently implementing their pet-friendly services.
In the final part of the presentation, I simulated ten different standards and pricing scenarios, taking into account various criteria for welcoming different types of pets. This allowed the board to make an informed decision about the precise parameters they wished to establish.
Ultimately, the Hoteis Deville board decided to create a product that would accommodate dogs and cats weighing up to 10 kilograms, aged over three months, and possessing a valid anti-rabies vaccine card.
The step 2 (step 2 image above) of the project started with the marketing departament to create the pet-friendly logo and naming, and the board decided to this product like picture below that name is "Pet Amigo" that means "Friend Pet" in Portuguese:
With the naming, concepts, and standards all approved, the project team proceeded to create the exclusive "Pet Amigo" page on the website: deville.com.br/pet-amigo
On this webpage, we collaborated with SEO experts and copywriters to meticulously craft content that detailed the services, products, and amenities available for guests traveling with dogs and cats. We also outlined the rules, pricing information, and other crucial details to ensure that the guests were well-informed on how to make the most of their pet-friendly stay at the hotel.
With the launch date determined, the project team joined on a comprehensive training program for hotel staff. This included adapting the Property Management System (PMS) to incorporate pet-related details into guest stay bookings, ensuring that all teams were well-prepared to warmly welcome guests and their dogs and pets.
To introduce the product to the opinion public, we extended invitations to influential individuals in each location, along with their pets, to enjoy an entire pet-friendly weekend and immerse themselves in the stay concept. This initiative proved to be highly successful. Following this event and a strategic campaign led by our Public Relations team, we began to welcome both new and returning guests with their beloved pets in the hotels.
The image below showcases one of the journalists who stayed at the hotels during the PR campaign.
One year after the concept launch, the hotel chain experienced an unexpected boost in revenue, totaling R$ 280,000. This increase was driven by the welcoming of over 30 pets per hotel each month.
The project and concept have been ongoing since 2015 and were replicated on the occasion and at other times in the Brazilian journalistic media, as indicated by the sources below:
