Mitihoon – GO Hotel, the premium budget hotel under the management of Central Pattana Plc., is joining hands with KTC (or Krungthai Card plc) to create a new perspective of travel for pet lovers, co-hosting the seminar ‘Paw-ssibilities: The Next Chapter of Pet Industry’, projecting trends and directions of growth in the pet industry in Thailand to ensure that you and your beloved pets can relax together. Central Pattana and KTC aim to provide a special travel experience, following the increasingly growing pet-friendly trend, with a significant increase in the number of hotel guests checking-in with their pets – especially among the new generation and international tourists.
In an era where pets have become important family members, the tourism and hospitality sector is adapting to accommodate the rapidly growing ‘Pet Parents’ lifestyle. GO Hotel, a Thai hotel chain, has recently joined hands with KTC Credit Card, launching a strategic collaboration with the seminar ‘Paw-ssibilities: The Next Chapter of Pet Industry’ to deliver a complete pet-friendly travel experience featuring special privileges and services tailored specifically for pet lovers.
According to GO Hotel, over the past couple of years, the number of guests bringing their pets with them has increased continuously, in particular among Thai clientele, who increasingly prefer road trips and a staycation after the COVID-19 period. Most of these are from Gen Y and Gen Z, who see their pets as ‘family members’ that need to be taken care of and also participate in family activities together.
Mr. Athikiat Chirativat, GO Hotel Group management member, revealed: “We have noticed a change in travelers’ behavior, especially ‘Pet Parents’ who do not want to leave their pets behind. Therefore, GO Hotel has designed our rooms and services to provide full support for all pets from Pet Zone rooms to special facilities and also relaxing areas for both dogs and cats.”
To support the pet-friendly trend, GO Hotel has adapted its strategy to accommodate changing consumer behavior, especially for Gen Y and Gen Z who prefer to travel on road trips or a staycation with their pets. The hotel has allocated 10-15% of its total number of rooms as pet-friendly rooms and also added special amenities such as food bowls, pet waste bags, pet bed mats and specially designated areas for pets to walk around comfortably and safely. The hotel provides training for all staff to understand the specific needs of pet owners in order to comprehensively elevate the guest experience.
GO Hotel has recently joined hands with KTC to prepare the launch of continued marketing activities under the ‘Paw-ssibilities: The Next Chapter of Pet Industry’ campaign to help drive the economy of pet-lovers and to support responsible pet raising through both knowledge, services and special privileges from leading partners such as Thonglor Animal Hospital, Dhipaya Insurance, and animal welfare foundations etc. to ensure a wonderful relaxing experience with peace of mind for both customers and their ‘pet children’ – both dogs and cats.
Ms. Jatuporn Wilaikaew, Head of Hotel Asset Management and Operations, GO Hotel under Central Pattana, said that the ‘Pet Parents’ trend has become very popular among the new generation of people. Many people prefer to travel more and take their pets with them and this has led to the positive growth of pet-related businesses. In March-April alone, the occupancy rate of pet-friendly rooms at Go Hotel grew by 75% (especially in GO Hotel branches located in the EEC); this group of customers accounts for around 15% of the total.
The collaboration with KTC is an opportunity to expand the GO Hotel customer base and spur spending via credit cards as well as expanding the customer base of credit cardholders by offering special privileges and promotions designed exclusively for pet lovers. KTC Credit Card members are entitled to a number of special privileges such as 15% discount on hotel rooms from flexible and adjustable booking prices, 50% discount on pet fees and redemption of KTC FOREVER points for 13%* credit cashback. Participating branches include Chonburi | Sriracha | Bowin | Ban Chang.
In addition, GO Hotel has developed an approach to better support pet lovers such as the provision of pet supplies in the hotel rooms and outdoor pet walking zones as well as training all staff to better understand pet behavior, and conducting targeted marketing to facilitate easy access of information for customers. GO Hotel staff have undergone training in pet care with regard to cleaning, where specific cleaning agents are used to ensure customer confidence in addition to zoning and temperature control, etc.
“We have turned management challenges into opportunities to increase confidence for our customers by creating safety and comfort for their stay in the long run. Previously, GO Hotel organized the ‘Go Local Eat Local’ program to take our guests and their pets to visit a durian orchard, which was a fun and enjoyable trip for both our guests and their pets.”
Miss Sireerat Corvanich, Head of Credit Card Marketing, at KTC said: “KTC credit card members continue to spend more in division the pet category, including for animal hospitals, pet insurance, pet supplies and donations to animal foundations. Therefore, we have further expanded our cooperation with our partners in the hotel industry; GO Hotel is one of our partners with a clear approach in providing pet-friendly services with high standards.
“Our collaboration with GO Hotel aims to deliver a special experience and exclusive privileges to KTC credit card members when booking ‘Pet-Friendly’ rooms directly with the hotel. Exclusive privileges are such as discounts on room rates, discounts on pet fees, the opportunity to redeem KTC FOREVER points for cashback credit, room packages with gifts for pets, and exemption of pet fees during the promotion period, etc.
“We believe that in this era, people’s journeys are not complete without their four-legged friends. KTC, therefore, is committed to developing many more campaigns and special privileges to fully support the pet-friendly lifestyle, covering spending, lifestyle and even knowledge on raising happy pets,” Ms. Sireerat concluded.
The future challenge for KTC is to further build on the pet-friendly trend and create even more opportunities – not only with pet shops, but also expanding to other related businesses such as hotels, insurance and animal hospitals to precisely meet the needs of animal lovers as much as possible. This is where KTC is able to make a difference by ensuring the very best service experience to all of our valuable members.
For more details, please click https://www.centralpattana.co.th/en/shopping/shopping-update/lifestyle-activities
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