Pet dog policies in 5-star hotels in Barcelona

Abstract

The dissertation aims to research if pet dog policies are used as a marketing tool at the 5-star hotels, as it is a niche market that could potentially be catered for in the appearance that it is underestimated. It is also another objective to research the pet dog policies in 5-star hotels in Barcelona, focusing on the services provided as well as the profitability of the market for the properties. Lastly, it is also an aim to analyze the operational feasibility of these pet dog policies in the hotels taking into account if there is a clear process regarding arrival and stay of the guest with his or her pet dog, and if the employees know well the policies at their respective hotel. In the literature the gap has been identified within the topic of pet dog policies used as marketing tool, and even more so when specifying in the 5-star hotel segment. Regarding the marketing theoretical framework, the key authorities in this dissertation are Philip Kotler, Michael Porter, Adrian Palmer, and Dalgic Tevfik. The originality of the dissertation lies in finding if pet dog policies are used as a marketing tool in 5-star hotels in Barcelona, as well as the feasibility of the current market. To discover the results over the above-mentioned objectives, two methodologies have been used. First of all, a set of interviews to 5-star hotels in Barcelona focusing on the marketing departments and the operational departments. Secondly, a web analysis of the hotels that have been interviewed has also been carried out to complement the information received through the interviews. The results show that there is an inconsistency in the information provided on the websites and the depth to which this information reaches. There is, however, a consistency in the fact that the pet dog policies are not used as a marketing tool in 5-star hotels in Barcelona despite the probability of it being a profitable under-catered niche target market.