Dog and cat hotels in the Grand Port are almost sold out during the Christmas season and are increasingly accepting pets from foreign families living in Portugal who are returning to their home countries at this time.
Several entrepreneurs in this niche of the hotel sector report that occupancy rates at pet-friendly hotels are around 100% on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
Dogs and cats are housed in private “suites” overlooking the street, decorated with paintings, cribs or sofas that serve as nests, polar blankets, infrared heat lamps and even 24-hour security cameras.
The package may include full board, although many guests take home meals tailored to their tastes and health conditions.
As well as veterinary medical services, there are also five-star services, from walks in the gardens for socializing, sunbathing on sun loungers and even a dip in the indoor hot pool to burn off energy or lose weight.
Many of these pet owners are Brazilian, Ukrainian, Russian, American, English, Chinese or Japanese citizens living in Portugal who go on holiday or visit their families at this time of year, ending up spending many days away from home. at home, entrepreneurs explain.
In the Very Important Dog (VID) wing, where the rooms are equipped with 24-hour security cameras, Chiquita Banana, a dachshund dog, curls up in a bassinet heated by an infrared lamp, waiting on a red fleece blanket. for a session in the hot water pool, one of the attractions at the Mais Animais.
Next door to the VIEW wing, but in the “standard” area of the hotel, lives Assad, the Rhodesian lion, who enjoys the tranquility of village life in a room overlooking the garden, where he has a bed heated by an infrared lamp.
These two four-legged friends are guests of the Animalis Mais Animais Hotel, a hotel with a veterinary hospital located in Maia, in the Porto area, which is fully booked for the upcoming Christmas season.
“The hotel is 100% full. Both for Christmas and New Year,” says Diana Mesquita, manager of the Animais Mais hotel, noting that reservations were made in advance.
“Most of the clients are Brazilians living in Portugal who want to spend Christmas and New Year in their country of origin and usually leave their pets at the hotel,” adds Diana Mesquita.
The Pet Hotel in Vila Nova de Gaia (Porto) sold out all rooms for dogs and cats on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
“Right now, three places in the hotel are already filled for both Christmas and New Year’s weekends,” says David Mota, in charge of the Pet Hotel, stroking the cat Teodoro, who has just left the nest. Wooden, attached to the wall. , overlooking the countryside.
“The percentage of animals adopted by foreigners spending the Christmas holidays at the hotel is an increasingly popular trend at Pet Hotel, especially among citizens of Brazil, Ukraine, Russia, the USA, England, as well as China and Japan,” says David Motorcyclette.
“These are foreigners who go to visit their family for Christmas and stay for New Year, and they have to leave their pets behind for more than 15 days,” he said.
During high season, the most common length of each stay is about a week, but can last up to three or four weeks, he explains.
The animals that stay the longest, which can be three weeks or more, are those adopted by Brazilians living in Portugal because they are traveling abroad to visit their family, but there are also animals whose owners are Portuguese who continue to live in the hotel. vacation or they go to work and end up leaving the animals for the weekend, reports David Mota.
At Pets & Family, a dog hotel in Maya with dog-grooming facilities, occupancy is almost 100%, although there is still room for regulars who request last-minute stays, João Pereira says.
At this hotel, a large number of clients who decide to leave their pets are also Brazilian citizens in Portugal who are going to spend Christmas in Brazil, but there are also clients from other countries who, since they host many family members at home, prefer to place their dogs in a more a peaceful place,” explains João Pereira.
The mode in Pets & Family is open, that is, animals are always free, under the 24-hour company of keepers, so they can communicate and not miss their owners.
At this hotel, pets sleep in a larger room with multiple cots and a bunk bed where a caretaker sleeps to keep them calm at night.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.