Beyond Pet-Friendly: Elevating Service Hospitality for Paws and People

As the number of pet-owning households across Europe continues to rise, the pet economy is expanding well beyond food and accessories, encompassing a broad array of premium services. This paper explores the customer experience of travelers accompanied by pets, particularly in hospitality settings, emphasizing the emotional and relational dimensions often overlooked in current literature. While previous research has identified functional and hedonic attributes of pet-friendly accommodations, few studies have examined the sentiment of pet owners and their sense of being either welcomed or merely tolerated. Using netnography, this study analyzes discussions within an Italian Facebook community of over 91,000 members to uncover expectations, frustrations, and co-created criteria for genuinely pet-friendly services. Findings reveal that while tangible amenities and clear communication are important, the interpersonal dimension—how pet owners and their companions are treated—plays a critical role in shaping satisfaction. Many travelers report feeling unwelcomed, especially in interactions with staff and non-pet-owning guests. The paper offers both theoretical and practical contributions by applying an experiential framework to emotional service evaluation and highlighting key factors that drive loyalty or dissatisfaction. These insights are relevant not only to hospitality providers but to the broader service sector seeking to adapt to evolving pet-related consumer expectations.