Swapna Mathivanan has grown up around pets since she was young and knows that life can become quite hellish during Deepavali. Her two golden retrievers become especially terrified when there are incessant blasts from loud crackers.
When she was looking to build a hotel back in 2018 outside Chennai, pets being allowed on campus became non-negotiable. She wanted to create a space where they could ‘happily trot around’ especially during the festive season to prevent situations where canines would crouch and cover their ears because of the noise. Her property K resort, about 120 kilometres from Chennai, is now usually booked out during Deepavali. This alludes to a trend that can be observed in other hotels across Chennai too.
Many executives at five star properties who own pets have workshopped programmes and developed standard operating procedures to accommodate their companions this year. At these locations, pets are served gourmet meals, given separate beds and toys and even pampered with paw butter.
