A dog in the hotel room at SunSquare Cape Town Gardens Picture: Supplied
During the holiday season, hotels are often marketed as the go-to destination for families, however, not all hotels cater to a few very important members of the family; pets. The trend of pet-friendly hotels has been on the rise recently, and the Southern Sun group has become the latest hotel chain to join the fray.
SunSquare Cape Town Gardens will be taking up the mantle of the Southern Sun group’s first pet-friendly hotel.
The group announced earlier this week that the hotel’s General Manager, Richard Keet and his team are ready to welcome furry, four-legged guests as a new addition to their arrivals this holiday season.
“We understand that for many people, their pets are part of their family, so travelling without them is unthinkable,” he said.
“The location and facilities at SunSquare Cape Town Gardens lend themselves to welcoming pets, so the decision to convert it to a pet-friendly hotel has been quite natural and involved a simple refurbishment,” explained Keet.
Based on their proximity to the foyer and gardens, several rooms in the hotel were selected for pet-friendly conversion.
These were refurbished and fitted with hygienic vinyl flooring to provide both comfort and practicality for guests and their pets, to ensure a relaxed and enjoyable stay.
The conversion also included attention being given to the dining experience.
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“SunPets are invited to join their families on the terrace for breakfast, lunch or dinner (and everything in between) at our trendy Zepi restaurant,” says Keet.
Pet meals can be ordered from the SunPet Gourmet Menu, which offers a range of nutritious and delicious individually packaged dishes made with real ingredients.
“The SunSquare Cape Town Gardens team has done a great job of opening to the pet-friendly market, and we are excited to welcome a new profile of guest to what could soon become the most popular pet-friendly destination in Cape Town,” commented Operations Director for Southern Sun’s Western Cape region, Samantha Clingham.
SunPet-friendly rooms are available at an additional surcharge of R250 per room per night, with a once off R500 non-refundable payment per stay. SunPets receive a welcome treat on arrival, pet bedding for the ultimate SunPet sleep experience, and access to a selection of bowls, mats, toys and other conveniences during their stay.
If you’re looking for a hotel that can accomodate your entire family this holiday season, here are a few other pet-friendly hotels around South Africa.
According to Booking.com, Cape Town leads the pack with a whopping 302 pet-friendly hotels, followed by Johannesburg with 124, Durban with 75 and Pretoria with 70.
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