Bethesda, MD – (November 21, 2022) – With more and more travelers taking their pets with them on vacation, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott’s premium home rental platform, and Petco Health + Wellness Company (Nasdaq: WOOF), are joining to elevate the vacation experience for pet parents and their furry family members.
The Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy booking website will highlight ‘Pet Friendly Picks by Petco’ featuring vacation properties that meet Petco’s standards for pet safety, health, and wellness for both dogs and cats among the platform’s more than 80,000 properties.
In addition, Petco will curate a travel collection of essential items for pet travel and safety – including beds, bowls, toys and travel accessories, which can be shipped to their U.S. rental property. Guests will also be able to access information including infographics, articles and packing checklists on the Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy website produced by Petco in preparation for traveling with their pets.
“For many of our guests, family vacations mean including their four-legged family members, and since the pandemic, we’ve seen ‘Pets Allowed’ rise to become one of the top two most popular filters our guests choose when searching for homes,” said Jennifer Hsieh, Vice President, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International. “Our collaboration with an expert like Petco, means we will better accommodate guests seeking the space and amenities of a vacation rental that welcomes pets and make traveling with your pet simpler, more rewarding and memorable.”
With 80 percent of pet parents considering their pet to be part of their family, and at least a third of pet parents estimated to travel with their pets this holiday season rather than leaving them at home1, both dog and cat parents are actively seeking out travel options where they have a reliable, safe, and stress-free environment that is designed with pet friendly activities and access to supplies they need while travelling.
“As pets become more and more central to our lives, pet-friendly travel is the natural evolution in humanization and premiumization in the pet category” said Jenny Wolski, SVP Omnichannel Experience for Petco. “With pet parents increasingly traveling and exploring the world with their whole family – whether for vacations, work, or a combination of both – collaborating with Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy will create a tailored experience with all the resources, assistance and supplies needed for worry-free pet travel.”
For the future, Marriott expects to work with Petco on a program for hotels in its portfolio that welcome pets.
Separate from the areas of collaboration between Marriott and Petco, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy will also begin offering bespoke pet-friendly experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments, the experiential platform of Marriott’s award-winning travel program, Marriott Bonvoy. The first in the series will feature a photoshoot at a spectacular Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy property for members and their pets with renowned photographer Shayan Asgharnia who’s camera has captured Hollywood icons, sports legends and political and business titans. The Marriott Bonvoy Moments platform enables members to bid points they have earned for once-in-a-lifetime experiences across a broad range of categories from sports, arts and lifestyle, entertainment to culinary.
For those planning holiday travel with or without their pet, for a limited time, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy is offering 10 percent off select private home rentals. Book today through November 28, 2022 and receive a discount on stays through September 23, 2023. For more information, please visit Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy.
About Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
Launched in May 2019, Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy is a curated and growing collection of 80,000+ premium and luxury whole home rentals located in 700+ prime destinations throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, the Caribbean and Latin America. Leveraging Marriott International’s decades of delivering exceptional hospitality experience, each home is professionally managed and meets the company’s design, cleanliness, safety and amenity standards. It is also the only home rental offering to participate in the award-winning travel program Marriott Bonvoy, enabling members to earn and redeem points for all stays. Connect with @HomesandVillasbyMarriott on Instagram and Facebook.
About Petco, The Health + Wellness Co.
Founded in 1965, Petco is a category-defining health and wellness company focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners. We’ve consistently set new standards in pet care while delivering comprehensive pet wellness products, services and solutions, and creating communities that deepen the pet-pet parent bond. We operate more than 1,500 pet care centers across the U.S., Mexico and Puerto Rico, which offer merchandise, companion animals, grooming, training and a growing network of on-site veterinary hospitals and mobile veterinary clinics. Our complete pet health and wellness ecosystem is accessible through our pet care centers and digitally at petco.com and on the Petco app. In tandem with Petco Love (formerly the Petco Foundation), an independent nonprofit organization, we work with and support thousands of local animal welfare groups across the country and, through in-store adoption events, we’ve helped find homes for more than 6.5 million animals.
1Petco’s Pet Holiday Travel CMI Insights Report, 2022, n=1,225
