More Than Half of People Traveling With Pets Frustrated by Lack of
Pet-Friendly Accommodations, AAA and Best Western Survey Says
AAA PetBook offers guidance and a chance to make your pet famous -- Enter
photo contest sponsored by Best Western by Nov. 30
ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- More than three-quarters of
traveling pet owners would take Fido or Fifi on every vacation if they could,
although more than half report difficulty finding pet-friendly accommodations,
according to a recent survey commissioned by AAA and Best Western
International.
The survey also found:
-- Thirty-five percent of pet-owning respondents admitted to sneaking
their
pet into a hotel or motel in the past.
-- Nearly one-third (28 percent) of those who travel with pets indicate
they would rather travel with their pet than with their significant
other.
-- The top five frustrations respondents have with others who travel with
pets are those who do not clean up after them (77 percent); those
whose
dogs constantly bark (53 percent); those who do not notify others
their
dog is aggressive (45 percent); not walking pets on a leash (42
percent); and owners whose pets are not trained to relieve themselves
outside (30 percent).
-- The most popular pet-inclusive vacations are visiting friends/family
(73
percent) and road trips (56 percent).
"Not every pet is right for travel and not every trip is right for a pet, but
when the right dog or cat and the right trip come together you never forget
it," said Bill Wood, executive editor, AAA Publishing. "AAA is pleased to
provide the millions of traveling pets owners with the tools and information
needed to plan the perfect vacation."
Pet owners can find all the information they need to make their pet vacation
easier and safer in Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook(R) including
property listings and advice on transporting pets. Many hotel operators have
discovered the popularity of traveling with pets and are making special
efforts to accommodate four-footed friends such as the World's Largest Hotel
Chain(R), Best Western, which has more than 1,900 pet-friendly properties
worldwide. For reservations and information visit AAA.com/bestwestern. AAA
members receive special benefits through Best Western's exclusive rewards
program, AAA Preferred Best Western Rewards.
"With more than 1,000 pet-friendly properties in North America, Best Western
knows pets are very much a part of our guests' families. As such, we want to
welcome them and their owners to our properties," said Dorothy Dowling, senior
vice president of sales and marketing for Best Western. "We are proud to
offer a variety of ways for travelers to get information about hitting the
road with their pets."
Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook(R) also features information on how
to enter the annual AAA PetBook Photo Contest sponsored by Best Western, a AAA
preferred lodging partner. Entry deadline is Nov. 30 and winning pets will
appear on a cover of the next edition. To enter, visit www.aaa.com/petbook.
AAA's PetBook Photo Contest sponsored by Best Western(R)
Travelers who vacation with their furry friends have until Nov. 30 to enter
the annual AAA PetBook Photo Contest.
Two winning entries will appear on a cover of the next edition. The "Best in
Travel" winner will also receive $350 and five complimentary copies of the
book, plus a $150 Best Western Travel Card that can be used at any of the more
than 4,000 Best Western properties worldwide, including more than 1,900
pet-friendly locations. The second-place winner will receive $200 from AAA and
two complimentary copies of the book. Photos and completed forms must be
submitted by Nov. 30. Contest rules and entries from previous years are
available online at AAA.com/PetBook.
Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA PetBook includes more than 13,000
pet-friendly, AAA Approved and Diamond Rated lodgings and campgrounds in the
United States and Canada. The listings include fees, permitted pet sizes and
conditions of stay for properties at every Diamond Rating level, including for
pampered pets -- AAA Five Diamond(R) Award-winning hotels.
As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA
provides more than 51 million members with travel, insurance, financial and
automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit,
fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and
security of all travelers. AAA clubs can be visited on the Internet at
AAA.com.
About Best Western
Best Western International is THE WORLD'S LARGEST HOTEL CHAIN(R), providing
marketing, reservations and operational support to over 4,000* independently
owned and operated member hotels in 80* countries and territories worldwide.
An industry pioneer since 1946, Best Western has grown into an iconic brand
that hosts 400,000* worldwide guests each night. Best Western's diverse
property portfolio, its greatest strength, stems from a business model
designed to give owners maximum flexibility to address market-specific needs.
Equally committed to the business and leisure traveler, Best Western recently
embarked on a mission to lead the hotel industry in customer care. World
Vision is the charity of choice for Best Western in building the world's
largest family, as our hotels and staff sponsor children in need around the
globe. Since 2004, Best Western has served as the Official Hotel of NASCAR(R).
For more information or to make a reservation, please visit
www.bestwestern.com.
*Numbers are approximate and can fluctuate.
Stay connected with AAA on the web via:
Twitter.com/AAAnews
Twitter.com/AAA_Travel
www.AAATravelViews.com
YouTube.com/AAA
MySpace.com/AAAeveryday
AAA fan page on Facebook.com
AAA news releases, high resolution images, broadcast-quality video, fact
sheets and podcasts are available on the AAA NewsRoom at AAA.com/news.
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Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click
appropriate link.
Heather Hunter
https://profnet.prnewswire.com/Subscriber/ExpertProfile.aspx?ei=64863
SOURCE AAA
Heather Hunter of AAA, +1-407-444-8005, hhunter@national.aaa.com; Heather
Wright of Best Western International, +1-602-957-5752,
heather.wright@bestwestern.com; or Kelly Schwartz, +1-480-776-6412,
kelly@allisonpr.com, for AAA
