Melbourne pet accommodation: Quest Hotel Burwood East creates dog-friendly rooms

It normally pampers humans, and now a hotel in Melbourne’s east has rolled out the red carpet to guests’ four-legged friends.

Maya Stankovic, 21 and her dog Lucy kick back in the pet-friendly rooms at Quest Burwood East. Picture: Jason Edwards

A hotel in Melbourne’s east is breaking out of the Covid-19 doghouse by creating more pet-friendly rooms and receiving a surge in bookings.

Owners of Quest’s Burwood East hotel on Burwood Highway have transformed 15 of its 91 rooms into pet-friendly accommodation, allowing guests to bring their four-legged friends along for their stay.

Guests spend $20 — on top of the standard price — for the special rooms, all of which have balconies or courtyards and are decked out with pet beds, water bowls, pupcakes, toys and other treats.

The pet also receives a personalised letter from the hotel with directions to visit dog-friendly parks and shopping strips.

Hotel owner Kris Marinakis said he was starting to reap the benefits with all its pet-friendly rooms booked until early December.

The cost of the works is unclear, but Mr Marinakis said he wanted to capitalise on the local boom in pet ownership during Covid-19 and trends from overseas.

“We treat out pet guests the same way we treat their owners,” Mr Marinakis said.

“Pet friendly dining and shopping is the norm in Europe, now Australians want to be able to enjoy that lifestyle with their pets.”

“Ultimately, pet-friendly accommodation has allowed us to fill rooms during a difficult period for hotel business, so it’s a win for us and our guests are loving the option of staying together.”