Happy Tail’s Pet Hotel and Day Spa

I.Company Overview

Concept/Idea and Opportunity

Pets hold a special place in our hearts. They are our faithful loving nonjudgmental companions, the keepers of our secrets, warm comfort after a hard day’s work. Plus, they need us in ways that makes them truly family, even children to some. It is this bond between animal and human friend and parent that the idea of the Happy Tails’ Pet Hotel and Day Spa was created around. As a place where the loving owner can find true peace of mind while knowing their animal friends will be given the finest of care.

This concept becomes a business success due to a convergence of facts. Facts like pet owners spending huge amounts on their pets. Four billion dollars Canadian a year is spent by pet owners on pet related products and services.1 Plus, the growth rate in the pet hotel’s sector alone has almost doubled in the last five years.2 This growth is due to a core group of 31% of urban pet owners, mostly professionals of higher income that demand their pets get the best treatment.3 The next factor is the location for the pet hotel in Westmount near Westmount Park. Where the city’s average earnings per residence is $190,000, of which over half are also pet owners.4 Westmount Park is a natural place to locate near, for it is a place that local owners and pets visit daily for walks and recreation. This enables a greater walk in clientele for the business as well as being a convenient location for customers. Plus, Happy Tails’ Pet Hotel and Day Spa has no other single business that can offer our wide range of services under one roof. This gives us the marketing advantage of enticing the pet owner by combining services into packages of better value and quality.

Mission Statement

Happy Tails’ Pet Hotel and Day Spa strives to be a place of unsurpassed quality; where the loving pet owner can achieve serenity of mind in knowing their animal friends will be given the finest care for their body, mind and spirit.

Summary of business activity to date

To date, $364,700 dollars has been contributed through the partnership agreement. A board of advisors has established a mission statement and chosen a director, a manager, and laid the framework for the design and operation of the hotel and its image. The director has rented a suitable building and hired a firm to complete renovations by the end of June, 2008. Banking and insurance services have been set up through BMO Bank. A finance and marketing firm, she hired, has developed the services’ pricing plan and options for marketing. A website company has been hired to construct a company website. Print ads for newspaper, magazines and brochures have been developed. The manager is developing schedules for the implementation of services, plus has started interviews for staffing positions.

Location and facilities

The Happy Tails’ Pet Hotel and Day Spa is located in Westmount. The building rented has three stories above ground and a full basement. Each floor is approximately 1,500 square feet. The basement will have open rooms for dogs to mingle in play groups and for exercising on bad weather days and during the winter. The ground floor consists of reception, boutique, and spa areas for grooming, pedicures, and massage. As well, there is office space, a kitchen, and rooms for ill animals and on-call veterinarian services. Outside at the rear is a large green private play area for canines. The second floor is exclusively accommodation for dogs. The rooms are broken up into 20 Cozy Comfort Accommodations, 20 Deluxe Rooms, and 4 Executive Pleasure Suites. The third floor will house the cattery with the same amount of Cozy Comfort Accommodations, Deluxe Rooms and Executive Pleasure Suites as the dogs. There will also be a play room for the guests to climb, play, scratch, and mingle with other cats. There is also separate ventilation for dogs, cats, and executive suites.

II.Description of Products/Services

Product/Service uniqueness

The standard idea of paid pet accommodation is a kennel. Images of chain link fences, bare cement floors, and confused animals wondering how they ended up caged. Happy Tails’ Pet Hotel and Day Spa aims to change this image to what it should be. Of pets relaxing on comfortable beds in spacious well appointed rooms, joining play groups, and being pampered by a professional and loving staff.

The strength of our services is in the variety which allows us to attract clients with a distinct menu of service packages that can be custom tailored to the customers’ needs. The menu of services can be broken down into four main categories: hotel, daycare, spa, and boutique.