Teresa Johnston, a hotel director in D’Iberville, Mississippi, wants to make sure that their guests feel at home while staying at Home2 Suites by Hilton. Though they are complete with amenities and special services, she thought of bringing pets to complete the establishment’s overall homey experience.
According to Teresa, she noticed that some of the guests were missing something. She felt like they needed a companion, so she thought of letting shelter dogs into the hotel.
The team partnered with a local shelter that started a project named “Fostering Hope.” They let the hotel take in homeless dogs so their guests can walk, feed, and play with their new buddies during their stay.
The best thing about this initiative is that the guests can adopt these dogs right from the hotel! Once a dog is adopted, another pup gets taken in so other guests can have their companion.
Fostering Hope started last October 2018 and has already rehomed more than sixty dogs with the help of Home2 Suites by Hilton. The hotel employees are also encouraged to adopt a pet from the program.
Vincent Nargot, a front desk officer at the hotel, got his sixth dog named Chico through the program. When he first saw Chico come into the hotel, he immediately thought of keeping him.
As soon as the dogs walked in, Teresa told Vincent to prepare the $50 adoption fee. It was evident that the young man wanted to adopt Chico at that moment. Three other hotel staff also fell in love with some of the foster pups and took them to their homes.
Having dogs at the hotel does not only make the guests happy, but it also makes their employees’ work environment stress-free. Teresa hopes that other hotels follow their lead so more stray dogs can find their forever homes. Check the video below to understand more about their program!
Video credit: Youtube WCNC