anyoftheirfour-leggedguests,claimingthey’re
easiertolookafterthantheirhumancompanions.
“Dogsdon’tcomplain,”jokestheIrishman,who
sayshefoundit confrontingwhenhefirstmoved
toAustraliatodiscoverdogswerenotwelcomein
manypubs,cafésandhotels.
“Anyonewho’stakingtheirdogtoa hotelgenerally
hasa gooddog,sotherehaven’tbeenanydramas.
In 18 months,we’vehadonepersonwho’ssaid‘I
don’tlikehavingdogsaround.’Butyoucan’tplease
100 percentofpeople, 100 percentofthetime.”
WhenWilburarrivesat thePortStephensresort,
theseven-year-oldGoldenRetrieveris givena rock
star’swelcomeandfindshimselfcontinuouslystopped
forcuddlesfrombothstaffandguests.Atonepoint,
a toddlercurlsupnexttohimforanafternoon
napbythepool.Andwhenit comestodinnertime,
Wilburis welcomedontotheterraceoutsideRick
Stein’srestaurant,wherehehappilydozeswhile
hishumansenjoya feastoffreshseafood.
Bannisterskeepsit simplewhenit comestoits
petoffering,providinga pet-friendlyroomwitheasy
accesstograssedareas.Ownersareresponsiblefor
bringingtheirownfood,bowlsandbeddingfortheir
caninecompanions.
Otherhotelsoffermoreelaborateservices,
includingin-roomdiningfordogs,aswellaspet-sitting
servicesandeven,inthecaseofZagame’sHousein
Melbourne,pet-friendlywinetourstotheYarraValley.
The Carlton boutique hotel introduced its fur-friendlyA
s thesunbeginstobreakthrough
theearly-morningcloudoverPort
Stephens,anenergeticgameoftagis
takingplaceonBannisters’backlawn.
It’sbeenlessthan 24 hours
sinceWilburfirstmetWinston
andClementine,butthey’vealreadybecome
firmfriends,chasingafteroneanothergleefully
asfellowguestswatchon,smiling.
It wouldbea fairlytypicalsceneat mostfamily
resorts,butforonesmalldetail:Wilburandhis
newpalsaredogs,eachstayinginoneoftheresort’s
threedog-friendlyrooms.
Locatedonthegroundfloor,theroomsopenup
directlyontoa grassyknollthatseparatestheresort
fromSoldiersPointbeach,wheredogscanbewalked
onleashat anytime.Just 10 minutes’drivetotheeast,
BagnallsBeachis a designatedoff-leasharea,where
dogscanswimandplaytotheirheart’scontent.
Fordog-loverslookingtoenjoya weekendescape
withtheirfour-leggedfriends,it’stheperfectlocation.
And,whileBannisterswasoneofAustralia’sfirstluxury
propertiestowelcomedogs,it’spartofa growing
movement,asmoreandmorepremiumhotelierssee
thebenefitinofferingpet-friendlyaccommodation.
TheRSPCAreports 70 percentofGenerationZ
(thoseaged 18 to24)owna pet,whilemorethanhalf
ofallcatanddogownersconsidertheirpetstobe
a memberofthefamily.Withmorethan4.2million
petdogsinAustralia,it’slittlewonderhotelshave
realisedthegrowingdemandforquality,pet-friendly
accommodation.Therealsurpriseis howlongit’s
takenfortheindustrytorespond.
SinceopeninginNovember2018,Bannisters
hasseena steadystreamofcaninevisitors,withtheir
pet-friendlyroomsconsistentlybookedout.General
manager Pete Bacon says they’ve had no issues with142 GOURMET TRAVELLER
PHOTOGRAPHY KONRAD KASISKE (BANNISTERS & SOLDIERS POINT JETTY).