In Conversation with Ishmeet Singh Chandiok, Founder of Harley’s Corner

What factors do niche pet food brands in India attribute to the increasing demand from hotels and resorts seeking partnerships with them?

The fact that the demographic of the discerning pet parent has changed over the last 10 years, has given rise to how hotels treat pets and how they look at different ways to welcome them. The hotels realize that if they do not cater to the pet’s needs then the pet parents who have the disposable income and the willingness to be able to spend it on star properties will no longer visit them. Management teams in hotels have realized that this is a very large and growing demographic and that catering to them is of the utmost importance. Thus, these hotels are reaching out to novel brands that offer healthy products which reflect their same vision and virtues to partner with them to be able to provide quality pet food for their guests and their guest pets.

Can you elaborate on the variety of pet food offerings, from puppy food to therapeutic options, that hotels are providing to meet the diverse needs of traveling pet owners?

Currently hotels offer regular meals and treats to the dogs of their guests. I personally feel that the entire pet menu will grow over the period of the next couple of years as pet parents will travel with pets who also might be puppies hence would require specialized puppy food or would be senior dogs who would require a particular kind of diet. As these numbers of pets who travel and stay at hotels grow, the hotels will start enhancing and expanding their pet menu. It is key for hotels that the pet menu and the products offered have a substantial shelf life without using any preservatives, which a very few number of brands in India can actually boast of, and thus will be able to offer their guests and their pets quality products when they check in.

What feedback have hotels and resorts received from guests regarding the availability of pet-friendly amenities, including specialized pet food, during their stays this summer school holiday season?

So a lot of guests have actually been very impressed with the fact that certain hotel chains are actually catering to their pet’s needs. The fact that they are being thought of, especially in terms of the needs of their pets. The fact that we now provide our homestyle food range to over 26 Taj hotels across the country and that their orders are repeating at a much quicker frequency, goes to prove that pet parents are really appreciating these gestures by hotels and are actually consuming the products at a far higher rate than probably ever before in history.

In what ways do partnerships between hotels and niche pet food brands contribute to enhancing the overall guest experience for pet owners, and what trends are emerging from this collaboration?

I think it is very important for hotel chains to be able to look at brands that mirror the same values and ethics. Working with the Taj is of great pride and immense pleasure for us as we always believe that the Tatas as a larger multinational company always have their customers well-being in mind.

Thus, the partnership with the Tatas is very special for us because all we have in mind is the need that pet parents get a chance to be able to feed their dogs 100% human grade, healthy, preservative free and well thought of and formulated dog food. The entire reason we got into this business was to enhance the lives of dogs by giving them great food thus making them healthier and happier.

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