Orlando Hotel Welcomes 900 Dogs And Their Families During Hurricane

As Hurricane Irma approached Florida, many families in areas that were supposed to be heavily affected decided that the safest thing to do would be to evacuate and check into a hotel somewhere. Of course, many of these families also had pets, and none of them wanted to leave their beloved furbabies behind — and one hotel was happy to welcome anyone and everyone running from the storm, pets and all. 

The Hyatt Regency Orlando always considers itself pet-friendly, but it took that policy to the next level when it welcomed over 900 dogs and other pets, along with their families, to take shelter from the hurricane. The hotel typically has policies in place to handle guests with pets, but it made some amendments to those policies in order to make things easier for the stranded families. 

“We proudly welcomed over 4,500 guests and over 900 dogs during Hurricane Irma,” Katie Satava, marketing manager at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, told The Dodo. “Our property is typically pet-friendly and we issue a $150 cleaning charge for guests traveling with pets. With Hurricane Irma, we lowered the cleaning fee to $50 due to the circumstances. We have dog-walking stations located in areas outside of our hotel, but with the winds and heavy rains we conveniently moved these stations to right outside of the lobby doors, beyond the valet, for guests to take their animals out with minimal effects from the elements.”

Everyone staying at the hotel greatly appreciated how accommodating the hotel was, and at any given moment during the storm, dozens of pets could be seen hanging out in the lobby, happily making new friends and enjoying their impromptu vacations. 

Most of the pets staying at the hotel didn’t seem at all fazed by the storm, and actually seemed to be enjoying themselves … 

… and the staffers at the hotel seemed to enjoy having them around, too. 

Hurricane Irma caused some devastating damage and was stressful for many families living in Florida, but this hotel and others in the area were able to help make it all a little easier by making sure that no one had to leave their pets behind.