Published Papers
Canine Hospitality Research
Roch Dog produces the most rigorous research in canine hospitality: the data, the strategy and the academic work the category has never had. Every paper is published in full, with no paywall and no sign up form, because the industry only rises when the evidence is shared openly. Our work exists to elevate the field and to equip hotels with the best thinking around dogs and the people who travel with them. And when a hotel, group or brand needs something specific, we produce custom research on request.
Published research from Roch Dog on dog friendly hospitality. Covers industry performance data and portfolio level benchmarks, certification methodology and assessment criteria, and case studies of how hotel brands perform across the evaluation framework.
The Highest Margin Plate in the Hotel
A dedicated dog food menu now appears at Four Seasons, Cheval Blanc Paris and Virgin Hotels, served at human style prices. Modelled against real menu prices, a hotel dog main runs an 84 to 94 percent food cost margin, against 28 to 35 percent for the human room service beside it. Covers the unit economics, the supply and sponsorship models, and a veterinary grounded guide to building a dog menu safely.
The Coverage Gap in Dog Friendly Hospitality
Most hotels that welcome dogs carry a liability they do not know they have. Standard commercial general liability policies routinely exclude animal related incidents, and a review of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada finds no insurance product built for a dog friendly hotel. US insurers paid approximately $1.57 billion in dog related injury claims in 2024 at an average of $69,272 per claim. Sets out how the exclusion works, the four exposures it leaves open, what a hotel can assemble through its broker today, and the operational controls that make a property insurable.
The Million Dollar Mile
Operational and economic analysis of dog walking as a hotel ancillary service. Sets out the Roch luxury tier pricing model of $100 per ninety minute standard walk, $200 per ninety minute premium walk, and $800 for a stay bundle of ten. Models the in house FTE staffing economics, the gateway sale thesis into F&B and ancillary spend, and a 90 day build plan. A 250 room urban luxury hotel building dog walking in house generates net annual contribution above $591,000 from a service line that did not exist twelve months earlier.
A Fair Deal for Pet Owners: Rebuilding Trust in Hotel Pet Fees
A 2026 industry diagnostic on how hotel pet fees work, why the current model is failing consumers, regulators, and hotels at the same time, and what workable reform looks like. Documents the FTC Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees, the Texas Attorney General settlements with Hyatt, Marriott, and Hilton, and the state transparency statutes in California, Virginia, Colorado, Oregon, Connecticut, Minnesota, and Massachusetts. Closes with an invitation to a voluntary Pet Fee Transparency Framework.
How "Pet Friendly" Hotel Awards Mislead Millions of Pet Owners
Analysis of major pet friendly hotel award schemes including TripAdvisor and USA Today. Evaluates award winners against a structured 31 criteria framework. TripAdvisor's 2025 number one ranked pet friendly hotel enforces a 5kg weight limit. More than half of the top 20 winners publish no pet policy. Introduces verified dog friendly certification as a new category.
Nobody Trusts Pet Friendly
US search interest in "pet friendly hotel" fell 19% between 2022 and 2025 while "dog friendly hotel" rose. This paper documents the trust collapse behind the migration: a decade of linked guest complaints across four continents, survey data from Wag and Mars, the Hong Kong government's admission that no definition of pet-friendly exists, and Roch Dog's assessment of 3,000+ hotels, of which 49% score D or F. Concludes with the case for a defined, independently verified standard.
Dog Friendly Performance in Luxury Hotel Portfolios
Assessment of dog friendly performance across 30 InterContinental Hotels and Resorts properties under RDFS-02. Documents the 57 point scoring spread within a single luxury brand, with 61% of properties rated D or F. Estimates unrealised revenue at $2.3M per property.
"Pet Friendly" Doesn't Translate
A 20 language analysis of how hotels write, translate, and deploy dog friendly policy language across 56 countries. Identifies a universal three tier pattern in every language studied and documents what the gap between marketing language and operational reality costs the industry.
The Economics of Dog Friendly Hospitality
Economic analysis of dog friendly hospitality as a revenue strategy. Models incremental revenue of $2.3 million per property from structured dog friendly programmes, with an 8 to 16 day payback period. Draws on assessment data from 3,000+ hotels and a controlled case study of 30 InterContinental properties.
The Hidden Cost of Travelling With Your Dog
A data driven investigation into hotel pet fees across 3,000+ hotels in 56 countries. Finds that 87% of hotels charge a pet fee with no consistent relationship between fee amount and service quality. Includes housekeeper survey data, damage cost analysis, and regional fee comparisons.