A hotel in Wuhan, China, is allowing guests to rent a dog for the night, offering companionship for 499 yuan (£51). The Country Garden Phoenix Hotel provides trained golden retrievers, huskies and West Highland terriers to stay in guests' rooms, with the service launched quietly in July and now attracting over 300 sign-ups in its first weeks, according to general manager Mr Dong.
The scheme taps into China's booming pet economy, where urban pet supplies reached 300.2bn yuan (£30bn) in 2024, up 7.5 per cent year-on-year, as reported by The Global Times. The number of urban pets has climbed to 124 million, with the market projected to hit 400bn yuan (£41bn) by 2027, per the China Pet Industry White Paper 2025.
Guests must book a 'pet-themed' room and sign an agreement before selecting their dog for the night. The hotel currently employs ten dogs, all chosen for their calm temperament and trained to follow basic commands, with health and behavioural assessments conducted beforehand. One anonymous traveller said: 'I was initially concerned that the puppy might be too energetic. But it was gentle and well-behaved. The moment I called its name, it came running.'
For owner Ms Fang, who sent her 14-month-old Samoyed Naicha to the hotel, the programme offers a solution for dogs left alone at home. She previously used pet cafés to keep Naicha stimulated, but the hotel now sends her videos of Naicha interacting with guests and staff. 'Left alone at home, Naicha will get restless, chew furniture and need an energy outlet,' she explained.
However, legal experts caution that hotels bear full liability for any harm caused by the dogs unless guests act with gross negligence or deliberately provoke them, according to lawyer Du Xingyue of Shanghai Yingdong Law Firm. They advise professional trainers, improved staff emergency readiness and thorough temperament assessments. The trend reflects a broader shift, with pets outnumbering children under four in China as of 2024, and one in eight urban residents owning a pet, according to a Goldman Sachs report cited by Xinhua.
