Roch launches industry standard to end "dog-friendly" confusion in hotels

PALO ALTO, Calif. - Jan. 23, 2026 - PRLog -- Roch Dog, the standards body for dog-friendly hotels, has today published the 2026 Dog Friendly Standard (RDS-01) and opened a defined industry and public review process. With dog-accompanied travel at an all-time high, the absence of a shared definition has contributed to "pet-washing", where dog-friendly labels are used without delivering a consistent on-the-ground experience.

The Dog Friendly Standard (RDS-01) defines "dog-friendly" in clear, practical terms based on real operating conditions, covering arrival, shared spaces, room set-up, fees, restrictions, and basic welfare provisions. The aim is clarity, consistency, and credibility in dog-friendly hotel claims, enabling operators to distinguish genuine provision from generic "pet-friendly" positioning, and helping travellers make informed choices.

The standard responds to long-standing ambiguity in how "pet-friendly" and "dog-friendly" are used across the market. This ambiguity creates avoidable friction for operators and uncertainty for guests, particularly where policies and restrictions only become clear on arrival.

The review process is open, time-limited, and structured. Hotel owners and operators, hotel groups, hospitality professionals, industry bodies, dog-owning travellers, and other interested parties are invited to read the standard and submit feedback until 7 March 2026. Submissions will be reviewed as part of the finalisation process, and feedback will be published alongside the final outcome.

The founder of Roch Dog, Guise Bule, said: "The Dog Friendly Standard is an attempt to describe dog-friendly hospitality as it is actually experienced by guests, rather than as a marketing label. This review process is designed to test the standard in the open and publish a clear record of that process."

The Standard is now publicly available at https://rochdog.com/standard/dog-friendly-standard.

Feedback can be submitted to standards@rochdog.com as part of the formal review process.