Westin Manila’s Pup Club Program knows pet dogs deserve the VIP treatment as much as you do!
Filipinos are crazy over their pets. Go to the mall and you’ll see more pups than babies in strollers. Pet events, products, ads are everywhere. A pet invasion isn’t imminent—it is already here and is likely to stay. I’m not complaining and I know you’re not, too.
We even have hard data to back these claims up. Even before the pandemic, pet ownership has seen a steady rise in the country. A survey by Rakuten Insight, for instance, revealed that the Philippines had the highest pet ownership rate in Asia as early as 2018 at 83%.
The rise in the number of Filipino pet owners has fueled substantial growth in the country’s pet industry, bringing with it a promising outlook. A study by Mordor Intelligence projects that the pet food market in the country will expand from an estimated P16 billion in 2024 to a staggering P37 billion by 2029.
Filipinos going loco over their furbabies has prompted businesses outside the pet industry to increasingly adopt a pet-friendly approach. This shift is unmissable. Many establishments from malls to restaurants, hotels to resorts have already put in place policies and measures that are more accommodating to pets.
One of the biggest players in the hospitality industry that have fully embraced a dog-friendly ethos is Westin Manila in Ortigas Center, Mandaluyong. From a successful dog menu, the hotel has recently expanded its pet-friendly offerings to include a full-fledged membership program for your furry pal who rightfully deserves his or her own pawsome experiences.
A world-class hotel’s paw-ssion project
Last Saturday, Oct 12, Westin Manila gathered members of the media who are also furparents for the launch of its Pup Club MemBARKship Program. The program, which has perks for furmilies, comes a little more than a year after the hotel introduced its popular A La Bark menu. The menu, which has gained a loyal following since its inception, was a finalist at the prestigious 2024 Virtus Awards last October 10.
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In a conversation with The POST, Westin Manila’s director of Operations Grace Weihrauch and Meghann Hernandez, the hotel’s marketing and communications manager, shared how the idea of having a dog membership program took off from the success of the A La Bark menu.
“We noticed there’s a lot of fur parents who would come. We also noticed that we have some requests for celebrations like “barkdays” or just a get together of their fur friends. They meet up here and that’s when we realized there’s really a market,” Grace said.
“It’s nice that we are able to accommodate (these requests) and we’re able to offer something else aside from the A La Bark menu,” added Meghann.
Grace and Meghann said that the A La Bark menu wasn’t even initially part of the hotel’s plan. “Let’s just try. And then we came up with a campaign where we really visualized everything, not just the dog menu, but the whole experience of bonding with your dog. Then it clicked,” Meghann recounted.
“Even with hotel stays, we have a lot of takers. So we came up with in-room dining, so the A La Bark Menu can also be ordered in your room,” Grace added. “We have dog-friendly floors and we also have a totally different set of amenities to welcome the dog who will be staying with us.” They shared that for pups checking in, they are assured of their own “heavenly beds” just like their humans.
“It’s so nice because we see families bond together. We thought, how else can we support them in their journey as fur parents in our own way,” said Meghann. “So we thought of the MemBARKship Program coming from that.”
Westin Manila executive chef Rej Casanova came in just as the conversation was veering toward the A La Bark menu. He echoed what Grace and Meghann said that the chefs who came up with the special menu are all dog lovers. “We scheduled a date for food tasting and invited dogs, para siyang VIP tasting for the dogs,” chef Rej shared with a chuckle. “We wanted to check if the dogs will really eat (the food) and there will be no reaction and it’s safe for consumption. Kasi very sensitive sila.”
Asked how long it took for them to come up with the menu, chef Rej said that it had been quite easy because it’s connected with their brand’s commitment to healthy eating. In fact, ‘eat well’ is one of the six pillars of the Westin brand together with ‘feel well,’ ‘work well,’ ‘move well,’ ‘sleep well, and ‘play well.’
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“The food we made for the dogs are also aligned with the brand,” he further explained. “The exciting part was coming up with the names (for the food). We got all excited. It was a collaborative effort.”
“Masaya talaga siya,” Meghann chimed in. “It’s really a ‘paw-ssion’ project.”
An afternoon of well deserved pawmpering
The launch of Westin Manila’s MemBARKship Program saw several dogs—including my beloved Peanut—gathered together on a rainy Saturday afternoon to enjoy not only the hotel’s A La Bark menu but also the whole suite of perks to which membarks are entitled.
The intimate gathering started with the food tasting (We don’t want them furbabies going hangry!), where the doggos had their fill of all the four items on the A La Bark menu. There’s Bibimbark, which is a medley of chicken and veggies, Beef & Broccoli, Eggs Hors D’oeuvres, and Woofaccino, a cup of beef broth with light whipped cream.
Peanut loved the Bibimbark and Beef & Broccoli best and downed two plates of both dishes before I knew it. He also relished licking the Woofaccino and almost finished the whole cup which was like a medium-sized order of soda.
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With bellies full, each VIPup got to try the perks included in the Pup Club MemBARKship Program. Peanut, for instance, tasted the tarts of Furry Flour which I designed for him. He also had a shiny new name tag made for him by Pawtastic PH.
I loved how he also had his photos taken with my son Nico—his other human—courtesy of A Studios. To cap off his afternoon of pawmpering, he had his ears deep cleaned and nails trimmed by the friendly kuyas of Picture Pawfect. Membarks such as Peanut can also avail of discounts at all branches of Pet Lovers Centre.
Fur-parents must first enroll in Marriott Bonvoy before enrolling their pet dog in the Pup Club MemBARKship Program at The Westin Manila. Registration for both is free and your fur pal gets his or her own membership card, too.
A Studios.
Humans can get member-exclusive room rates at The Westin Manila. Upon enrolling their pet dogs in the Pup Club MemBARKship Program, they can book a stay and enjoy a P1,000 discount on the cleaning fee.
Other Pup Club benefits at The Westin Manila include a 10% discount on food and beverage, including the A La Bark menu, applicable with a minimum spend of P1,000. Fur-parents also earn Marriott Bonvoy points for A La Bark orders. On your dog’s registered barkday, he gets a complimentary pupcake as he or she should.
For more information about the registration, terms, conditions, and benefits, visit . Membership is exclusive to dogs for now.
Visit www.westinmanilahotel.com to learn about the hotel’s services and facilities. For inquiries and other reservations, contact +632 8256 2020 or westinmanila@westin.com. Follow @westinmanilahotel on Facebook and Instagram for updates and announcements.
