FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — She’s energetic, loves people and is eager to learn on her first-ever job. Just seeing her going about her duties makes her co-workers smile.
All she demands is a few pats on the head, a bed on the sales office floor and as many treats as she can eat.
Meet Sandy, one of the newest employees at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A 40-pound exuberant black Labrador retriever, she joins the pack roaming inns, hotels and luxury resorts across the globe.
Their titles may be different: “canine ambassador,” “director of pet relations” or, in Sandy’s case, simply “mascot.” But their mission is the same: to give guests a taste of home, ease travel stress with a wag of the tail, and set their hotel apart from the competition.
“When Sandy started here, we had immediate positive reaction. Within two or three days, we saw a post on Trip Advisor from a guest, talking about her,” said Pam Cook, membership sales director for The Club, a program allowing non-guests to use the resort’s amenities and receive discounts. She also owns 6-month-old Sandy, who lives in Pompano Beach with Cook’s family and her canine parents.
Christopher Bielski, the resort’s director of sales and marketing, said when there’s a tough problem or ruffled feelings to deal with, the staff jokes: Go get the dog. “We’ve been surprised that the employees have benefited from Sandy as well as the guests,” he said.
Cook was the one who proposed having Harbor Beach’s first four-legged employee, Bielski said, after her Labs had a nine-puppy litter earlier in the year. She drafted a detailed proposal that included how the then-unnamed dog would be trained, the benefits for guests and the resort, and costs.
It probably didn’t hurt that the submission included an adorable photo of an eight-week, sloe-eyed doggy labeled as “pup.” “Management loved it,” Bielski said. Harbor Beach employees held a contest in May, when pup started work, and the name Sandy won.
It fits. “Sandy sure loves the beach,” said Cook, taking her for a walk on her lunch break. The dog bolted across the sand, startling a cluster of conference-goers who perhaps had been expecting a cabana attendant bearing drinks versus a puppy wearing a bright red monogrammed vest.
“So sweet!” cooed Claudia Lopez, 26, a therapist from Miami who has a Labrador of her own, as she touched Sandy’s head. “This is a nice surprise.”
Lopez’s friend and fellow therapist, Vanessa Cabrera of Miami, said she’s met Catie Copley, a black Lab who is a canine ambassador at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. Originally trained as a guide dog for the blind, Catie has been featured in two books and has her own email account for fans.
Fairmont has dogs in 10 hotels in Canada, the U.S. and Africa, many of them former service animals.
Hotel dogs “bring a smile to my face and make me happy,” said Cabrera, 28, as Sandy sat next to her.
Then the mascot was off for the rest of her day: a stop in Cook’s office where she has a bed and a box load of toys, then the 2:30 p.m. daily lemonade and cookie distribution, followed by greeting guests and photo ops in the lobby. Bielski said recently a departing guest, scrambling to make a flight, insisted she wasn’t leaving until she had her picture with Sandy.
“Who’s my baby, who’s my girl?” said Howard Rudolph, a club member regular, who came in to say hello as Sandy was finishing a power nap before her cookie appearance. She rushed over as Rudolph pulled dog treats out of a black waist bag that also held the oxygen canister feeding air to his damaged lungs.
A former Broward Sheriff’s deputy, Rudolph developed severe pulmonary and medical conditions after serving at the World Trade Center immediately following the 9-11 terror attack. Seeing Sandy, he said, is better for him than relaxing in a beach chair and listening to the sea.
“It brightens up my day and makes it easier for me to breathe,” said Rudolph, who has two service dogs at home. “There is no such thing as a bad day when you’re with a dog. I would have no problem if there was an official dog greeter at every Marriott.”
Sandy does not earn a salary, but her job perks include lots of attention, snacks and gifts from employees and guests. Cook is training her to become a certified therapy dog, and the resort plans to use her for community events like trips to children’s hospitals.
Officials with the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association said they did not know how many hotels in the Sunshine State have animal greeters or whether it was an industry trend.
However, Amy Burkert, founder of the GoPetFriendly.com website that promotes travel with animals, said she is seeing more lodging establishments with resident pets.
“Many hotel guests are traveling without their furry family members and it’s comforting for them to be able to pet a dog when they are missing their own,” Burkert said.
