Feeling Paw-Sitive After 10 Years

LONGCROFT LUXURY CAT HOTEL: FEELING PAW-SITIVE AFTER 10 YEARS

It’s a unique and unprecedented time for all of us at the moment. Not least for local business woman and entrepreneur Abi Purser. Like so many business owners, the founder of the Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel franchise has experienced a time of great uncertainty for her business. But she feels fortunate that the hotel franchise she has built, with her huge passion and unrelenting hard work over the past decade, is still going from strength to strength.

Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel is continuing to succeed and grow, at this, it’s 10th
anniversary, and despite the challenges of the current global pandemic. Cat lover Abi founded Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel Group after recognising the demand for a higher standard of feline boarding in the UK. Longcroft is the UK’s first luxury hotel group for
cats. Since the first hotel was founded in Welwyn Garden City in 2010, the company has grown rapidly thanks to its revolutionary approach to cat boarding, placing animal welfare at its heart.

Abi’s outlook is positive: “I believe Longcroft’s continued success and resilience at this
difficult time is down to our absolute focus on quality and commitment to animal welfare.
Our customers share this passion for feline care and so have remained very loyal to us. Although many customers had to cancel holidays and trips away earlier this year, gradually, as people have been changing and rescheduling their plans, they have returned to us. They still see Longcroft as the ideal choice for their beloved pussycats – that hasn’t changed, we truly appreciate this and are delighted to welcome them back!”

“The pandemic has actually sparked a big growth in pet ownership in the UK, as people
understandably crave the love and affection that animals like cats can bring. Pets can help us to make the most of time spent at home. And that’s fantastic, as long as those pets receive the quality of care they deserve! Owning cats is enormously rewarding – they are affectionate and loyal and bring enormous comfort to people of all ages. I often feel proud that my customers entrust me with caring for their precious feline friends and that they see Longcroft as a second home from home for their beautiful pussycats”.

 As founder of Longcroft, Abi has always been passionate about driving forward higher
standards of feline boarding. Abi opened the very first hotel in the garden of her home in Welwyn Garden City in 2010. She developed the concept for the first five-star luxury cat hotel after struggling to find suitable accommodation for her own beloved cat, Norman. She felt that the industry approach to cat boarding was outdated. Cats were too often housed in cramped and unhygienic conditions with insufficient enrichment. Owners often struggled to find adequate care for their beloved pets when they went away.

Abi still runs the boutique cat hotel in Welwyn today but she also runs the successful
franchise business. There are currently 22 Longcroft Cat Hotels in the UK, which all follow the Longcroft model, and more are in the pipeline. The most recent addition is ‘Longcroft Romsey’ in Hampshire which opened just last month and is already receiving lots of bookings and rave reviews.

Abi was delighted to attend the hotel’s Grand Opening event on 20th September, along with MP Caroline Nokes and Longcroft Romsey owners Georgie Taylor-Darke and Chris Darke.

The experience Longcroft offers is designed to be as close to the feline guests’ home life as possible and provides one-on-one tailored care for each guest. Every detail is expertly and meticulously planned with animal welfare at the forefront of every decision.

This gives owners complete confidence and peace of mind, particularly those who might not have considered using a cattery in the past due to the stereotypical poor standards of hygiene and care within some parts of the industry.

Longcroft’s five-star, fully licensed accommodation offers each feline their very own climate-controlled bedroom, leading onto a private, safe garden play area, complete with multi-storey viewing platforms. Each suite provides the highest standards of hygiene and luxury, which includes Longcroft’s bespoke wrought iron cat beds with soft pillows.

Hotels put owners’ minds at rest by sending them regular updates and photographs of their feline friends enjoying their kitty retreats. Longcroft offers a tailored service with a host of expert knowledge.

Each hotel owner is fully trained in administering medication such as tablets and even complex medical conditions such as diabetes in cats are catered for. Care packages specifically designed for rescue and nervous cats are offered, coupled with breed specific care for pedigrees such as Persians, British Shorthairs and Sphynx cats, who all require either regular grooming or specialist care and a very different approach to Domestic Shorthairs.

Alongside this, Longcroft also offers a fully insured transport service. Abi’s success and unique approach has been recognised with countless awards and she is regularly featured in the press. Most recently this included winning ‘Entrepreneur of the Year’ in the National Grand Final of the SME Business Awards 2019, held at Wembley Stadium.
She is also proud to hold a position on the board of directors at the Pet Industry Federation (PIF).

 The PIF is the membership association for pet industry specialists in the UK and represents all types of businesses in the pet industry. Abi brings her expertise to this role and assists the PIF in spearheading best practice and improving standards throughout the pet care sector.

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