Pet Hamper, the Preston-based business which specialises in luxury toys and treats, has been recognised as the hotel industry’s favourite supplier at the Hoteliers Choice Awards.

The category attracted hundreds of nominations, with a panel of expert judges selecting the shortlist and the public voting for their overall winners.

Pet Hamper was launched during the Covid-19 pandemic when co-founder Mark Jackson was unable to find suitably special gifts for his friends and their pets – so he set up his own online shop.

The business immediately proved popular with customers and soon secured a number of agreements with corporations - including a string of hotels which now offer Pet Hamper gifts to their guests.

Pet Hamper works with venues including the Prince Akatoki London, The Elms Hotel & Spa, The Corner London and the Everything Retreat as well as PetsPyjamas, the booking platform which helps owners find and book pet-friendly holidays.

With more than half of UK households now owning pets and more than a third saying they’d rather stay home than holiday without their pets, a growing number of hotels are becoming pet-friendly destinations.

By supplying a range of gifts, from individual fun toys and healthy treats to hand-picked hampers wrapped in beautiful packaging with bespoke branding and colourways, Pet Hamper is helping these hotels deliver a level of luxury for their animal guests previously reserved only for humans.

The idea has been such a game-changer for the hospitality sector that Pet Hamper has now won the Hoteliers Choice Award as the industry’s favourite supplier. The prize includes a £5,000 stand and marketing package at the Independent Hotel Show London, taking place on October 16-17 at Olympia London.

The judges of the award included editors from Boutique Hotelier magazine, Condé Nast and the chief executive of Pride of Britain.

Among those championing the case for Pet Hamper was Petra Clayton, chief executive of hospitality marketing experts Custard, who said: “Everyone loves animals, so I was instantly drawn in and loved the personalised touch using their dog Barney. 

“Pet Hamper is a proper British business, doing something very simple but relevant, especially now.”

Peter Hancock, the host of the awards, agreed, saying: “Hoteliers know that the way to pet-lovers hearts is to delight their pets!”

Mark Jackson said: “It’s been a whirlwind journey from launching the business just a few years ago, to starting to work with all these incredible hotels, to now winning this national award against some fierce competition.

“Our goal is to make pets and their owners happy and that’s really resonated with the UK public - especially the hotel sector. We’re thrilled and proud to have won, and we can’t wait to take up our place at the Independent Hotel Show London which is a great opportunity for us to meet many more hotels and grow our business even further.”

Pet Hamper products are available to buy online at pethamper.co.uk or at the company’s first-ever store, opened this summer, on Lytham Road in Preston.