The Atrium Hotel will be the first in Western Australia to offer accommodation for furry friends. From Tuesday, April 2 guests will be able to book in with their dogs as part of a two-week trial. In an interview with the Mandurah Mail, Atrium marketing manager Jacob Goodlich said the hotel was committed to "progressing with the times and meeting customers' expectations". "Pet culture is different now - when I was a kid a dog was just 'the dog' and now he's a member of the family or 'fur baby'," he said. "Being part of the family means travelling with the family and being in the family photos. "People want to travel with their pets, even if just being practical and wanting to save money on kennels." The Atrium Hotel, which will celebrate its 36th birthday this year, will allow smaller dogs under 20 kilograms to stay on only the fourth floor of the building. Based on the two-week trial, management will assess if they will allow larger dogs in the future. The pet policy comes after new management took over the operation of the hotel in August, 2018. Read more: RSPCA in depth: How the not-for-profit charity is dealing with an increase in WA animal cruelty Mr Goodlich said the idea was inspired by the pet travel industry in North America and Europe. "We are way behind North America and Europe when it comes to this and we are simply trying to progress with the times," he said. "It's often mutually beneficial because hotels can capitalise by up selling with pet menus, pet beds, pet merchandise and so on." Mr Goodlich said they have had an "overwhelming response" from the public following the announcement. "It's been mostly positive, and a small percentage negative. This is expected as sometimes the Australian public can be averse to change, but often it's a knee jerk reaction or a misunderstanding," he said. "We have written extensive guidelines within our pet policy to ensure that everyone is happy with no compromise, never forgetting that we are a hotel first and guests are here to have a pleasant stay. "The main concern has been regarding allergies and we are looking into new cleaning equipment that removes allergens. "We also hope to provide guests with a friendly 'etiquette', along the lines of using their common sense, asking non dog owners if its okay to get in the elevators with them and things like that. "We can't wait to see fur babies accompanying guests at the hotel and look forward to the positive energy that will bring." For more information, visit the Atrium Hotel Mandurah Facebook page.