Man's best friend and his pals get a paw in the hotel door

While the majority of star-rated hotels in China continue to ban pets, a growing number of economy hotels and homestay service providers have begun to open their doors to man's best friend and other family companion animals.

Data from the Chinese Pet Industry White Paper of 2017 - jointly released by Pet Fair Asia and Goumin, an online portal tailor-made to pet owners - shows the number of pets in China increased to 168 million last year from less than 10,000 in 2010.

About 17 percent of Chinese families keep pets, according to the report.