Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brett Furlong. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Brett, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. When you’ve been a professional in an industry for long enough, you’ll experience an industry-wide U-Turn, an instance where the consensus completely flips upside down or where the “best practices” completely change. If you’ve experienced such a U-Turn over the course of your professional career, we’d love to hear about it.

One of the biggest industry-wide U-turns I’ve experienced was during COVID. Almost overnight, most international airlines stopped flying. Qantas, for example, didn’t fly into the U.S. for eight or nine months, which meant we had zero ability to move pets to Australia.

Domestically, it wasn’t any better. United and Delta — two of our main pet-carrying airlines — stopped flying pets entirely. United had roughly 70% of the U.S. pet-travel market before COVID, so losing them was a huge industry shift. They still haven’t fully come back, and Delta now only handles a bit of military work.

During that time, we were holding monthly Zoom calls with clients just to share whatever scraps of information we could get from airlines. I even flew to Dallas to meet with American Airlines and essentially plead with them to keep flying pets. Thankfully, they did — but losing two out of our three major carriers was a massive U-turn that changed both our industry and our operations.

Brett, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I’ve always traveled for humanitarian work — Haiti after the earthquake, New York City after 9/11, Africa during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Albania during the Kosovo crisis, and others. Being on the ground during those moments teaches you how travel works when life is completely upside down. Pets are always part of that equation, part of what people are trying to figure out when everything else is falling apart.

When I came into Starwood, my goal was to raise the bar in pet travel. My dogs aren’t “just dogs” — they’re family members — and I believe our clients feel the same. Historically, pet travel operated under a “no news is good news” mentality, and that’s never been good enough for me. I wanted to pull back the curtain on the entire process and help customers understand exactly what’s happening at every step.

That’s taken me all over the world — meeting agents, walking through cargo facilities, meeting airlines on the ground, and making sure every location we use is safe. A simple rule guides me: if I wouldn’t send my own pets through a facility, we’re not sending yours either.

Starwood became the first company to really look at the entire ecosystem of pet travel — airlines, governments, handling groups, cargo facilities — and work with all of them to push safety and transparency forward as pets become even more central to our families.

One of the things I’m most proud of is our Pet Travel Portal. It gives clients the ability to see their pet’s move visually, track steps in real time, and complete their part on their own schedule — even if that’s midnight. Pet moves are complex, but the portal makes the process clearer and more manageable than it has ever been before.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I think Starwood’s reputation has grown because we’ve always aimed to sit at the intersection of great technology and great customer support. As we’ve scaled, we’ve been able to invest in a team large enough to focus on both sides — continually improving our tech while continually improving the customer experience.

Our reviews tell that story. The volume has grown, but so has the number of five-star reviews. Customers repeatedly highlight the care, communication, and hands-on support they receive, and that consistency has really strengthened our reputation in a crowded market.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Our best source of new clients is marketing. Pet travel is similar to the wedding industry — most people only use a pet relocation service once. That means we can’t rely on repeat business; we need a constant pipeline of new customers.
So marketing, brand reputation, and reviews are crucial. Pet travel is an emotional decision, and reviews heavily influence who people choose. There are also a lot of scams in the space, so standing out as a trustworthy, transparent company is essential.

Clients often develop a strong bond with their Pet Relocation Coordinator (their PRC), and because of that relationship, they’re more willing to leave reviews. That connection has helped our review volume and our word-of-mouth presence grow significantly.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.starwoodpet.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/starwoodpettravel/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwoodpettravel/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/starwood-pet-travel
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVmrccPjeiGGxXjNSfDaeAw