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Pet pampering is a priority at these top hotels
By Keith Turner
July 18, 2008
We talk a lot about finding the right DogCar to shephard you and your crew on road trips, but the question remains: Once you get to where you are going, now what do you do?
Unless you are staying with a dog-loving friend, you will need to find lodging that welcomes your four-legged family members. Many hotels do allow pets — you can find their listings on several websites such as PetsWelcome.com and DogFriendly.com — so that’s an encouraging start to your trip.
But what about hotels that not only allow pets, but actually welcome them with open arms? Many hotels, including upscale ones like the Loews Hotel Chains and the W Hotels, offer extra puppy pampering to their special guests.
Now PetSide.com has come out with its Top 5 Pet-Friendly hotels in the entire nation, and rate them (by number of dog tags) according to the pet-pampering amenities each hotel has to offer.
Some of the packages include:
- Plush dog beds
- Special doggie meal menus
- Pet sitting and walking services
- and even in-room training by an award-winning animal behaviorist.
So pack up the pup in your designated DogCar and prepare to have her pampered at some of the finest facilities in the nation.
And don’t forget to check out Dr. Marty Becker’s summertime pet travel tips offered on Good Morning America’s GMA NOW.
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I’d also add Loew’s Miami Beach. When I stayed there — without dogs, alas — I was impressed with how pet-friendly the place was.
Comment by Gina Spadafori — July 18, 2008 @ 2:04 pm
Another great resource is PAW;Pet-friendly Accommodations Worldwide located on the web at http://www.luxurypaw.com. PAW is the only pet-friendly hotel booking engine to exclusively feature luxury (4-star or higher rated) pet-friendly hotel accommodations. Look for PAW online in August 2008.
Comment by janine2366 — July 19, 2008 @ 7:03 am
I would only caution that pet-related services often don’t quite match with the overall pet-“friendliness” (or should I make that “friendliness towards the owner?) of the hotel.
I readily admit that many dog owners aren’t as experienced as I am, nor to many dog owners have the same (high) standards that I have, when it comes to travel and accommodations. Most probably aren’t as militant, either. (blushing)
Many people do, indeed, travel with the kinds of poorly-behaved dogs most hotel pet policies mean to address. So these policies may make perfect sense to them. All dogs bark incessantly in a strange place or when someone knocks at the door, right? That’s why it’s reasonable to prohibit dogs from being left alone in the room. All dogs smell bad, right? That’s why it’s okay to force pet owners to stay in a smoking room. Big dogs are dangerous, right? That’s why it’s okay if hotels only want small dogs staying with them.
I remember someone asking me for hotel recommendations, and when the only ones I could truly recommend were over $400 a night, she admitted that she’d never stayed in a hotel that was more than 3-stars. On the plus side, I pointed out that motels and the like are often much more pet-friendly than their 5-star counterparts. There are whole chains of motor lodges with pretty darn good pet policies. If that’s your bag, then you’re in pretty good shape, I’d say.
The Four Seasons chain, for example, is notoriously pet-un-friendly. Only dogs under 20lbs, yada, yada, yada. Yet the Four Seasons Toronto (Yorkville) welcomes dogs of any size or shape. Speaking at-length with the Director of Rooms, I booked a weekend getaway for my husband, myself, and our (very much over 20lbs) dog. He made no indications of any of the usual restrictions that get a hotel blacklisted, in my books. We talked about the hotel’s pet policy…naturally.
But the whole thing almost went bust.
We arrived late on a Friday evening, only to be met with an insulting waiver to sign (that even parents of unruly children, or guys with hookers, don’t have to sign), which included the stipulation that the dog would never be left alone in the room. The Director of Rooms had already left for the day, and wouldn’t be back until Monday. Yeah. Funny joke.
Well so much for going to that Yorkville restaurant we’d been dying to try, or even using one of the hotel’s many-starred restaurants. Forget about seeing that foreign film at the local repertory theatre or doing any shopping at all. That is, unless we decided to do those things individually, while one of us stayed behind with the pooch.
I hope you like watching television in your room, if you have a dog at the Four Seasons!
Since our reservation was already confirmed, and I decided I didn’t want to just throw away the $550 cost of the King Suite for that night, I grudgingly signed the waiver, and we went to our room.
To be sure, there were many dog-friendly amenities waiting for us. Any less-savvy pet traveller could easily have his/her head turned.
There were two hand-towels plus a large throw quilt with our dog’s name embroidered on them. Sweet. There were two breed-appropriate (read “very large”) dog bowls on a doggie mat, near the bathroom, with a 1.5L bottle of water in one of them. (Yes, when I booked the room, the agent asked our dog’s name, and what kind of dog she is.)
There was more bottled water and a bowl of fruit for us, along with an issue of Modern Dog magazine. (That issue ironically included an article about staying at the Plaza with one’s dog. Funny enough, we’d just come from a trip to NYC and discovered how surprisingly-difficult it was to find a decent hotel that was truly dog-friendly. The Plaza, by the way, only welcomes dogs under 20lbs…or at least that was the policy a few years ago. W Hotels? Under 90lbs. The list goes on.) (I should mention that I avoid hotels with discriminatory pet policies, even if those policies don’t apply to me. I don’t think it’s fair that some people are discriminated against, just becuase someone, somewhere, knows very little about dogs. Granted, I have Great Danes, who blow-out every weight restriciton there is. But what if my dog was 70lbs? Would I stay at W Tuscany, knowing that owners of larger dogs are prohibted for no good reason other than their dogs’ size? Is it really fair to allow tiny terrors who bark and soil and chew, and are generally a nuisance to everyone within earshot of them, and prohibit my stoic, obedient, yet completely silent Great Dane? I weild what little consumer power I have via my pocket book.)
On a side note, a moderate-quality, dog-friendly hotel in Manhattan is (Holiday Inn) Martinique. It’s at something like 33rd and Broadway, so the location is ideal. And it welcomes dogs without too many restrictions. They will, however, make you wait until they’ve inspected your room, before allowing you to check-out. I don’t believe they provide this “service” to any other “guests”.
Getting back to Toronto’s Four Seasons hotel in Yorkville, we were stuck. We decided to get take-out from a local Italian place, since the in-room dining menu wasn’t exactly blowing our skirts up. It was raining. Joy. My dog and I stood in the rain while my husband placed our order. Nothing like eating take-out food in your hotel room, all wet. Makes me want to go back to the Four Seasons. …Not.
In another city, there’s a lovely, grand, old hotel that I positively adore. They “allow” pets but, again, prohibit leaving the dog in the room alone…for any length of time, and regardless of obvious mitigating factors like the dog being perfectly-trained and SILENT, and simply putting the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on the door, to keep hotel staff out of the room. (I don’t allow anyone to have access to my dog without my direct supervision, so it’s a no-brainer for me. I don’t WANT anyone alone in the room with my dog.)
A few years ago, knowing full-well the restrictions, I decided to book a single night at that hotel. We’d be arriving late, so dinner plans weren’t an issue. I usually order an in-room breakfast, no matter where I am, so that wasn’t an issue. In all, I didn’t think there’d be much inconvenience to us, in not being able to leave our dog in the room alone. (Sure, we’d have to use the gym separately. But hey…I was happy to stay behind and let my husband do the working-out for both of us.)
When I booked the reservation over the phone, a couple of times the agent suggested packages that included meals in the hotel restaurant. Each time I had to point out that meant my husband and I would have to eat separately, because of the hotel’s stupid policy. “Thanks, but your package deals don’t apply to us.”
There are surprisingly many hotels trying to cash-in on the pet-friendly label (with all sorts of amenities), even though they have the same, ol’, discriminatory pet policies. How many dog cookies does it take to make up for being forced to stay in a stinky smoking room? How many dog beds are needed to make up for the owners not being able to do anything but sit in the room and watch television, or take their dogs for walks, during their entire stay?
I’m at the point where a pet deposit or fee, if it’s not attached to other insulting restrictions, is my preferred pet policy. (I would, of course, prefer no restrictions at all. And these places do exist. It’s just that they tend to be 3-star or lower. …Not exactly my cup of tea.)
We happily discovered that the Sutton Place hotel (just a bit down the street from the Four Seasons) has just a $150 pet “deposit”, and that’s it. No damage, and you get your deposit back. And no ridiculous rules made by hotel staff who know nothing about canine behaviour or responsible dog ownership, much less you or your dog. It’s too bad the old girl needs some renovation, or I’d heartily recommend the Sutton Place hotel to everyone.
When we checked-in there, the front desk clerk seemed a bit embarrassed to mention the $150 pet deposit in front of other guests checking-in. I smiled and said, “Make it a million! She’s not going to do anything.” To that he laughed, and relaxed a bit. “That’s good to hear,” he replied with a smile.
I wish more hotels considered that people are individuals. Just because they don’t know much about dogs or dog owners doesn’t mean we’re all dirty, noisey, careless louts. Some of us are happy to pay just about anything for a comfortable stay away from home, and our dogs reflect our standard of living and resepct for others.
Marjorie Darby
{A long-time dog trainer and responsible dog ownership advocate, I’ve written extensively on pet travel, conducted a survey or North American hotels and their pet policies, and have written guidelines for helping hotels become less discriminatory towards pet owners.)
Comment by Marjorie — July 29, 2008 @ 8:24 am