Meet Tank. He's a French Bulldog weighing about 26.3 pounds with a mild shedding problem, a regular oral fixation for rawhide and a tendency to pee during the night. Guess what? He's sleeping in your hotel room!
Last week, we were invited with our canine companion to test out the "Paws and Claws" package at the Wydnham Hotel Costa Mesa in Orange County, just across from the shopping mecca South Coast Plaza. While we have never traveled with our pet before this hotel stay, we always loved it when hotels offered pet-friendly services. Yet actually staying in a hotel room with a pet was not quite how we imagined it to be.
If you've got a well-behaved dog, you probably wouldn't think twice about traveling together. The Wyndham laid out the red carpet for Tank to prance along, offering loads of attention, tons of treats and even a special doggy turndown.
But we were quite horrified by Tank's lack of social graces. He streaked a cocktail hour naked, he chewed a "Chewgar" on the bed (we later placed a towel under him) and he barked at the door several times. That's right. Someone's going to the kennel on the next trip we take.
[Ed. Note: Alex Salkever is the founder / editor of Hawaiirama.com, a travel blog covering the islands.]
As part of its eight-figure renovation quest, the legendary Kahala Resort on the South Shore of Oahu has decided to become a pet-friendly property. That means kitties and puppies (and other critters on leashes) can luxuriate in this resort setting tucked away from the bustle of Waikiki and the city of Honolulu.
Alas, I have but one question. One of my favorite parts about the old Kahala Mandarin was that it had lovely parquet floors in the rooms. In the tropics, they tended to buckle. So the resort, as part of renovations, replaced them with carpets. The carpets are nice but were already showing signs of wear and tear (only a few months in) when I stayed in one of these rooms in January.
Now my question is, should a pet-friendly resort have carpets, particularly in a tropical clime? Can a nuclear-powered steam cleaner chase out the odors or will guests sans fido be treated to a doggie downer odor in these otherwise quite lovely renovated rooms?
If you saw the Oscar winning film Sideways you might remember the fun loving Miles asking his more soul-searching Jack, "Can't we just... go back...and hang out?" Well, Jack would have said "yes" if they were staying at the comfortably cool Solage Calistoga resort and spa, a new diamond in the Northern Cal-i-forn-i-a rough.
After checking your bags and the locations of the local wineries, you'll discover just how green your Napa Valley experience will be. The charm of the resort and spa is obvious from the get-go, with a choice of 89 cottage-like rooms in five different layouts, from studios to spacious suites.
After a day of wine-tasting you can come back to contemplate the universe on your semi-private patio under the stars. [Ed. Note: Or do what we would probably do--keep drinking.]
Before you're ready to hit the lights, enjoy the flat screen TV, high speed WiFi access, DVD/CD player or the IPod docking station. The next day, wake up and get yourself a private cabana by the pool and just chill. There's also a spa on-site which includes a mud-bar and bathhouse, a fitness center, the Solbar restaurant and Bocce courts. And the place takes pets too.
At the hotel's website the online rates range from $350 to $800 per night, and a number of all-inclusive packages with added luxe value for one or more nights also are available. Also, the hotel has a pair of bikes for you to tool around in. Eco-friendly and fun.
When you go on vacation and put your dog/cat in a kennel - is he/she being walked twice a day, fed healthy breakfast snacks, and getting a mid-day ice cream cone? Is your young and impressionable Pug watching the latest pet-friendly TV shows? Are you able to speak to your pet via bone booth? Is Rex brushing up on his training skills while you’re gone?
No?
Well then!
You might want to reconsider your pet's living arrangements while you are gone. PetSmart has come to the rescue with about 100 stores throughout America that have a PetsHotel inside, offering 24-hour supervision of your pet in surroundings which are nicer than some hotels you've probably visited. (If you don't believe me, check out the video on the front page of PetsHotel.com - yeah, we know, nice huh?).
While prices vary based on location and the add-on services that you choose for your beloved, expect that at a minimum your pet will have its own area - not a chain linked fence, but a tiled floor, and comfy bed, or if you want to upgrade - go for the suite which includes a “poochy cot”, hypoallergenic lambskin blanket” and a TV tuned to animal friendly programming. And you thought you spoiled your dog.
Just when we thought we'd seen the pinnacle of doggie decadence and luxury, the Rome Cavalieri Hilton trumps them all. For travelers whose pampered pets demand the best, there's the new Very Important Pet program.
Four-legged guests of the Cavalieri can enjoy a full day of spa treatments, customized cashmere Dog Haute Couture and a four-course meal served in Gucci dishware.
Other amenities to pant over include doggy bathrobes, an escorted fitness run, and an Aloe Vera massage. Dinner includes a four-course in-room meal from the Menu del Vostro Fedele Amico -- beginning with soup, a full range of first and second course options, and a chocolate dessert. No, not for you silly. For your dog. And all served up in red ceramic Gucci-designed dishes atop a vermeil tray.
What, you say, isn't it all a bit over-the-top? Not according to General Manager Milan Arandelovic, who says the program was born out of an earnest attempt to meet and exceed the demands of the hotel's dog-loving guests:
"Our guests who frequently travel consider their pets members of the family. We go to great lengths to make our visitors feel comfortable and cared for; it follows that we would extend this service to all who stay with us."
And apparently, the services are appreciated, as the hotel reports an overwhelmingly positive response to VIP packages since announcing them late last year.
Details are scant but USA Today reports that the new brand Edition Hotels from Ian Schrager and Bill Marriott is planned for the city's 18th Street Corridor.
In other news:
· Worst Bartender Ever.: A two-year-old girl is severely ill after a bartender at the Curium Palace Hotel in Nicosia mistakenly made her a drink of orange juice mixed with cleaning fluid. [Times UK]
· Best in Show:The Hotel Pennslyvania is hosting the competitors in the 132nd annual Westminster Dog Show on Feb. 11 and 12th. The hotel is rolling out some new amenities for its furry guests including greeting the dogs in the hotel lobby with live piano music that "sounds healthy." [Fox Business]
· Honeymooners in Hawaii: Katharine McPhee who managed to cling to her last minutes of fame by getting married this weekend is now honeymooning in Maui. We're guessing they are shacked up at the Four Seasons.[US Weekly]
· Oakland Upgrade: The landmark Waterfront Plaza Hotel in Jack London Square will get a makeover. [Mercury News]
We now present you with our VIP Hotel Reviewer Series in which we hand-pick experts in the travel and media worlds and beyond to tell us what are their favorite hotels and why. Once a week, we'll feature a hotel review from said VIPs about their favorite leisure or business hotels. Pay attention: These VIPs are experts at what they do and they don't mess around when it comes to their hotels.
The next VIP in the series is Gabe Rotter, author of the Simon & Schuster novel Duck Duck Wally about a chubby whiteboy who is the secret ghostwriter for a famous gangsta rapper, Oral B. Since Wally's beloved bulldog Dr. Barry Schwartzman is an important character in the book (he gets dog-napped!) we figured Gabe could tell us a safe place to travel with your dogs. Enjoy.
My favorite dog-friendly hotel is a place I'll likely never be able to afford again. I went there once, a few years ago, for two nights. And I'll be working it off until the day I die, old and hunched and grey and wrinkly, drooling into my Jello and dreaming about my two, wonderful nights with my bitch at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara.
It's a little sad that as we inch closer to 30 we know who Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus are and maybe sadder that we know that the two are one and the same.
Miley Cyrus, the star of Disney's Hannah Montana show was snapped leaving the Trump International Hotel on Central Park West in New York the other day on her way to play a sold-out concert in New Jersey.
We can't believe the hottest star of the Tween and Under set would be staying at such a stuffy place like Trump Towers but maybe it was because since Miley is only 15 she still has to travel with her parents, including dad Billy Ray Cyrus. And Trump is good for the old folks. Although, we are sure anyone at any age can appreciate those killer views of the park.
Also, it appears the Trump Hotel, where superior rooms start at $495 and junior suites at $595, are pet friendly.
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by juliana
