A swanky new five-star pet hotel is giving the phrase ‘in the dog house’ a whole new meaning.
The 130-room Posh Pet Hotel, in Palm Beach County, Florida, offers pampered pooches the very latest in canine luxury, from ‘pawdicures’ to bed time stories and everything in between. Gentle mood music tinkles in the lobby and bejewelled chandeliers hang from every ceiling, as staff welcome the hotel’s latest arrivals.
And pet-owners can pick from a whole menu of luxury add-ons to make their animal’s stay truly special.
Owner and dog-lover Lincoln Baker moved to West Palm Beach to launch the hotel with his wife, after quitting his insurance executive job in Los Angeles. ‘We wanted to do something unique in an area that loves its pets, and I think we did,’ he said, standing in the building that he converted from an old pharmacy.
‘People are like, “Wow, I would stay here,”’ he added. ‘People literally want to stay here.’
The hotel offers both day-care and over-night stays for dogs and cats, and the service includes 24-hour care. And Baker tried to think of and accommodate everything a pet-parent might want for their animal.
Maseratis, Bentleys and Cadillac Escalades are all on hand for pick-up and drop-offs, while the menu features filet mignon with green beans, chicken and salmon, with organic biscuits and frozen yoghurt for dessert.
Spa treatments are available throughout the day, including bathing, breed-specific haircuts, Brazilians, eye-whitening, facials, de-matting, de-shedding, glitter, aromatherapy and massage.
But despite the apparent extravagance, Baker insists that the range of rates makes it available to any budget.
Day care – which includes constant supervision by the Posh staff – costs from $35 a day, while night rates start at $49 a night for a classic suite.
There a five levels of luxury, leading right up to the $120-a-night presidential suite, which features a queen-size bed complete with bamboo memory foam mattress, belly rubs and bedtime stories.
But no matter what level of luxury the owner opts for, all the rooms come with daily sheet changes and a full-day schedule of play and attention.
The dogs get taken for playtime several times a day, either in the indoor play area or in the outdoor area, which is lined with $10,000-worth of NFL-quality absorbent AstroTurf.
But if a pooch is feeling a little lack-luster there’s always DOGTV, the hotel’s own TV channel that plays on the 65-inch flat-screens dotted around the hotel.
Movies include ‘Lady and the Tramp’ and ’101 Dalmations’, the obvious choice for the hotel’s hounds.
And it’s always lights out at 9pm.
Cats, on the other hand, get to explore Catlantis – a multi-level room full of ‘cat condos’ which overlook a giant fish tank in the middle.
Rates for cats start at $36 for a classic suite, and a modest $40 for a luxury one, but all come fitted with an odor-killing vacuum system.
And owners can check how their pets are getting on from wherever in the world they are, using webcams accessible on their computers or phones.
Baker added: ‘People really love their animals they’re like family. We treat them like family.’
Research from the American Pet Products Association would suggest that he’s right, as the nation spent more than $58 billion on food, veterinary care, boarding and other pet-related expenses.
This year that is predicted to surpass $60 billion.
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