Upscale Florida Hotel Rolls Out Red Carpet for Wealthy Dogs
Wow! I bet my pack would love this place!
This article ran on the SunSentinal.com.
Upscale hotel goes to the dogs with riches
By Phil Davis
SARASOTA — Austin ricochets around the Ritz-Carlton hotel room, bouncing from bed to chair and leaping high to lick the face of his personal masseuse.
He’s an energetic 4-year-old pug, so there is a lot of wriggling as his “privileged pup” pet massage begins. But soon his eyelids droop and his tiny muscles relax under the soothing touch of Darlene Davison, the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota’s spa director.
“OK, sweetheart, OK. There you go,” coos Davison, creator of the luxury hotel chain’s latest indulgence — the $130 dog massage.Figure in the hotel’s 20-pound weight limit and the additional $125 nonrefundable pet fee and the “privileged pup” plan comes out to a minimum of $12.75 a pound. And that’s the basic package.
For another $220, the Ritz throws in gourmet dog biscuits, an in-room pet massage, a choice of nail buffing or nail polish, a souvenir photo, a brisk walk over Sarasota’s scenic Ringling Bridge and a gourmet meal of organic stew and designer water.
Americans spend about $38.4 billion on their pets annually, the American Pet Products Manufacturer’s Association said. Spending on pets increased an average of $2.3 billion a year since the association started tracking numbers in 1997.
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All HOTELS should allow SMALL dogs…….. !!! Am tired of being told ( with my 7 lb toy yorkie) that i cannot stay at a decent hotel, or that Holiday Inn would put both of us in SMOKING rooms and so forth! SO i say GOOD to the Ritz .. and will tell everyone THAT one!!! In Miami all upscale hotels allow little dogs because what the heck can that do…! They are ‘caged’, cared for/ and pampered.
Again, Congratulations to the RITZ!!!!
Jan
What about my 65 lb border collie/boxer? I have put alot of effort into training her. She is better behaved than many little dogs and yet because of her size – she is often excluded from traveling with me.
I think they should find a better way to judge which animals can stay than just on the basis of size.
I agree Brenda! My 60 lb greyhound is such a lady, but because of her size she isn’t allowed all the places small dogs can go. There has to be a better way than weight or height to determine a dog’s acceptance at different locations.
The way we see it, if small dogs are allowed, so should larger ones. Hotels shouldn’t discriminate.
A small dog can do just as much damage as a large one. The owner is responsible towards paying for damage either way.
Thank heavens my Luc is a Service Dog and can stay anywhere he darn well pleases
We think it’s high time for hotels to change their policies altogether.
Thanks man, i agree