Man’s best friend is being pampered like never before. Our beloved pet dogs are becoming further entrenched into our family lives, including social outings and even vacations that are pet friendly.

Approximately 1/5 of travelers take their pets with them on trips, according to the U.S. Travel Association. To meet this growing trend, several hotels and destinations are beginning to cater to these traveling dogs with special pet friendly offerings and packages.

We want to highlight three pet friendly hotels and destinations that are rolling out the doggie red carpet this summer.

It’s time for some extra special, pooch pampering. Your pet dog can now enjoy personalized amenities, gourmet meals and even luxurious spa treatments!

Waldorf Astoria Chicago
The luxurious Waldorf Astoria Chicago hotel is located in the heart of Chicago’s fashionable Gold Coast and recently
launched its Waldorf Woof program. This summer, the pet friendly luxury hotel has partnered with the chic dog boutique Tails in the City to provide guests and their dogs with a doggie picnic to enjoy in one of the nearby parks. The picnic basket includes a portable dog bowl and gourmet hand-baked dog treats (with designs such as “I Heart Chicago”).
Rates from $395/night.

Sea Island, Georgia
A Forbes Five-Star destination resort located on the coast of Georgia, Sea Island offers something for everyone, including man’s best friend. In addition to doggie bowls, treats and pets that are provided for all four-legged guests, dog amenities available for purchase include Sea Island’s signature dog shampoo and an a la carte gourmet pet menu with organic selections prepared by room service chefs including Crazy Dog (Beef Tips braised in Veal Essence with White Rice), or for a more health-conscious pooch, the Healthy Gracie (Slow cooked Turkey, Brown Rice and Local Vegetables). For the Dog Days of Summer (through August), the pet friendly Spa at Sea Island hotel offers special weekly classes which range from doggie boot camp to pet aromatherapy.
Rates from $395/night.

Gansevoort Hotel Group
Gansevoort Park Avenue and Gansevoort Meatpacking NYC, two of Manhattan’s sleekest and most stylish hotels, is the see-and-be-seen spot for travelers and pets alike. Both hotels are offering a “Pampering Your Pooch” package for $125, which includes premium dog treats and toys from the Barking Zoo dog boutique, as well as a dog collar tag that reads “I’m staying at the Gansevoort.” Guests can also choose to purchase additional amenities, including personalized dog beds and mats.
Rates from $395.

St. Pete/Clearwater, Florida
St. Petersburg/Clearwater boasts 361 days of sunshine per year and some of America’s most exquisite beaches, including the award-winning Fort De Soto Park, Clearwater Beach and Caladesi Island State Park. Unlike many other “no dogs allowed” Florida beaches, Fort De Soto Park has one of the only dog parks where dogs are allowed on the beach in a designated area. At the Loews Don CeSar on St. Pete Beach, dogs can take advantage of a gourmet room service menu and massages by a professional canine massage therapist. The TradeWinds Island Grand boasts a Pet Play Zone with doggie drinking fountain and fire hydrants, as well as a Sit. Stay. Play Pet Package which includes pet amenities galore, New Barker Magazine, gourmet treats and choice of meals from the Paw Court Bistro room service menu. St. Pete/Clearwater also has numerous pet-friendly restaurants, including Cassis American Brasserie in downtown St. Petersburg, which serves up unique doggie dishes such as “Mutt”loaf, Pup Monsieur and Bark de Triumph.

If you are interested in learning more about these pet friendly hotels, the please contact The Life of Luxury and we will be glad to help book your next vacation.

Photo: Victor

Traveling with your dog can be a challenge, but we all love to pamper your pooch. Conventional airlines often treat the pet more like cargo than a member of the family.  This can be a frightening and stressful experience for both the dog and their owner.

Flying is not an enjoyable experience when you are worried about the well-being and safety of your canine companion the entire flight.

But now that is all changing.  Victor, a private jet charter company based in the UK, lets you book a seat for your pooch.  Dubbed “Furs Class,” Victor is enticing pet lovers onto its planes by allowing guests to purchase a seat for their dog.

You can now bring along your furry companion and no longer will your beloved family pet be loaded into cargo.  But the service doesn’t come cheap, with the cost of a seat for Fido averaging a total of $2,000.

Your dog will thank you as he relaxes in his very own leather-upholstered seat, strapped in for safety, all while enjoying a window view.  For on-board entertainment, treats and toys can be arranged.  There is no charge for pets under eight inches tall or weighing less than six and one half pounds … they fly for free.

For famous jetsetters such as Paris Hilton and actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, the notion of traveling with one’s pup on a flight is  not a new luxury by any measure.  But for those affluent animal lovers who cannot afford their own private jet yet dislike the idea of their dog in a crate with the cargo, Victor will allow you to share aircraft costs by teaming up with other pet lovers.

As stated on the company;s website, “Your pet is a member of the family. You wouldn’t ship your sister or grandfather as freight, so why treat your pet any differently?”

If money is no issue and you believe the price is worth it, you can visit Victor’s website to book a pair of seats for you and your pooch. It’s time pamper your pooch

THEhotel – Mandalay Bay

People have long flocked to Las Vegas to experience a luxury lifestyle and all the wealth that Sin City offers.

Well it’s Fido’s turn as dogs apparently also want to live it in lap of luxury.

The luxury THEhotel at Mandalay Bay has now truly become “dog friendly” and just introduced dog-friendly Suites.

Mandalay Bay is a AAA Four Diamond award-winning destination resort, featuring 4,752 rooms and suites and THEhotel, which is a stand-alone all-suite hotel offering 1,117 luxurious one-bedroom suites.

THEhotel at Mandalay Bay is known as one of only several dog-friendly properties on the entire Las Vegas Strip, and now introduces amenities catering to our pampered canines.

As soon as your beloved pet dog steps paws into THEhotel, a greeting awaits with a special welcome letter, tasty treats and doggy relief bags.

Dogs will then be escorted by their owners to their own elegantly appointed suite on the luxury hotel’s 22nd floor, equipped with eco-friendly food and water bowls.

In addition, THEhotel’s dog-friendly amenities include special meal options for your pet dog’s in-room dining menu. One dish guaranteed to make Fido’s tail wag is the “Backyard Delight,” which consists of hamburger, potatoes, zucchini, carrots, apples, parsley and ground turmeric. Meals range from just $9 – $17 so your pampered pooch is guaranteed a tasty and healthy feast.

If your dog needs to get some fresh air and stretch a little, try the “Barking Lot Lane.” Dog owners can either walk their dogs themselves or contact the concierge who will gladly help, for an additional fee.

THEhotel allows guests to travel with up to two dogs – together weighing no more than 100 pounds – for a daily fee of $50 per canine.

THEhotel is well equipped to cater to the most discerning dogs, and provides a separate valet, along with elevators just steps away from the resort’s entrance and a designated walking area.

For more information and reservations, visit www.mandalaybay.com or call toll free at (877) 632-7800.

Mary Ann Guarino-Schlau, of Joplin, has two living rooms: one for her and one for her 14 dogs. Guarino-Schlau’s furry “babies” have their own couch, love seat, chair, television set, radio and pillows. They are her life. Each dog has its own collar, identification tag and clothing that fits its personality. Four baskets of dog toys are spread across her house, and Guarino-Schlau said she is willing to sacrifice a large part of her life for their happiness.

“They are most certainly my kids; we call them our babies,” Guarino-Schlau said. “They mean everything to us. We don’t go places because we have to take care of them, and we don’t mind. This is our luxury: to sit and watch them play instead of watching television.”

Guarino-Schlau is part of the growing population of pet owners who look at their animals as friends and family rather than property, and prove it with their checkbooks. The American Pet Product Manufacturers Association estimated that in 2007, people spent more than $40 billion on their pets nationwide. Those costs include boarding, grooming, animal purchases, medical care and food.

And pet ownership is becoming more universal. The association’s survey found that 63 percent of U.S. households, or 71.1 million homes have at least one pet. (Update: According to the latest research and data of 2023-2024, 86.9 Million US Households Owns a Pet, Which Accounts for 66%)

More people own dogs than cats, the second most popular pet, but cat owners tend to have more animals, so the total of pet cats in the U.S. outnumbers dogs 88 million to 75 million.

Bow Wow Business:

New businesses have sprung up to meet the demand, and existing businesses are falling in line to get a piece of the market.

Kendal Kantola, manager of the Bow Wow Boutique in Joplin, said her business grows every year. She has clients who bring their pets in for weekly grooming and others who schedule their pets’ monthly appointments to correspond with their days at the salon.

Even as a pet owner herself, Kantola said she is amazed at how far people will go to pamper their pets. Weekly clients could spend more than $1,000 a year on just bathing one pet. She has puppy parents who celebrate their animals’ birthdays with parties and cake, feed their dogs macaroni and cheese, and buy them more Christmas presents than they buy for their human children.

“Even back when I was a kid, we used to give the dog a bath in the back yard, but it’s not like that anymore,” Kantola said.

The trend is strong enough to gain the attention of national retail chains. Wal-Mart is cashing in on the pet-pampering craze with an expanded stock of dog apparel including rhinestone-studded collars, sequined bows, and puppy T-shirts bearing phrases like “Dog-a-licious,” “Born Fabulous” and “Love at First Bark.”

Why?

So, why are people willing to go so far to ensure their pets’ happiness? Pets do have some benefits when it comes to their owners’ health. Studies from a number of health institutes and universities have shown that owning a pet helps lower blood pressure, reduces stress, helps reduce heart disease, provides greater psychological stability, lowers health-care costs and fights depression.

But the most likely reason that Americans spent $40 billion on their pets last year goes back to the unexplainable connection between people and their pets.

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