AL ROKER reporting:
This morning on
TODAY'S TRAVELS
, pet-friendly
hotels
. If you're planning a summer getaway and want to make sure everyone has a good time, including your pet, there are some great destinations from coast to coast.
Nilou Motamed
is the features director at
Travel Leisure
magazine.
Nilou
, good to see you.
Ms. NILOU MOTAMED (Features Editor, Travel Leisure Magazine):
Good to see you, too,
Al
.
ROKER:
So all these
hotels
, and we're not talking cheap
hotels
, we're talking four-star
hotels
, are becoming more pet-friendly.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Four- and five-star
hotels
are getting in on the pet business.
Seventy-two
million Americans have dogs and 16 million of them travel with those dogs. That means, I mean, dollar signs right there for
hotels
.
ROKER:
So what's the criteria? What makes it a pet-friendly hotel?
Ms. MOTAMED:
Well, the main thing that we were looking at was that both owners and dogs were going to be welcomed with service...
ROKER:
Mm
-hmm.
Ms. MOTAMED:
...with attention to detail and with a sense of humor.
ROKER:
All right. So let's start on the
West Coast
. I love this hotel even if you don't have a pet, the
Loews Coronado Bay Resort
.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Now this is a gorgeous hotel, but how much fun is it that in
Southern California
a hotel would decide that they would have a doggy surf competition once a year? And it's for a good cause. Now, I mean, these dogs look cute, but look at them, they're staying up better than I do.
Ms. MOTAMED:
And if you want to get...
ROKER:
But they got four feet.
Ms. MOTAMED:
And it's true, a lower center of gravity. Now -- and if you want to get your dog ready to get into the competition, why not do one of the surf boot camp packages that they offer? So you get one night's stay and you get a doggy surf lesson, you get little doggy board shorts. I mean, honestly. And a little
surf and turf
meal in -- for
room service
, but that's not for you, that's for the dog.
ROKER:
Oh, that's for your dog. All right.
Ms. MOTAMED:
That's for the dog.
ROKER:
Now we're going to go to
Seattle
,
Washington
.
The W
has a few nice perks.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Well,
The W
is known for being that whatever wherever service; well, they're offering also the
PAW
, the
Pets Are Welcome
,
PAW
.
ROKER:
Ah.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Cute. Ah. You know, the -- people, this is the thing about
hotels
, they're like, `
Look
at how much fun we can have with these and also make our guests happy.' So they give you a welcome treat.
ROKER:
Mm
-hmm.
Ms. MOTAMED:
They give you turn-down treats, lots of treats. A doggy bed. And also, their concierge, if it's your dog's birthday, can get you a doggy birthday cake.
ROKER:
Aw. Well, that's awfully sweet.
Ms. MOTAMED:
I -- it's a lot of "ah." This whole segment's going to be a lot of "ah."
ROKER:
I -- it's a big "ah," a big "ah" segment. Now let's head to
Chicago
where you've got the
Hotel Allegro
. They've got a
Pets
in the
City
program.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Kimpton
is another hotel group that
Allegro
is a part of. They -- they're very thoughtful about pets.
Ms. MOTAMED:
So they have a wine hour in the afternoon and your dog doesn't have to be left out, they actually have mocktails for the dogs as well. You're laughing, but seriously, we can be serious for a moment, people do treat their...
ROKER:
Three weeks later and look, she's a dog. Anyway.
Ms. MOTAMED:
People do treat their dogs like their kids. And if they want to travel with them, why not make it a special occasion for them?
ROKER:
I like that. Now we're going to head south, going to go to the
Mandarin Oriental
in
Miami
.
Ms. MOTAMED:
This is one of my favorite
hotels
. The
Miami
Mandarin
Oriental
's a gorgeous property. As soon as your dog walks in or waddles in, depending on how heavy he is, he gets a little bit of a -- of attention to detail and welcome. He gets a little toy -- not a toy, a little charm for his...
ROKER:
Leash or collar.
Ms. MOTAMED:
...for -- leash -- for his collar, a
Mandarin Oriental
charm. And then they have dog trainers, so you can either have training if your dog actually needs obedience training...
ROKER:
Mm
-hmm.
Ms. MOTAMED:
...or just a fun walk, run around their gorgeous property. And they have dog beds and all the amenities that you would want for a dog.
ROKER:
And 219 a night, that's pretty good.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Well, the one thing you have to know about these dog programs, you have to call ahead because some of them will add in an additional $100 charge to clean up the room after your doggy has left.
ROKER:
Mm. Mm-hmm.
Ms. MOTAMED:
And so you -- it really depends. But a lot of the
hotels
, including this next one, actually don't charge you to have a dog stay with you.
ROKER:
OK. We're going to go to
Washington, DC.
Ms. MOTAMED:
The Liaison
Capitol Hill
. Now this is a property with
Affinia
. They offer you a
chew toy
specific to the city that you're staying in. So if you're staying in
Chicago
, you get an
Al Capone
chew toy
. If you're staying in
DC
, a
Capitol Hill
chew toy
. So you just get a little
Capitol building
chew toy
, which is fun.
ROKER:
That's very cute.
Ms. MOTAMED:
Yeah.
ROKER:
Now with all of these programs, are there size limits to the dog?
Ms. MOTAMED:
Yes. That's actually really important. Over 40-pound -- over 40-pounder, your dog is not going to be staying in a lot of these
hotels
. They do -- they do not want an additional person in the room, they're happy to have dogs.
ROKER:
And then as far as the programs, I mean, is -- for people who are, say, allergic to dogs, I mean how do they -- how do they deal with that?
Ms. MOTAMED:
That's actually something to be really conscious of, and these
hotels
still maintain entire floors or rooms that are dedicated to people with no four-legged friends.
ROKER:
All right.
Ms. MOTAMED:
We did a great story on this in
Travel Leisure
in August, so you can check that out or on our
Web site
, travelandleisure.com.
“ ”