Costco Connection

pets for your Pet-friendly hotels make it “paws-ible” to take your best friend along DALE PORTER/KILLER IMAGES

Four-legged travel

By Alice Shapin

FOR MANY PEOPLE, their pets are members of the family. And when it comes to traveling, they don’t want to leave them behind. Sure, there are kennels and pet sitters, which in the past were the only options. However, over the last two years, major chains, including luxury hotels, have not just been pet-friendly, but have increasingly rolled out five-star amenities, including doggy treats, cushy beds, haute cuisine, high tea, cocktail hours and even massage and facials.

According to the American Pet Products Association’s 2011–2012 National Pet Owners Survey, 23 percent of pet owners are willing to travel with their dog for more than two nights, compared with 21 percent in 2008 and 19 percent in 2006.

Dogs can “hang four (paws)” at the Loews Coronado Bay Resort in San Diego. Right: Maine’s Inn by the Sea features special amenities such as a nature trail, dog food and massage.

“More and more people want to bring their dogs on vacation with them,” says Costco member Susan Hartzler, president of Alpha Dog PR. “ ‘Pet-friendly’ is the latest amenity at hotels across the country, but the term can mean different things in different places. It usually refers to dogs, but the Ritz-

Naples, [Florida]; Best Western Lumberton, North

Carolina; and some others do allow cats.” And the Kimpton Hotels group seems to accommodate all pets, even rabbits, birds and mice.

Philadelphia-area Costco member
Chrissy Cancelmo, who describes her family
as dog crazy, says, “There’s nothing like
having them with us on vacation.” Cancelmo’s
family brought Sunny, a 65-pound yellow
Lab, and Casey, a 35-pound beagle, on a long
weekend to the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake
Bay in Maryland. Cancelmo notes, “Our dogs
are so friendly that we were constantly meet-
Costco members for 20 years, Tim
Mattos and his wife, Cheryl, traveled cross-
country with Sherlock, their 8-year-old Jack
Russell terrier. “We were relocating from
California to Maryland,” says Mattos, director
of sales and marketing at the Chesapeake
Hyatt. “Sherlock is a great traveler, much bet-
ter than my wife,” he laughs. Mattos has
observed that the Hyatt hasn’t had any unruly
dogs. “Pet owners are like parents,” he says. “If
they know that their dog barks or misbe-
haves, they don’t take it on vacation.”
ing other guests. And since the