Dogs are living the suite life at luxury hotels

Until recently, traveling as a pet owner meant you were either scrambling to find boarding and feeling guilty about leaving them, or taking them along and staying at whichever hotel you could find to accommodate them — not the nice one you were hoping would be the backdrop of your vacation.

To the delight of pampered pups and their doting owners, that’s no longer the case.

From the US to Thailand, upscale hotels are now extending their hospitality to our four-legged friends, with a host of dog-friendly services and amenities on par with those of their bougiest human counterparts, per Bloomberg.

Offerings range from the expected — dedicated dog menus, on-site dog-walking services, designated potty areas and walkways, personalized amenity kits, and “stick libraries” — to the woo-woo and luxurious:

• Pet psychics and sonic meditation; bathrobe service, facials, and massages; and rentable wardrobes.
• In New Orleans, The Windsor Court’s $150 Bark Happy program includes dog-inclusive high tea with “Chompagne” and nightly bone-broth turndown service.
• In New York, the Baccarat Hotel offers a $1k in-suite consultation for 18K gold and diamond dog collars.

Driving the trend…

… are “dinkwad” couples — an abbreviation for “dual income, no kids, with a dog” (even though it sounds like a mean name you’d call someone who blows money on dumb things like dog reiki).

• Many dinkwads are choosing to forgo having kids either because they don’t want them or, despite having two incomes, feel they can’t afford them.
• That’s left a lot of extra cash laying around to support a lavish lifestyle for Fido, who doesn’t need a college fund and is now filling that child-sized void.

“It’s less about spoiling your dog and more about this is what I have the ability to do,” one 30-something dinkwad told Bloomberg. “People are saying, ‘Yeah, I can’t support a kid, but you know what I can afford? A dog and the 50 extra bucks a night to take it on vacation.’”

Beyond hotels

Demand for pet-friendly travel — a global market projected to grow from $2.4B in 2024 to $4B by 2030 — has introduced other major upgrades.

• There are several dog-first airlines, and last year Cruise Tails launched the first dog-friendly cruise.
• Some museums and tourist attractions have also started welcoming furry friends.

Soon, the hardest part of traveling with your pup may be convincing them to come home.