Travelling with pets: the best pet-friendly hotels
Never separate, not even on holiday. Anyone who has a dog knows this: the challenge is twofold. Take it with you, but where the services are top class. For both, pet and owner.
by Patti Waldmeir
5' min read
5' min read
There are 32 million pets in Italy, calculates the latest Censis survey: among them are 12.9 million birds, 7.5 million cats and 7 million dogs. When travelling, however, 66 per cent find it difficult to find cosy accommodation for their dog, and 53 per cent are willing to change destination to find a truly optimal solution. In America, one in two pet lovers will not part with their best friend, even on holiday. Especially if that friend is a dog. So, around the world, the hôtellerie has long been measuring itself against this new challenge: to be able to accommodate the four-legged species as if it had only two. The Hilton group says that 'pet-friendly' was the third most popular filter on the hilton.com website in 2021. But travelling with dogs can be similar to travelling with small children: easy in theory, less so in reality. I speak from experience: animals often cannot tolerate time zone changes and getting them to eat, or convincing them that it is time for their evening rounds, can be tricky; if their habits are disrupted, they become irritable. Nevertheless, I, who rarely travel without my now elderly dogs, have this philosophy: if you choose the right hotel, you will be fine in the end. With experience came a list of the best places for dog tourism in the States. I have seen my 13-year-old Huahua, in her best jumper, sitting on a chair, staring and then tasting a 'Barkuterie Board', a board of raw meats prepared especially for her, at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, on the banks of the Chicago River. Or her adventurous companion Dumpling, 12 years old, dapper in a starched tuxedo, snuggling by the fireplace in the sumptuous library of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, an 1893 building that has always welcomed well-known guests. On that occasion Huahua wore a black knit suit with tartan ruffles. Before our family adopted them, in 2010 and 2011, my two dogs were strays in Shanghai: no one could say they grew up on welfare. However, they quickly learnt to be comfortable in luxury. Today, when they spend lazy afternoons on the leather sofas or oriental carpets of America's best hotels, they do so as naturally as the corgis of the British royal household. Introducing us to luxury travel was a Tiny House, a tiny cottage in the woods of western Michigan, which is part of the Getaway chain's mini cabins in remote locations: standard equipment includes a small safe in which to lock your mobile phone for the duration of your stay. These cabins are a real escape from stress. In that case we all shared a double bed together. Since then we have been glamping in one of the luxurious tents at Camp Long Creek on the Ozark Plateau in Missouri: they are equipped with a bathroom, heating, fridge and king-size double bed. I am sure I will love it and will convince them too, despite the fact that they are not outdoorsy types. Top marks have so far gone to the Chicago Athletic Association Hote: in Gothic-Venetian style, it took the top spot.
The pet services are fairly standard - although the dog beds are sumptuous, and various treats awaited us in our room - but the quality of the pet welcome is impeccable. When we checked in, we were immediately asked their name and went around the desk to greet them. When the concierge heard that they were Chinese, she asked what was the right character to spell Huahua's name correctly in Mandarin. She probably didn't care much, but I was impressed by that gesture of courtesy. We visited the dog park signposted by the hotel, as well as a list of dog-friendly restaurants. Information that turned out to be crucial, because Chicago is not a dog-friendly city. In its huge Millennium Park, for example, there is no access. Together we watched the sun set behind Chicago's iconic skyline from the patio of the Brown Bag Seafood Co., where Dumpling enjoyed his favourite food: fish from Lake Superior, one of North America's great lakes. Second place in our rankings went to the elegant, art deco Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel Chicago Loop, mainly because of the fantastic dog-friendly corner we found in the room: leash and toilet bag holders, portable water bowls and play balls, plus a large welcome sign with Dumpling and Huahua's names on it. But every time we have stayed in establishments without kitchens, we have had the same problem: most hotels in the US do not let dogs in the restaurant, which makes it difficult to dine if it is too cold to eat outside. At Virgin Hotels Chicago - voted one of the most pet-friendly hotels by pet-care site rover.com - dogs are instead welcome for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the hotel's downstairs restaurant, and its Two Zero Three coffee bar offers a 'pupcup', a special whipped cream sundae. It is an exception among large hotel chains, as dogs stay for free. Guests at the Virgin are not asked to put their pets in the kennel when staying in the room, they are not forbidden to leave them alone - as is the case elsewhere - and there is no limit to the size of the dog. At the Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, however, they cannot exceed 11 kilos (Huahua weighs 19, so we are off limits). According to statistics, the number of people travelling with an animal is set to increase. But apart from the emotional reasons for which I travel with my dogs, I must admit that costs also play a role. To leave them in a boarding house I pay as much as a room in a modest hotel for me and my two daughters (about $130-150 per night). Not counting the extras: Pawsitively Heaven Pet Resort, an hour's drive from home, offers a double, private room with raised beds, colour TV and music for $132 a night, but the goodnight pampering costs another $3, and each specially cooked lunch, another $5. At the Pooch Hotel in Chicago's cool West Loop neighbourhood, dog walkers can choose from summer camps and themed events. Among the activities: foot pad massages, tooth brushing, flower-sniffing classes. And in any case, you have to book in good time. Let's be clear: I travel with dogs for my own sake, not for theirs. I would feel guilty otherwise. But Karin Pienaar, animal behaviour expert at Coape International (Centre of Applied Pet Ethology) says that holidays are not always good for our animals. Many of them would be better off at home. In the last few months I have gone on holiday to Denmark, Norway and Hungary, and even I did not take Dumpling and Huahua with me.
PROMOSED AND REJECTED ALLEGRO ROYAL SONESTA HOTEL CHICAGO LOOP. BROWN BAG SEAFOOD CO. CAMP LONG CREEK. CHICAGO ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION HOTEL. GETAWAY. HILTON. PAWSITIVELY HEAVEN PET RESORT. POOCH HOTEL. SHERATON GRAND CHICAGO RIVERWALK. TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & TOWER CHICAGO. VIRGIN HOTELS CHICAGO.
