When the Dog's Hotel Is Better Than Yours
Taking a page from the hotel industry, the once-fragmented business of kenneling house pets is changing both its price structure and the services it offers.
The moves -- which include replacing concrete floors and chain-link fences with dog "suites" and kitty "condos" -- are already altering the options that families have when they confront the guilt-inducing moment of heading off for summer vacation and leaving the pet somewhere. PetSmart Inc., the nation's largest pet-store chain, is testing a new service called PetsHotel, equipped with TV sets tuned to animal shows and special ventilation systems so the dogs and cats don't smell each other. By year's end, the company plans to add 14 locations, up from the current nine. Prices start at $21 a night for dogs and $13 for cats -- but go up to $40 for a Suite Package for dogs that includes extra playtime and treats, as well as a fancier room with a TV that plays "pet themed" shows like Disney's "Lady and the Tramp." Petco Animal Supplies Inc., the second-largest pet-store chain, recently hired a national pet hospitality manager to head up its own program.
GO FIGURE
Taking a pet on vacation is getting easier. Read about what it might cost to travel with the family pet.
In response, traditional kennel operators are offering features like bone-shaped dog wading pools or Frosty Paws, an ice-cream treat for pets. Best Friends Pet Care Inc., a chain of 38 boarding facilities in 18 states, hopes to double in size over the next three to four years and is building new facilities with lobbies, enhanced rooms and play areas.
All of this is an effort to capitalize on Americans' increasing desire to pamper their animals. PetsHotel sets up "bone booths" so owners can call and talk to their pets while they're away. Pet Paradise Resort & Spa in St. Augustine, Fla. is testing a "pet cam" (
www.petparadiseresort.com/camera_one.htm) so that owners can log onto the Web and catch a glimpse of their cat or dog at play.
Giving the fleabag hotel a whole new meaning, kennels are offering hotel-like amenities.
Susan Nolan boarded her two dogs, Buddy and Kasey, for several days at a PetsHotel in Glendale, Ariz., when it first opened. "I was a nervous wreck," she says, and phoned three times a day, but now uses the service regularly. "They were just amazing." Among other things, the kennel took particular care of Buddy, who had epilepsy and needed medication twice a day.
The standardization of kennels represents a marked shift from a few years ago, when the industry was largely a mom-and-pop affair, usually run out of the homes of pet-loving entrepreneurs. Boarding was largely a seasonal business tied to pet owners' vacation patterns. But as Americans' pet obsession grows, kennels are increasingly offering new services such as grooming, training and dog day care. Services like these help kennels rake in money year-round instead of seasonally.
Rising Prices
For consumers, one result is that the cost of boarding a pet is expected to rise 15% to 20% over the next two years according to an official at the American Boarding Kennels Association, partly from an increase in add-on services. Last year Americans spent $32.4 billion on their pets -- nearly 10% more than the year before, according to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association.
Some companies are trying to become one-stop shops for pet pamperers. Nearly all PetsHotels are inside their retail stores to make it easier for pet owners to load up on dog biscuits or squeaky toys when picking up a pet from the kennel.
Overnight stays can also be coupled with other services such as grooming or pet-training sessions, so pets can become more well-behaved while you're off at the beach. At Best Friends, for instance, prices start around $450 a week for training, including boarding costs.
Because many of the main players in kenneling are still just developing their brands, services and amenities vary widely across chains.
What's more, different kennel operators have different approaches to pet care. Some think dogs are happiest in groups, while others think it's better to keep them separate. Some place an emphasis on outdoor time and offer bare-bones sleeping arrangements. Others think keeping pets indoors is best and deck out doggy digs with everything from plastic playgrounds to toddler beds.
Tiered Accommodations
Borrowing hotel-industry pricing strategies, PetsHotel offers tiered accommodations and a variety of packages. Canine guests get a choice of a four-foot by six-foot "atrium" room with a lambskin blanket for $21 a night or a slightly larger suite equipped with a TV tuned to pet-themed shows for $38 a night. Cats stay in individual cubicles with bedding and scratching posts for $14 a night.
One thing your pet won't get much of at this all-indoor facility: sunshine. Walks take place on indoor tracks, and dogs must do their business in special rooms set up with "textual cues" such as stone floors, wood poles and strategically placed plants. Best Friends Pet Resorts & Salons has a similar indoor setup at about half of its properties. The companies say keeping pets inside ensures their safety, and cuts down on contact with outdoor pests such as ticks.
Other kennel operators, however, emphasize outdoor time. At Pet Paradise Resort & Day Spa, with locations in Palm Coast and St. Augustine, dog guests spend most of their day outdoors playing together in groups. It's adding a new kennel in North Jacksonville, Fla., near the airport -- the idea being that people can plop the pet at the kennel en route to the plane. There each dog will get its own air-conditioned room that opens outdoors to a 15-foot run. Also in the blueprints: an outdoor bone-shaped pool.
Some kennels combine overnight boarding with dog day care. Barkley Venture Inc., the parent company of Central Bark Doggy Day Care, a new franchise operation based in Oakland Park, Fla., requires pet owners to send their dog to day care at least once a week in order to qualify for "sleepovers." Co-director Chris Gaba says the policy helps keep dog fights to a minimum because the animals are all more familiar with each other. To ensure dogs get along, staffers evaluate each animal and place them in groups with like-minded dogs.
After romping around outside all morning, the dogs at Central Bark come inside for a snack, then retire to individual dog crates for a two-hour nap. Classical music is played and incense burned.
The Hotel Approach to Kennels
In an effort to change their image of chain-link fences and concrete floors, boarding kennels are adding creature comforts and standardizing services.
Boarding House: Best Friends Pet Resorts & Salons, Bestfriendspetcare.com
Locations: 38 facilities in 18 states including California, Oklahoma, New York
Cost Per Night for Dogs*: $15 to $45
Accommodation: Two-room "doggy suites" come in four sizes. Pricier "vacation villas" with beds, rugs and TVs are being tested.
Services/Amenities: Will train your pet while you're on vacation, for a fee. Chicago location offers pick-up and drop-off.
Comment: Services may vary by location. About half are all-indoor.
Boarding House: Central Bark Doggy Day Care, Centralbarkusa.com
Locations: Oakland Park, Fla., and three in Milwaukee; a fourth just opened in Hartland,Wis.
Cost Per Night for Dogs*: $27 to $44
Accommodation: Dogs play outside together during the day, and sleep in individual crates at night.
Services/Amenities: Aromatherapy and classical music at naptime.
Comment: You have to send your dog to daycare here at least once a week to qualify for "sleepovers."
Boarding House: Pet Paradise Resort & Day Spa, Petparadiseresort.com
Locations: Palm Coast and St. Augustine, Fla.; a new location planned for North Jacksonville, Fla.
Cost Per Night for Dogs*: $24
Accommodation: Palm Coast location has climate controlled rooms with piped-in music.
Services/Amenities: "Cat condos" have a window to view outdoor bird activity. Testing a Web cam to let owners see their pooch while away.
Comment: New facility will have a dog pool in the shape of a bone. Also accepts birds and some exotic pets.
Boarding House: PetSmart PetsHotel, Petshotel.com
Locations: Adding 14 locations this year, up from the current nine.
Cost Per Night for Dogs*: $21 to $38
Accommodation: "Atrium" rooms with lambskin blankets, or slightly larger suites with a "poochy cot" and a TV.
Services/Amenities: Extra treats such as lactose-free ice cream and toys filled with liver paste are for sale.
Comment: Dogs must do their business in special rooms set up with "textual cues" such as stone floors and strategically placed plants.
Boarding House: PETSuites, Go2petsuites.com
Locations: Cincinnati Airport and Louisville, Ky; opening a third in Cincinnati next year.
Cost Per Night for Dogs*: $18 to $36
Accommodation: Suites feature lamb s wool bedding. Townhouses include toddler beds, TVs and daily play sessions.
Services/Amenities: Fifteen minutes of extra playtime for tug-of-war, fetch or dips in the pool cost $5 to $10.
Comment: Pets play with people, not other dogs.
* Cost may vary depending on the location, type of room or pet size.
狗狗酒店真体面 人类见了也垂涎
过去松散凌乱的宠物寄养业务如今已摇身一变与酒店行业贴上了边儿，无论是价格结构还是服务内容，它们都有了明显改观。
这种包括以“狗房间”和“猫公寓”取代混凝土地板和铁丝网的一系列变革已经改变了很多家庭外出时的选择，他们再也不用因外出度假时把宠物留在别处而带有负罪感了。全美最大的宠物连锁店PetSmart Inc.正在对其名为宠物酒店(PetsHotel)的新业务进行试运营。这种“酒店”配备了放映动物节目的电视机，还有避免猫狗闻到对方气味的特殊的通风系统。公司计划到今年年底将这类运营场所由目前的9家扩大到14家。
寄养狗的起价为每晚21美元，寄养猫为每晚13美元，但是如果想让你的狗享受“套餐服务”(Suite Package)，拥有额外的玩耍时间和丰盛的款待并能在播放《宠物主题》(pet themed)节目（就像迪斯尼的《小姐与流浪汉》(Lady and the Tramp)）的电视机前进行享乐，那么你可能最多要支付40美元。
美国第二大宠物连锁店Petco Animal Supplies Inc.最近聘请了一位全国宠物寄养专家来管理该公司自己的项目。
传统的宠物狗舍运营商也不甘落后，开始提供骨头状狗玩具或Frosty Paws冰淇淋等特色服务。在美国18个州设有38家连锁店的Best Friends Pet Care Inc.正在建造带有休息室、豪华间和玩耍地带的新设施，未来三至四年间其规模有望扩大一倍。
为了迎合人们对宠物娇生惯养的习气，商家们绞尽脑汁推陈出新。PetsHotel设立了“骨头电话亭”(bone booths)，让宠物主人在离开时仍能与他们的宠物打电话。佛罗里达州的Pet Paradise Resort & Spa则正在测试“宠物录影”(pet cam)系统，主人可以进入公司网站，在网上看一看宠物的活动情况。
苏珊?诺兰(Susan Nolan)曾把她的两只狗巴迪(Buddy)和凯西(Kasey)寄养在亚利桑那州格伦代尔的PetsHotel店里，当时这家店刚刚开张。诺兰说，最初她非常紧张，每天要打3次电话，但现在已经开始经常把狗寄在那里了。她说：“他们太了不起了。”除提供正常服务外，PetsHotel还会对患有癫痫症的巴迪进行特殊照顾，每天为它服药两次。
宠物寄养的运营模式与几年前已不可同日而语，当时该行业还主要以零散小店为主，通常由爱护小动物的企业家家庭创办。寄养宠物也只是一种季节性行为，视主人的度假习惯而定。但随著美国人的宠物情节日益浓重，宠物寄养公司开始逐渐提供清洁、训练以及狗的日托等新的服务，它们一整年都可以财源广进，而不再像过去那样受季节性约束了。
美国寄养宠物协会(American Boarding Kennels Association)的一位负责人表示，对消费者而言这种发展的一个结果就是，随著附加服务层出不穷，未来两年宠物寄养成本将增长15%-20%。根据该组织提供的数据，去年美国人花在宠物身上的支出为324亿美元，较前年上升近10%。
一些公司正在努力为娇惯宠物的人提供一站式服务。PetsHotel几乎所有的宠物寄养店都设在其零售店内部，宠物主人在把宠物领回家的同时就可以顺便买上一些狗点心或者吱吱作响的玩具等。
隔夜寄养还可以获得清洁或训练等其他服务，你在海滨度假时你的狗甚至可以比平时表现更好。例如在Best Friends，包括寄养成本在内，你可以花上450美元把你的宠物放在这里培训一周。
由于该行业的很多主要运营商仍处于品牌推广阶段，它们提供的服务和设施五花八门。
而且，不同运营商也有不同的宠物看护方式。一些店认为狗喜欢群居，而其他店则认为将它们分开更好。一些店将重点放在户外活动上，提供光溜溜的骨头作为睡觉装配。而其他店则认为将宠物放在室内比较适宜，狗的装备包括塑料秋千和婴儿床等等。
借鉴酒店行业的价格策略，PetsHotel提供了不同档次的宠物寄宿环境和服务项目。狗的主人可以为他们的宠物选择6英尺长4英尺宽、铺有羊皮毯子的厅堂，每晚的费用是21美元，也可以选择略大一些的配有电视的套房，每晚收费38美元。对于配有草垫和抓挠玩具的猫单间，每晚收费为14美元。
宠物们在这种门窗紧闭的房间内不太容易得到的一样东西是：阳光。散步通常在室内进行，小狗们只能在装有石地板、木杆、并布置少量植物的特别房间里运动。
Best Friends Pet Resorts & Salons的一半寄养场所也配有类似的室内设施。该公司表示，让宠物待在室内主要是为了保障它们的安全，减少与虱子等外界有害物的接触。
但其他宠物寄养运营商则特别重视宠物的室外活动。在Pet Paradise Resort & Day Spa位于帕姆海岸和圣奥古斯汀的狗舍里，白天大部分时间狗客人都可以成群地在室外玩耍。该公司还在佛罗里达州北杰克逊维尔的机场附近增加了一个新的狗舍──宠物主人可以在上飞机的途中把小猫小狗丢在这里。在这里，每个小狗都有自己的装有空调的房间，打开门就到了户外15英尺的活动场所。他们的规划还包括：开设一个室外的骨头形状的小操场。
一些宠物寄养商将狗的日托与隔夜寄养联系在一起。佛罗里达州奥克兰帕克的特许经营商Central Bark Doggy Day Care的母公司Barkley Venture Inc.要求把狗送来日托的主人们每周至少要送来一次，这样才有夜宿的资格。该公司联席董事克里斯?伽巴(Chris Gaba)说，这种政策是为了尽量减少小狗的打仗几率，因为动物们经常见面才会越来越熟悉。为了确保小狗们和平相处，管理员会评估每只狗的性格特点，然后按照不同的性格进行分班。
在室外玩耍了一上午后，Central Bark的小狗们会回室内进餐，然后再回到各自的小屋里睡上两个小时午觉。房间里放著古典音乐，香炉里的香袅袅升起。
