Doggy divas given red carpet welcome by U.S. hotels

By Dana Ford

LOS ANGELES (Reuters Life!) - At the Beverly Hills Hotel, dogs are greeted by name, served food prepared by world-class chefs and walked in the hotel's luxurious gardens.

Yes, it's a dog life, and it's not so bad.

From hotels to airlines, the travel industry is opening its doors to four-legged guests, said Kim Salerno, founder of TripswithPets.com, one of a growing number of Web sites that cater to people that travel with their animals.

"Pets really are, now more than ever, considered part of the family and when they go on trips, people don't want to leave their family members behind," said Salerno.

Her Web site lists more than 20,000 pet-friendly accommodations in the United States and provides links to different airlines' pet travel policies.

Another Web site, www.bringyourpet.com, lists pet-friendly accommodations from beach houses to hotels and penthouses, and estimates that up to 36 million U.S. households travel with their pets a year.

Alberto Robles, the head bell captain at the Beverly Hills Hotel, said he is responsible for greeting guests' "little designer dogs" by name.

"They have to be treated the same as children. We take care of our guests and we take care of their pets," said Robles, adding many dogs travel with their own luggage, clothes and jewelry.

The services for pampered pooches are limitless. Another Web site, www.petsonthego, lists features at 30,000 properties, including puppy pagers and pet menus.

Boston's boutique Nine Zero hotel has a special room service menu for pooches provided by a gourmet treat boutique for dogs, Polka Dog Bakery, which even has a low-calorie menu for discerning dogs watching their figures.

PAMPERED POOCHES

New York's Ritz-Carlton, Central Park, has a V.I.P. (Very Important Pooch) package that includes ultra-chic pet carriers, 22-karat gold plated identification tags, aromatherapy treatments, and home-baked dog treats.

Figures from market research company Packaged Facts show people in the United States spend $47 billion a year on their pets. Spending on premium pet products, or "functional pampering," is a fast growing share of total spending.

Between 1995 and 2005, pet owners with incomes of $70,000 or more tripled their pet expenditures to $18.6 billion from $5.2 billion, which the researcher partly attributed to the success of marketers tapping into this market by providing more high-end products and services for animals.

"Products for pets are being made to resemble those for humans," said Tatjana Meerman, the publisher of Packaged Facts, in a statement.