Pet-Friendly Destinations
by Candyce H. Stapen
It’s true. Checking in with a dog is even less complicated than registering with children. Unlike a toddler, a well-trained pup will sit and stay when told, and unlike a teenager who wants CDs and expensive souvenirs, your canine companion craves nothing more than an “atta-boy” and a bowl of cold water.
 Such reasoning, coupled with new pet-friendly hotel policies, sent my husband and me down the highway. We drove from our home in Washington, D.C. for a family rendezvous in New York City accompanied by Beau, our 140-pound Newfoundland, who has a big heart, a playful attitude and, often, a mouth full of drool.
Saliva aside, big pets, unlike “pocketbook” pooches, get turned away at city hotels, the majority of which only let sleeping dogs lie if they weigh less than 15 to 25 pounds. That’s why we overnighted at Loews Philadelphia. All 19 properties welcome four paws of any size and their “people” pay no additional cleaning fees. As part of the Loews Loves Pets program, Beau, at check-in, retrieved a welcome bag with bowls, chew toys and carob and peanut butter nibbles. I, alas, got nothing but the room key.
For dinner, we grabbed a sidewalk table at Rouge, across from grassy Rittenhouse Square. We chatted with passersby who liked Beau’s teddy bear looks so much they scratched his tummy. We also met the “regulars,” the bulldog, Labrador, boxer, and Chihuahua who frequently waddle to Rouge with their humans for a warm hello and the biscuits the hostess keeps in a jar near the door.
But only later that night, when Beau and I walked back alone on a quiet section of Walnut Street, did I truly discover how dogs turn strangers into friends. Even with a big dog, I remained nervous along the several yet-to-be-gentrified blocks. Just when I wanted Beau to step lively, he spooked, backing up into traffic. Despite my death grip on the leash, I couldn’t pull Beau back on the sidewalk before the light changed causing cars to barrel towards us.
In seconds a group of men—the hangers-out and the homeless I worried about—converged to help. Two stopped traffic, two monitored the periphery in case Beau took off, while the others assisted me in calming Beau, advising that I re-route him around the block. I thanked them, genuinely touched by their kindness and ashamed at my own city-bred assumptions.
Wiser, the next day we headed to the heart of the “Big Apple”—New York’s Times Square and the W Hotel, a newly dog-friendly property that welcomes canines up to 80 pounds. That would still leave Beau without a room at the inn, except that the W Times Square accepts well-behaved big dogs at the discretion of the manager. Despite the drool, we knew Beau qualified.
Even though the gift dog collar, pet bed, bowl, and ball proved too small for a big boy like Beau, he liked the hotel with its view of flashing Broadway lights and its tiled entrance way and bathroom floor on which he endlessly dumped his water bowl so that he could stretch out on the damp tile, a decidedly Newfoundland joy.
After his walks, Beau sashayed in the W’s lobby, the Living Room, planting sloppy dog kisses on the willing and receiving hugs. In a city where most canines come in miniature, Beau amazed even usually blasé New Yorkers, drawing them into conversations with us.
He especially savored his doggy massage, available at all five Manhattan W Hotels. (Don’t laugh.) Just as a good rub down eases your aches and soothes your mind, it does the same for dogs. Licensed animal therapist Lisa Veyka kneaded Beau’s spine, worked the acupuncture points along his ears, “milked” his thigh muscles, stroked his paws, and massaged his muzzle. After a few minutes, Beau sighed, snored, passed gas, and fell into a deep, sweet sleep.
The only real city problem for Beau: a bad case of the gotta-find-a-tree near Broadway blues. We walked and walked, pointing out the virtues of trashcans and fire hydrants, but to no avail. Accustomed to greener places, Beau held out for Central Park, a bladder-defying 13 blocks away. That is until Sunday morning. When David, my husband, crossed the street with Beau who lifted his leg and let go, David and the W’s doormen cheered as if Beau had scored a winning touchdown.
Acclimated to concrete, crowds and the clatter of cars, Beau’s ready for a return visit. And so are we.
Who Lets the Dogs In?
To be sure your four-paws trip doesn’t turn into a series of faux pas pick a pet-friendly property.
Loews Loves Pets welcomes cats and dogs of any size without adding a cleaning fee to the room rate. Pet walking and pet sitting services are available, but extra. With Loews’ Very Important Pets program, your buddy gets his own water dish upon registration. If he’s hungry, room service will bring special chicken or lamb and rice dishes. From the "doggie closet," you can obtain a leash, pet toy and pooper scooper.
You can teach your dog new tricks with the Loews Coronado Bay Resort & Spa Su’ruff Camp. The dog takes a lesson from the Coronado Surfing Academy at Coronado’s Dog Beach. You get a copy of The Dog’s Guide to Surfing. Packages from $389 for one night.
If you think your dog can sing, book the Hound of Music package at Loews Vanderbilt Hotel Nashville. After a lesson with a voice coach, the dog howls along with musicians in a recording studio. From $1,599, it includes one night’s lodging, limo ride to the studio, recording session, and your dog’s very own CD (800-235-6397; www.loewshotels.com).
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Great Places, Great Deals |
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—Crystal Cruises:
 Crystal Cruises invites children 11 and under to cruise for free on two Panama Canal cruises this Thanksgiving when sharing a stateroom with two adults. Crystal Symphony travels from Caldera, Costa Rica, to Miami, Florida, on a ten-day cruise, November 14 to 24, with calls in Willemstad, Curaçao, Netherlands Antilles; Gustavia, St. Barths, French West Indies; and Road Town, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Crystal Serenity journeys from Miami to Caldera on an 11-day cruise, November 19 to 30, with calls in Grand Turk, Turks & Caicos; Gustavia, St. Barths, French West Indies; Phillipsburg, St. Maarten, Netherlands Antilles; and Oranjestad, Aruba, Netherlands Antilles (866-446-6625; www.crystalcruises.com).
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*****
– Candyce H. Stapen is the author of
27 books, including National Geographic Guide to Caribbean Family
Vacations.
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