Sunday, March 30, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Puppy Palace

America Dog and Cat Hotel keeps pets safe, happy with posh amenities

Hotelier Christopher Easley plays with some of the pet guests on an Oriental rug at the America Dog and Cat Hotel's 5,000-square-foot free-range area. Photo by Jeff Scheid. A four-legged patron barks while inside a private suite at the America Dog and Cat Hotel at 2900 E. Patrick Lane. Photo by Jeff Scheid.

If all dogs go to heaven, as the animated-movie title promises, maybe it looks like this. At least the America Dog and Cat Hotel thinks so.

Although Las Vegas has many luxury hotels for two-legged guests, the pet hotel, at 2900 E. Patrick Lane, aims to offer similarly sweet suites for four-footers. Call the hotel, which opened to the public in November and held its grand opening earlier this month, Club Classy for Lassie, the Ritz for Fritz.

It's a place carpeted with Oriental rugs, hung with animal-themed paintings and fragrant with scented potpourri. It's a place dogs may frolic in a 5,000-square-foot free-range area, a sort of giant indoor park. If free-range tag games don't excite, there are other entertainments. Toys to chew and chase. Music to hear (the Gipsy Kings and Enigma played on a recent day). Six overhead 32-inch color televisions to watch. The shows star dogs, of course; "The Fox and the Hound" and "Milo and Otis," among others.

If a dog digs solitude, there are private suites. Either way, humans watch regularly, coordinating play times, feeding, brushing and leading "business trips" to a stretch of indoor lawn.

Visiting cats stay in three-story kitty condos, whose top-floor "penthouses" feature beds, 5-inch televisions and Tiffany lamps.

The premium stays come at a premium price. The single-night dog-suite rate, for example, is $79, more than some discount hotels for people. And there's competition; a Reference USA database search reveals 23 other kennels in Las Vegas. And dozens of local veterinarians also offer boarding services.

But hotelier Christopher Easley said his place is unique, and patrons may buy extended-stay or plans at lower costs.

Anyway, he said, many people will pamper their pets at any price. The American Pet Products Manufacturers Association estimates U.S. residents will spend $31 billion on pet products this year, including veterinary care, food, toys and accessories.

"Our pets give us unconditional love, that's why we love them so much," Easley said. "And more and more, pets are considered members of the family. We celebrate their birthdays. We call them our `babies.' "

Easley said the main focus of the hotel, and its six-member staff, is keeping pets safe and happy and people pleased. Therefore, all guests must have up-to-date shots and all dogs must be spayed or neutered to use the free-range area. Also, the free-range area bars traditionally aggressive dog breeds such at pit bulls, German shepherds and Rottweilers and separates smaller dogs from larger ones.

Although the staff doesn't now include a veterinarian, Easley said the hotel works closely with a local practice and has vets on call.

The hotel encourages people to bring their pets' own food and toys and to leave behind an article of clothing. One suite-staying dog kept a pair of his master's blue dress socks nearby for comfort.

Some amenities may seem lost on the animals. Dogs probably don't know Sade's on the stereo or that a rug's Oriental. Nevertheless, Easley said the animals appreciate things in their own way.

"You don't have to know who Louis Armstrong is to appreciate jazz," Easley said. "(The animals) do know the music isn't heavy metal and that it's soothing. They know the rug is soft."

Many customers have given the hotel rave reviews. Las Vegan Jenny Hitch, for example, said her year-old Brittany spaniel, Woody, delights in doggy day-care there.

"Woody loves the open area, he loves to run and loves to chase the other dogs," Hitch said. "He gets so excited in the car when we're driving there. By the time we get to the door, he's pulling on his leash; he can't wait to get inside."

Lori Gore, a Las Vegan with a Shar-Pei and a Weimaraner, said she much preferred the hotel to kennels where animals may spend stays in cages.

"The hotel is gorgeous," she said. "It's the perfect place for the dogs to be when I'm not there."

Ron Lytle, a veterinarian at Lake View Animal Hospital, 2939 Lake East Drive., said the market is ready for a place like the America Dog and Cat Hotel. Nevertheless, he said, even the best animal hotels have hazards.

First, he said, going someplace unfamiliar can be traumatic; animals are most comfortable at home (something Easley acknowledges). Also, he said, dogs in a free-range area, like children in a classroom or adults in an office, may share illness-causing bacteria and viruses, even if all shots are current.

Nevertheless, Lytle said, when animals can't stay home, the hotel's social benefits, particularly for dogs, may outweigh these risks.

"Socialization is very important if you want a dog that's friendly toward humans and if you want a dog that's good around other dogs, and who doesn't have fights whenever he goes to the dog park."

Creating the hotel from a former gym cost $200,000, but Easley believes the investment will pay off. Locals business has been strong, Easley said, helped by positive word-of-mouth. And he said, the hotel has attracted strong tourist counts by networking with Strip hotel concierges and through online bookings at www.vegas.com.

Out-of-towners are apt customers, Easley said; 78 percent of pet owners, polled by the Travel Industry Association, said they'd bring their pets with them on vacation if they could.

Already, Easley said, the company running the Las Vegas hotel, Abraxis Ltd., plans to expand, adding another hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., later this year. And, he added, the company hopes one day to go national and go public.

"This is brandable and expandable," Easley said.