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Upscale Dog Hotels
By: Sal Pizarro,
Mercury News, CA
There's a new hotel in Silicon Valley, but this one's strictly for the dogs.
Pooch, with a grand opening in Sunnyvale that continues today, is a Four Seasons-size step above the kennel where your pup might normally spend time while you're on vacation.
If you're familiar with the Wag Hotel in San Francisco, you're barking up the right upscale tree.
The Presidential suite — which is bigger than an apartment I once had — boasts a bed, chair and TV, all colorfully decorated right down to the dog-themed art. There's even a Webcam if you want to check in on your dog online, though at $100 a night, I'd bet Rover is being pretty well pampered.
Smaller suites with less space or fewer amenities are cheaper, but they've all got one thing in common: No bars, no cages. There are, however, a pool, a treadmill and group play areas for big and small dogs, whether they're staying overnight or just there for the day.
For the discerning doggy, there's a whole menu of spa — excuse me, "spaw" — services, from aromatherapy massages to fur-coloring touch-ups and even canine pedicures complete with nail polish. Yes, dog-friendly nail polish (you can check out that and other offerings at www.poochhotel.com).
Owner Robin Tomb, who has four dogs of her own, launched the first Pooch hotel in Chicago, where she moved after working in the tech industry in San Francisco.
She longed to get back to the Bay Area and began work on the Silicon Valley location in March, settling on a site at North Wolfe Road and Central Expressway. With busy Silicon Valley travel schedules in mind, the hotel allows dogs to be checked in or picked up 24 hours a day.
"There are always going to be people who think what we offer is over the top, and that's OK," Tomb said. "I think there are plenty of people out there who will embrace it."
Of course, the only thing missing is cats. But only the most courageous feline would come within miles of this place.
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