‘A home away from home.’ Luxury hotel for dogs and cats may open in downtown Macon
Entrepreneur Terri Marion wants to open a luxury hotel for dogs and cats in downtown Macon.
She’ll need approval from the Macon Bibb Planning & Zoning Commission for conditional use to open The Wagsworth Hotel at 538 First St.
The hotel would offer dog and cat boarding, doggy daycare, grooming services and a boutique.
Her aim is to create “a home away from home” for the pets.
“I want to give them as much of a home aesthetic as possible,” Marion said.
Each guest would receive luxury care assigned by their owners, she said.
For example, if a dog needs a certain playlist to be comforted, Marion said she’ll make sure that happens. Same for dosing of medications and feeding.
She also plans to add dog walking services for the downtown community.
What’s proposed
The first floor of The Wagsworth Hotel would house the Sire and Dam boutique and reception area, which would be open to the public.
A room to the side would lead to The Coterie, cat condos for up to a dozen animals. Other rooms also not open to the public on the first floor would be used for the SPAW bathing and grooming for dogs.
The other floor would house small, medium and large kennels for up to 60 dogs. This area would also house an indoor play area for dogs boarding at the hotel or participating in DogStay, her brand for the doggy daycare aspect of her business.
Marion also plans to add an outdoor play area for dogs in the back parking lot. Additionally, dogs staying for boarding or doggy daycare would be walked in the downtown area.
The setup downtown would be similar to the original Wagsworth Hotel that Marion opened in south Bibb County in June 2021 and operated until November 2023. She closed in part to regroup and move downtown.
Marion won a $5,000 grant from NewTown Macon’s 2023 Downtown Diversity Initiative to bring the business downtown.
Once she receives conditional use for the downtown property, Marion will next need approval from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, which licenses kennels.
If all goes as planned, Marion said she expects to be open in time for the Christmas boarding season.
Planning & Zoning is expected to review her request at its Dec. 9 meeting.
