L.A.’s Luxury Hotels Are Filled With Pets Amid the Wildfires
Los Angeles’s luxury hotels have opened their doors to wildfire victims—and their pets.
Man’s best friends, including Chow Chows, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and other breeds, have been dominating the city’s hospitality industry in recent days, The Wall Street Journal reported. And since L.A. is the most popular city to have a dog in America, according to U.S. News & World Report, it makes sense that these posh locales would become a rather luxe kennel for the animals.
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The Kimpton Palomar, for example, had more than 250 pets staying at the hotel, and had all 264 of its rooms occupied, after the Palisades fire began. The front desk has even started handed out treats as pets go by. And though you’d be inclined to think that that many pooches would cause chaos, it’s had the opposite effect: The dogs have helped ease the stress of the property’s guests, many of who had either lost their homes to the blazes or were waiting to discover what had happened to their real estate.
“All of a sudden you’re surrounded by all these animals,” Rosa Schläger, director of sales and marketing for Kimpton properties in Los Angeles, told The Wall Street Journal. “It’s quite nice when you see the elevator opening up and you have sweet dogs coming out.”
At the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, the hotel saw a large increase in pets amid the blazes, with dogs, cats, and a turtle arrived alongside their owners. The property makes all its dog food in-house, with a Wagyu beef option on the menu, senior marketing manager Nahal Aghajani told The Wall Street Journal. And the Beverly Hilton, meanwhile, has set up dog-friendly spots on the rooftop and in other areas, in addition to handing out complimentary treats.
Of course, the increase in pets has its challenges. The hotels have been searching for more dog beds, food, and toys to mitigate the increased demand, while hotel employees have stepped up to help guests open dog food cans and retrieve cats from tough spots, like under the bed, WSJ reported. Housekeepers, too, have had to deal with pet excrements.
Pooches and other pets have carved out their niche in the luxury industry as of late. One of New York City’s latest members’ club is just for dogs, while a pup-first airline called Bark Air is ready to hit the skies while pampering man’s best friend. And in a recent superyacht trend, owners are having their vessels designed with their pets in mind.
For more information on how to help those affected by the L.A. wildfires, you can find resources here.
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