Just short of a concierge, the latest trend for dogs and cats is luxury hotels, which offer televisions with animal programs, in-room massages, hypo-allergenic lambskin blankets, brass beds and video surveillance. That’s where the Pet Palace and PetSmart PetsHotel come into play—they’re upscale facilities for cats and dogs staffed by pet lovers who will watch your pet when you can’t. Dogs at the recently opened PetSmart PetsHotel at Easton can enjoy lactose-free soft serve ice cream with dog biscuits, ‘poochy cots,’ and calls from their owners via the ‘bone booth. Forty percent of the pet parents use the bone booth, says Jennifer Ericsson, PetSmart spokesperson. And don’t forget your kitty—felines get their own four-level town houses complete with virtual aquariums at Pet Palace, and enjoy Kitty Cottages at PetsHotel, in separate cats-only areas. A second Pet Palace is underway for a mid-December opening in Hilliard and another PetsHotel is scheduled to open at the Sawmill location March of next year. read more

Tags: dogs, petsmart, pets, petshotel, hypoallergenic dogs, palace