Tips for traveling with man's best friend

Last summer, while planning a trip to Switzerland for a family wedding, Stephan and Shyama Steiner of Redwood Shores, Calif., made a tough decision: Their dog would have to stay home. Although Guinness, a 2-year-old German shepherd, usually travels with them on vacations, the Steiners figured it was too distant a trip to take him along.

But one week before leaving, they changed their minds. Stephan Steiner's mother, who lives in Basel and had gotten to know Guinness during a trip to the United States, kept asking if the dog was coming, too. So they decided to surprise her.

A hassle? Not really. They made a few calls, got a travel certificate from a veterinarian and paid a $500 round-trip fare to ship Guinness from San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany, on Lufthansa Airlines. After landing, they drove 3 hours to Basel rather than risk a long layover and stayed at pet-friendly hotels in Switzerland and Italy.

"She was so happy, and shocked," Shyama Steiner said of her mother-in-law. "We ring the doorbell, and there's a dog barking."

More and more, people are willing to do just about anything to take their pets on family trips, no matter how far. And hotels, eager to cash in on a market they once disdained, are responding with packages and amenities designed to attract pet owners.

"There's an incredible demand for it," said Steve Pinetti, senior vice president of sales and marketing for San Francisco-based Kimpton Boutique Hotels. "The emotional connection that one has with one's pets is akin to having children. I would be willing to bet that in some cases the connection is even greater."

Hotels and resorts are jumping in, and there are even travel agents who deal solely in pet travel. One airline will allow pets to travel in the main cabin with their owners when it begins flying this year.

A poll taken by the Travel Industry Association in 2001 showed that about 29 million Americans traveled with their pets in the previous three years. In a recent study commissioned by Starwood Hotels and Resorts, 76 percent of dog owners said they would be more loyal to a hotel chain that accepted dogs, even if they weren't traveling with their dog. Those numbers have translated to a greater acceptance of dogs (and cats) than a decade ago, when most front-desk clerks were likely to turn up their noses at the mere suggestion of a pet spending the night.

"Ten years ago, on a chain-wide basis, almost nobody accepted pets, although there were always individual properties where exceptions were made by the people who ran the property," said Jerry Hatfield, whose Web site, www.PetTravel.com, has links to lodging as well as advice on airline regulations and traveling overseas with pets. "That's now changed. Almost all of the major chains have a pet policy in place."

Starwood, which owns the Westin, Sheraton and W hotels, launched a "Love That Dog" program this year that includes plush dog beds and various amenities at check-in for a $25 fee. Loews Hotels, the first major chain to establish a pet-friendly policy, goes a step further: Guests receive a note from each hotel's general manager with information on pet services, dog-walking routes, pet-friendly restaurants, grooming facilities, attractions and local veterinarians. Dogs are provided with food and water bowls, place mats, toys and treats, and there's a room-service menu developed and approved by a licensed veterinarian. There is no weight limit or fee for pets at Loews; Westin has a 40-pound limit, while the Sheraton and W allow dogs up to 80 pounds.

"We're committed to pets," said Emily Goldfischer, a spokeswoman for Loews. "We have other programs that come and go, but this one is going to stay."

Even higher-end hotels like Ritz-Carlton and the Peninsula are trying to attract pet owners. At the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove in Florida, for instance, a "bow wow butler" will walk, feed and pamper a pet for $500; some Ritz-Carlton properties offer special menus, although not all of its hotels accept pets. The Peninsula Beverly Hills offers massages, dog walking and dog training.

"The more luxurious the hotel, the more likely they are to accept pets," Hatfield said. "Rich people travel with their pets and stay in fancy hotels for $600 a night, and the hotel is not about to turn them down."

If you're planning a getaway that includes your dog (the preferred traveling companion of almost 80 percent of vacationers, according to the Travel Industry Association) and want to make it memorable, we found these hotels and resorts that have special amenities:

--Hotel Monaco, San Francisco, www.monaco-sf.com, (415) 292-0100, has a Bone-A-Petit Package starting at $219 a night that includes bottled water, dog towels, temporary dog tags and complimentary one-hour pet walking service. Weight limit: none. Fee: none.

--Loews Hotels, www.loewshotels.com, (800) 235-6397, is offering a "Houndly Holidays" package at all of its 19 properties through Feb. 15, starting at $175 per room. Guests receive a free in-room movie and dinner for two at the hotel restaurant, and dogs receive an in-room meal, free amenities and a doggy bag of leftovers.

--Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills, www.peninsula.com, (800) 223-6800, asks guests to complete a pet profile form detailing any special dietary needs so that hotel personnel can create a customized program for the dog. Pets are also provided a Beautyrest mattress on a wrought-iron bed frame. Weight limit: none. Fee: $35.

--Acqua Hotel, Mill Valley, Calif., www.acquahotel.com, (888) 662-9555, has five pet-friendly rooms and can arrange for a dog-walking service. The hotel also has an upgrade package for $25 that includes clean-up bags, bottled water, dog cookies, a keepsake water bowl and a "Joy of Life Guide" with information on nearby dog parks, day care, grooming, pet shops and medical references. Weight limit: none. Fee: none.

--Le Parker Meridien, Palm Springs, Fla., and New York, www.parkermeridien.com, (800) 543-4300, has a special room-service menu for dogs and wild animals (the New York property has hosted birds, frogs, rabbits and even elephants and giraffes appearing on TV's "Late Night with David Letterman" and "Today"). For dogs, it offers a CD with mood music for $30 and bones and treats for $25; for cats, scratch pads can be purchased for $45. Weight limit: none in New York, 35 pounds in Palm Springs. Fee: none.

--Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch, Colo., www.ritzcarlton.com, (800) 241-3333, has a Loan-A-Lab program for guests without dogs. Bachelor, a yellow Labrador who lives with a hotel employee, is available for walks and companionship but not overnight stays. For guests who bring their own dogs, the hotel provides ID tags, food bowls and snacks. Weight limit: none. Fee: $35.

It's not always necessary to plan your own trip, though. Barbara DeBry of Salt Lake City owns Puppy Travel (www.puppytravel.com), a service for people who travel with their pets. DeBry said a significant portion of her business involves transporting pets on airlines but said many requests come from folks looking for a unique vacation.

"Dogs have changed the way we feel about them as pets," she said. "A lot of single people have raised their dogs to the status of family, so the demand is there."

For DeBry, that has meant planning itineraries around pets. One couple wanted a vacation in San Diego, so she created a vacation with pet-friendly beaches, off-leash parks, restaurants where the couple could dine outside with their dog and lodging where their furry friend was welcome.

"I even found a place in La Jolla that serves 'dogaritas,"' she said, laughing. "That's like a margarita for dogs."

Even travelers who choose to fly rather than drive may have a better option than sending their pet in airline's cargo hold. Companion Air (www.companionair.com), based in Boca Raton, Fla., will allow crated pets to travel in the main cabin with their owners when it begins operating this year.

It probably will cost more for a passenger to fly with his pet than it would be to transport the animal separately, but Rick Roof, Companion Air co-founder and president, said it's a premium people seem willing to pay. He's already offering an interim shuttle service up and down the East Coast.

"The demand has never been a question," he said. "Even with our interim shuttles, we've been overwhelmed with requests to fly. I get a dozen requests a day, and people are willing to pay more than what the airlines charge."

When he completes financing, Roof said he intends to purchase 20 turboprop planes that will allow him to transport four or five passengers and up to eight animals on each aircraft. Pets will be crated in the rear of the plane, although passengers will be allowed to visit them during flights.

Roof said the airline plans to fly routes across the country, including the San Francisco Bay Area. He hopes to be flying by late spring.

It's estimated that of the more than 2 million pets and live animals transported annually by air, about 5,000 are lost, injured or killed because of extreme temperatures, rough handling or lack of oxygen, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

But because so many pets are considered a member of the family, many owners wouldn't think of leaving them at home. Like Stephan and Shyama Steiner, they'll take the family dog anywhere they're going.

And they're almost always welcome. PetTravel.com's Hatfield recalled the time a hotel manager, seeing him sitting with his dog at the bar, told him that he preferred dogs to children. The manager, he said, told him, "I'd much rather have a well-behaved pet in my hotel than a child. They don't run up and down the halls, and they don't write with crayons on my wallpaper."