Dubai: A personal butler, private limousine service, air conditioned suites with plasma TVs and garden views, a gym, pool, playground… no, we're not tempting you with an unbelievably fabulous hotel offer. We're tempting your dog.
The Urban Tails seven-star pet resort, the only one of its kind in the UAE, offers your dogs and cats luxury living while you are out of town. "The plan was to create an environment that takes away the stress of pet boarding for both the pets and their ‘parents'," says Aideen O'Mara, founder of the pet hotel.
While dogs have the option of four suites to choose from, cats stay in their own little kitty condos. "Our most basic room is the junior suite which costs approximately Dh115 a night," says O'Mara. "The Deluxe, Urban and Royal suites all come with their own plasma TV and garden view. In addition, the Urban and Royal suites also have the option of a live webcam so owners can log online 24 hours a day and watch on a live stream what their dogs are up to."
The most luxurious of all, perhaps, is the Royal Suite (Dh395 per night) where, along with the above facilities, dogs get their own personal butler attending to them all day, at their beck (bark?) and call. Dogs booked into the Royal suite also have a private limo for pick up and drop off, and at the end of the stay, are sent home with a beautiful holiday photo album, detailing the highlights of their stay at the resort.
Meals too, are taken care of, often with a gourmet twist. While the resort stocks the top three most popular brands of dog food for its guests, specially prepared meals such as steamed chicken and rice are often included as a gourmet treat for the four-legged VIPs.
To prove how valuable their clients really are, the resort offers a staff to pet ratio of 8:1 "so that every pet will get individual time and be cared for, loved and cuddled like if they were at home", says O'Mara. "The resort also has epoxy floors and an advanced air exchange system to eliminate odours and germs. The play areas are laid out in a way to reduce noise levels and minimise stress and, of course, with hygiene being of top priority, we guarantee that our facilities and individual suites are cleaned on an ongoing basis by our dedicated cleaners."
Movie time
The 70 suites at Urban Tails each have a raised bed and a couch, along with all the room add-ons. Owners are encouraged to bring their pets' favourite toys or blankets to help recreate the sense of home. "Dogs get treated to two sessions of movie time every day, once more enhancing the stay-at-home vibe we're trying to promote," says O'Mara. "Classical music is played in all the communal area during the day to promote calmness for our more excitable guests."
In line with the luxurious resort theme, Urban Tails also features a one-of-its-kind in the UAE dog gym and health club. What that really means is a fully-equipped, air-conditioned indoor gym complete with treadmills to increase pet fitness and agility, as well as both indoor and outdoor pools for dogs that are so inclined. "We also hold regular Doggie Boot Camps for overweight dogs which includes an initial consultation and weight analysis, followed by an exercise regime including time on a treadmill, in the playground and in the pool," says O'Mara.
Although primarily catering to dogs, Urban Tails also has a lot on offer for cats. The resort has 40 fully furnished kitty condos, with all the trims and frills your feline friends could want.
"We understand that we can never replace the owner, but when it comes to their accommodation and well-being we can guarantee that most of the time our replacement home away from yours is everything you ever wanted for your pet," says O'Mara.
