Finally, a zany trend that started here and is ending up in SF
An article in today’s SF Chronicle heralds the upcoming opening of Wag Hotel in SF’s SOMA neighborhood. The boutique endeavor started in West Sac, where some careful linguistic choices turned a dog kennel into a dog hotel with rooms, not runs, and turn down service, not poop scooping.
Swapping litter for luxury the West Sac location is described thusly:
Last year, Wag’s Leineke and a partner opened their first facility in a refurbished West Sacramento warehouse, intending to mimic the hotel industry. They went so far as to hire a former hotel executive to help them make the transition, and one of the first things they decided to do was ditch the antiquated kennel lingo, Leineke said. At Wag facilities, guests (not dogs) check in (instead of get dropped off), and they stay in rooms or suites (not runs or cages), which are turned down (instead of cleaned). . . .
[At] Wag’s West Sacramento facility, the lobby and retail center are intentionally designed with hip furnishings and painted in bright colors, much like a boutique hotel. The boarding areas in the back of the warehouse are wide open, with three spacious playpens and a swimming pool. Leineke said Wag’s initial surveys found half of its customers were first-time kennel users, indicating a new wave of clients who’ve found a boarding scenario that assuages their worst fears.
“We’re tapping the portion of the market that says, ‘There’s nothing worthy out there of taking care of my furry child,’ ” Leineke said. “So if they’re going to do it, they prefer these kinds of services.”
So, West Sac has started an all out arms race for doggy decadence. I suppose it makes sense with the emerging West Sac/Sac Area demographics and population growth. But, well, really? TVs for your pooch? One SF Kennel owner said it best:
“I don’t know of any dogs who watch ‘Animal Planet,’ ” he said. “That’s the kind of stuff that helps lessen the owner’s guilt, but I don’t know if it helps the dogs.”
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