| Natarsha Brown travels around the globe
to find the cutest, cuddliest and quirkiest
pets-in-residence. | | |
| Luscious feather-down pillows, 24-hour
room service, plush bathrobes ready
to wear after a shower and… being
greeted at reception with a wagging
tail or decadent purr? Upping the cute
factor and the home-away-from-home appeal,
the creatures great and small at these hotels
are more like staff than pets – but prefer a
friendly pat to a tip.
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| The Rosewood Hotel, London
Just steps from Convent Garden, guests arrive
at Rosewood London through a grand archway
that opens into a spacious Edwardian
courtyard. Sounds la-di-da? It is. The heritage
hotel offers a little oasis of tranquillity in the
bustling city and making visitors feel right at
home is the resident pooch – the lovely Pearl
– who greets little guests at the front doors. The
golden retriever usually spends her days
roaming the grounds, barking at passing
squirrels, and sleeping in her bed beside
the concierge desk. Pearl counts Drew
Barrymore as one of her star-studded
followers on Instagram!
📷Follow Pearl's Adventure @Pearlofrosewoodlondon | | |
| “Le Bristol's
Fa-Raon, a
sacred cat of
Burma, has won
the kitty lotto.” | | |
| The Oyster Box, South Africa
Although it's the popular accommodation of choice in Durban
among big names such as Charlize Theron, Sean Penn and the
Kardashians, The Oyster Box's biggest celebrity is, in fact, its
resident cat. Skabenga, meaning 'Hooligan' in Zulu, has lived at
the Red Carnation hotel for more than 10 years after originally
wandering in as a lost kitty and pestering patio guests for their
seafood scraps.
These days, the haughty famed feline pretty much owns the
place, taking daily 'inspection' walks around the grounds.
Skabenga has his own profile on the hotel's 'meet the team' online page, and even has a storybook written about his
adventures. Of course such a purr-fect employee is active on
social media, with his very own Facebook page in which he
often meow-brags about the delights of his home. Spoilt to bits,
the hotel throws Skabenga a birthday party every October for
charity, with hundreds of attendees year after year.
🤓Did you know? Adored across the country, when
Skabenga went missing in 2015 (and was eventually found
10 kilometres away) it made national news! | | |
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| Le Bristol, Paris
Le Bristol's Fa-Raon, a sacred cat of Burma,
has won the kitty lotto. In the summertime the
pampered moggie is usually found snoozing
on the Italian Botticino marble flooring that
covers the terrace of three-Michelin star
restaurant, Epicure, strolling through azaleas
and rhododendrons in the fragrant French
gardens, or taking a sip out of the Fontaine aux
Amours. However, in the colder months,
Fa-Raon tends to lounge near the hotel's
19th-century marble fireplace. If the cat is
craving privacy, he can simply retire to his own
custom apartment in the hotel, the walls of
which are decorated by street artist Renk with
colourful inscriptions of the word 'cat' in
different languages.
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| The Ritz-Carlton, Bachelor Gulch
This mountain resort has long been a hit with
families - and no small part of this success
can be attributed to its two playful pooches
Bachelor, a gentle Saint Bernard, and Belle,
an intelligent and affectionate Bernese
mountain dog.
Bachelor is the newcomer, joining his then
one-year-old friend Belle in 2015. His hobbies
are wide and varied, but he is especially known
for loving playdates in the fresh Colorado
snow, playing tug-of-war with Belle and, of
course, savouring a good nap.
If you truly want to win him over, you had
best bring a pack of his favourite treats:
beef-flavoured training bites.
When you're not frolicking with Bachelor in
the powder, guests can partake in ˜Canine
Adventure Hikes' with Belle and the resort's
resident naturalist, Jackie, through Beaver
Creek and the Colorado Rocky Mountains. | | |
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| The Peabody, Memphis
Not all resident pets are of the furry variety, as
the five fêted, feathered Marching Ducks of The
Peabody, an elegant landmark hotel in
Memphis, Tennessee, demonstrate. Teams of
pampered ducks have been residing in the
hotel since 1940, when Bellman Edward
Pembroke, a former circus animal trainer,
taught them the Peabody Duck March. The
ducks still strut their stuff daily by the lobby
fountain. The Peabody claims the ducks have
even been known to lead sessions of poolside
yoga, but we’re not entirely convinced. When
they’re off-duty, they can be found living the
high life in their own Royal Duck Palace on
the hotel’s rooftop. | | |
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| The Jefferson, Washington DC
One of four brothers and sisters, Lord
Monticello, otherwise known as Monti, has
captured the hearts of Jefferson guests, and
America. The resident ‘ECO’ (Executive Canine
Officer) even ran a cute ‘n’ cuddly campaign
for President of the United States, running for
some pawsomely serious issues – like free
bacon for all and a dog’s right to choose
whether or not to live with a cat. While winning
the popular vote, this beloved rescue dog was
unfortunately not elected, and instead lives a
life of love and luxury at The Jefferson.
Monti spends his days getting to know all
the guests and staff at The Jefferson. He's
perfected the best trick to get unlimited belly
rubs – the ‘Full Monti’ – where he rolls over onto
his back and sticks his paws in the air. Monti
loves his seemingly unlimited supply of turkey,
and that there are lots of other dogs to play
with every day; whether it be in the lobby or at
one of the many pet parks near the hotel. As for
Monti’s brothers and sisters, all found good
homes and the youngest works as a stand-in
dog on the Paramount lot in Hollywood. | | |
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| Four Seasons Hotel, Hampshire England
Oliver Beckington is one of the most loved
members of the team at Four Seasons Hotel
Hampshire – and certainly the most noted in
guest comments and social media shares. And
who wouldn’t want to Instagram a picture of
this four-legged cutie? Lively, curious and no
stranger to the limelight, Oliver has been a firm
favourite of the pup-arazzi, featuring in Tatler,
Vanity Fair and Harper’s Bazaar.
A Hampshire pooch born and bred, the
black labrador is named after two bishops who
once resided on the estate. Oliver has been a
part of the Four Seasons family since he was
12 weeks old and, for many, is one of the main
reasons they come for a visit. Happily greeting
guests on arrival, Oliver can usually be found
tottering around the hotel lobby, enjoying long
walks around the grounds or taking a
well-deserved snooze on his beanbag in front
of the fireplace.
“Pets are a part of the family and, for many
people, a holiday or a visit to the countryside
isn’t complete without them,” says general
manager Charlie Parker. Luckily, Oliver
loves nothing more than greeting other furry
friends at the pet-friendly hotel and sharing
countryside strolls along the canal with
all of his new pals. | | |
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This article appeared in volume 52 of Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here. | | |
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