Your tickets are bought, your hotel room is reserved and your suitcases are packed. Yet somehow all is not right with the world. As you pause to assure yourself that another pair of Prada shoes in the Bahamas is excessive, the animal in your life starts giving you the look. You know. The Look.
Those sad eyes, which beg and plead: “How can you do this to me? You know I have abandonment issues?”
Oh, a short stay behind bars at the local kennel isn’t that bad, is it? Maybe, you decide, leaving isn’t such a good idea after all… “Wait!” you think. “I’m being ridiculous. My pup will be just fine.” It is too late, though. The guilt begins to grow within you and the thought of leaving your beloved companion in some pet penitentiary becomes a heavy load to bear. How will you ever relax?
Thankfully, before calling your travel agent and asking for a refund, you pick up Animal Fair. You find that all is not lost— at least if you can postpone your trip until Fall 2001. That joyous season, Larry Roth and Howard Binder will put an end to your traveling woes. The dynamic duo, creators of the luxurious grooming salon, boutique, and day care facility “Doggie-Do and Pussycats, Too!” are tapping into their creative consciousness once again with the Ritz-Canine. The upscale animal resort is meant to rival it’s human counterpart, the Ritz-Carlton, in splendor and prestige. Think it can’t be done? Prepare to be proven wrong.
The extraordinary Ritz-Canine is being constructed on New York City’s exclusive East Side. The building, built as a carriage house in the 1800’s, is a 15,000-foot historical landmark. Its interior will be historical too, as one of New York’s top interior designers is creating a visual masterpiece. The design is incorporating stylistic elements of the Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI periods. Recently, Mr. Roth raved about creating a place of “Tremendous opulence and luxury, the kind of hotel that people would want to check in to.”
Indeed. Upon entering, he says, patrons will be enveloped in a sumptuopus combination of red and gold, trimmed with royal blue. Crystal chandeliers and sconces, imported from Paris, will dazzle the eye as well, but amenities do not stop at the lobby, nor are they merely ornamental. Each pooch will have his or her own individually themed suite, and will also have access to indoor and outdoor playing areas, including an amazing rooftop solarium. For felines, the hotel will offer a designer cattery, complete with climate control, music, and floor-to-ceiling fish tanks guaranteed to keep your little darling fully entertained. The cat condos are located in an enclosed area, so each will have separate litter accommodations— for reasons of health as well as privacy. A full-time cleaning crew will make sure the hotel is always spotless and a twenty-four-hour-a-day, on-site veterinary care facility will attend to any health problems. There’s even a chef on hand to serve animals with any special dietary needs. Roth assures that every pet’s safety will be guaranteed, and, “No request will be unaddressed.”
As for franchising, both Binder and Roth have declined to do so with their salon, and the same will likely hold true with their hotel. The pair believes expansion would dilute their ability to provide the personal care for which they are known and loved. Roth explains: “I’d rather have one fabulous location that is the talk of the town than ten mediocre locations…After all, we’re dealing with animals lives here. We have an obligation.” So, go ahead and take that dream vacation, because this time your furry friend will be delighted to bid you au revoir.
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