Paws-down, pets and their humans love New York City's Affinia Dumont Hotel, according to a new TripAdvisor survey out today.
TripAdvisor, a hotel review website, lists the Affinia Dumont as third-best in the nation for man and his best friends to stay, in a ranking compiled from 1,200 travelers' comments on their website.
Affinia's amenities include a travel water bowl which guests can take home and plush doggie beds (those have to stay, though). You can also order a pet taxi and a pet psychic, according to TripAdvisor.
The hotel's ground-floor restaurant is even named "The Barking Dog" and features canine-themed decor. The average nightly rate is $227-$531, according to Tripadvisor, but there's a $25 pet surcharge.
"These are all hotels that have gone out of their way to promote their pet-friendly practices and policies, and all the little things they do to make pets feel at home," said TripAdvisor spokesperson and travel expert Brooke Ferencsik. "That's really great for those of us who think about pets as part of our family."
Sixty-one percent of pet owners took their furred-and-feathered friends with them on vacation last year, the survey found. "It's definitely interesting to note that suhc a high number do travel with their pets," said Ferencsik. He also pointed out that the survey found that approximately "57 percent of pet owners think it's okay to bring pets in the airline cabin, and 59 percent of those who do not own pets do not think it's okay."
"Although 66 percent of pet owners say they don't generally find hotels to be pet-friendly, there are many fantastic properties that cater to the needs of four-legged travelers," said TripAdvisor Senior Director of Communications Karen Drake in a press release. "From slick city trips to beachside breaks, there's no reason why much-loved pets should miss out on the fun of sniffing out great travel spots."
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When traveling with pets, Ferencsik tells travelers to "do their homework;" see if the pet surcharge is per night or per trip, make sure your pets get plenty of exercise, and "know your pet's personality." Some pets travel better than others, and a nervous or antsy pet will be miserable no matter how pet-friendly the hotel is, he says.
According to TripAdvisor's survey, the most pet-friendly hotel in the U.S. is the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tenessee.
