It’s a good time to be a pampered dog. Recent data on the hospitality industry points to positive news for spaces designed with luxury travelers in mind. And apparently, there’s encouraging news for similar dogs on the way. In 2024, we noted Los Angeles’ Dog PPL opening an outpost in Brooklyn. However, the company is not the only company that has made a name for itself in this type of facility.
As Gothamist’s Stephanie Keith reports, Dog PPL is just one of many upscale dog-related establishments that are becoming increasingly popular (or popular?) in New York City. There are some big differences between a trip to these locations and an average day at Soho House, but the properties featured on Gothamist offer luxurious amenities, cafes, locations, and more for people. It has many similarities to a members’ club. Stretch your legs. And, of course, there are waiting lists, including some clubs where prospective canine members can wait up to a year to join.
One dog owner who spoke to Gothamist said he prefers the low-key element of taking his dog to a private club rather than a dog run in a city park. But the appeal of luxury spaces for dogs isn’t limited to New York City. A 2011 NBC News article called Actuel Dogs in Paris “France’s first luxury hotel for dogs.”
This is a relatively recent phenomenon. Last spring, Sam Apple wrote in The New York Times Magazine about the proliferation of dog hotels across the country. According to Apple, such places “didn’t exist when I was growing up in the 1980s.”
Apple’s article chronicles the nights he spent with his companion dog at various dog hotels across the country, and reveals much about why these businesses (and overall spending on pets) have increased so much in recent years. provides a discussion of the
“I can’t help but wonder if our growing obsession with dogs is somehow related to our declining interest in each other,” Apple writes — and yet… , it’s worth noting that some of the facilities featured in Gothamist’s coverage offer social events for both dogs and humans. Maybe for some people, the luxury dog experience is also a subtle way to build relationships.
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