Travel companions take to creature comforts
When arguably Australia's most famous mutt - Koko of Red Dog fame - was doing the promotional rounds in Sydney, the movie-star kelpie's unlikely home away from home was the five-star Sebel Pier One hotel.
"He came back several times - he loved it," says the hotel's director of sales and marketing, David Lowe. "He was recognised but all the staff respected the fact that, just like any celebrity, he didn't want them coming up and bothering him with, 'Oh, I think you're fantastic' and 'I loved your last bark'."
Sadly, Koko did have his last bark in December when he passed away at seven years old, but non-celebrity canines are still welcome at the Walsh Bay hotel, with its views towards the Harbour Bridge.
Twelve of the hotel's 189 rooms are dog-friendly - and owners and dogs have direct room access without walking through the lobby.
Doggy guests also enjoy five-star dining, with the kitchen whipping up $20 gourmet dinners that include poached salmon and green beans, scotch fillet with chunky vegetables, and wagyu mince with steamed potatoes. "We've never had a dog send a meal back," jokes Lowe. A $60 cleaning fee is charged on top of the room rate.
"We have a lot of people from the Gold Coast who fly down with their pets for a weekend - they love the water," says Lowe.
"We also have people from Melbourne who love travelling with their favourite friend; they also come in from the Southern Highlands. We get the companion dogs that are medically certified to travel on buses and so forth, and seeing-eye dogs as well."
Sebel Pier One's sister hotel, Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains at Leura, has a pet-friendly room with a private fenced courtyard.
As more owners take their pets on holiday, or need a pet-friendly stopover, it seem properties are increasingly open to welcoming furred or feathered guests.
Certainly it would be hard to find a more open-minded pet-friendly hotel than Darlinghurst's
Frequently Asked Questions about this Article…
In Sydney, luxury hotels like Sebel Pier One at Walsh Bay offer pet-friendly rooms — the hotel has 12 dog-friendly rooms out of 189, with direct room access so owners don’t have to walk through the lobby. The property even provides five-star dining options for canine guests and charges a cleaning fee on top of the room rate.
Some upscale pet-friendly hotels offer gourmet dog meals — for example, Sebel Pier One’s kitchen prepares $20 gourmet dinners for dogs, including dishes such as poached salmon with green beans, scotch fillet with chunky vegetables, and wagyu mince with steamed potatoes.
Yes. The article notes that hotels like Sebel Pier One charge a $60 cleaning fee on top of the room rate for guests bringing pets, so everyday investors considering hotel stays with pets should factor that into travel costs.
Yes. The hotels mentioned welcome companion dogs that are medically certified to travel on buses and similar transport, and they also accept seeing-eye dogs and other service animals.
Yes. The article mentions the Fairmont Resort Blue Mountains at Leura (a sister hotel to Sebel Pier One) has a pet-friendly room that features a private fenced courtyard, showing regional properties are also catering to travellers with pets.
Guests come from a range of places — the article cites visitors flying down from the Gold Coast who bring pets for a weekend by the water, as well as travellers from Melbourne and the Southern Highlands who prefer to holiday with their dogs.
According to the article, yes — an increasing number of hotels are opening their doors to furry and feathered guests. Examples include luxury properties adapting specific dog-friendly rooms and regional hotels offering fenced outdoor spaces for pets.
Some properties provide special arrangements: Sebel Pier One’s dog-friendly rooms have direct room access so owners and dogs can enter without walking through the main lobby, enhancing privacy and convenience for pet travel.
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