First luxury pet hotel opens to pamper little guests in Singapore

Singapore's first luxury pet hotel, The Wagington, will open its gate in mid-November to pamper its pet guests with a host of superb services.

The 4,317-square-foot lodging, housed in a converted 1920s, pre- war bungalow, is located on Loewen Road in the upmarket embassy district.

Its owner, pet lover Estelle Tayler, said she's been looking for the perfect location for this hotel for three years.

"We decided on the idea of a luxury pet hotel because there are no truly upmarket lodgings for pets. Being animal lovers, we feel strongly that there should be a place where pets can be left that makes them feel at home," she said.

The Wagington boasts 27 air-conditioned suites of various sizes, ranging from the Royal Suite which can house up to 5 to 7 small dogs, in a 96 square-foot room, to the Junior Suite, at over 15 square feet for diminutive doggies.

The Royal Suite, which is the only one of its kind and most luxurious room in the hotel, is equipped with a chandelier and on- suite television, just like a luxury hotel room for people. To lounge, the dogs are bedded in soft faux leather orthopedic beds and blankets, all of which are imported from the United States.

There is also a bone-shaped swimming pool for the dogs out back. For those with specific needs, they offer a high-end services including a spa, four kinds of mud masks, aromatherapy facial and head massages, fur dyeing, teeth cleaning, "pawdicures" and even a gym for active pets to let off steam.

While ordinary hotels, however luxury they are, are rarely able to select their customers, guests who want to step into this hotel need to meet very high criteria.

Guests have to be vaccinated and spayed, and must be free of ticks and mites to be admitted.

"They must be in good health and must not have or been exposed to any contagious or communicable illnesses within the past 30 days," said Tayler.

Moreover, every guest must receive a mandatory pre-entry temperament evaluation in case they have aggressive behavior.

For pet owners, while they're on vacation to enjoy leisure activities and beautiful scenery, they can also stay connected with their little families in real time by logging in with a " passport" given by the hotel, as all the rooms and public activity areas are equipped with surveillance cameras.

Being a luxury hotel the room charges are on par with regular hotels, with the Royal Suite costing 350 Singapore dollars (280 U. S. dollars) per night per dog, with additional dogs being charged an extra 70 Singapore dollars (56 U.S. dollars). For the Superior Suite and Junior Suite, the prices are 200 Singapore dollars (160 U.S. dollars) and 115 Singapore dollars (92 U.S. dollars), respectively.

Owners can part with more to buy their pets a bespoke experience, and a limo service is also available to ferry your loved ones to and from the hotel.