'Pet hotels' pop up by airports

Spacious rooms, plush bedding, spa treatments, a large swimming pool and a lively social scene. It sounds like a dream vacation. But these amenities are not for humans; they are for pets left behind when their owners take plane trips.

More than a dozen airports in the United States have pet-stay facilities on site or nearby, and more are planned.

Such pet pampering, said Bob Vetere, president of the American Pet Products Association, "coincided with the front end of the baby boomers. They are still working, but their children have left home, so pets are their second generation of kids."

And, like any doting parents, travelers want to be able to check at will on their pets through the increasingly popular webcam.

"When parents are away, they can check in on their babies," said Saq Nadeem, who founded Paradise4Paws, which has locations at Chicago's O'Hare and Midway airports. And, like other pet hotels, he specializes not only in the deluxe, but also in convenience, giving customers the option of 24/7 drop-off and pickup, along with discounted or free airport parking.

Fred Goldsmith runs the newly opened Pet Paradise Resort by the Charlotte, N.C., airport, which has flexible hours for travelers' convenience and easy access to the terminal. Goldsmith decided to "create a Ritz-Carlton brand for dogs" after searching unsuccessfully for upscale lodging for his bichon frise. He set up the first Pet Paradise in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2005, and has since expanded to eight other locations in Florida as well as Charlotte, New Orleans and Houston.

"Our client can pull up, leave the pet and then take the bags on our van and go directly to the terminal," Goldsmith said. The price is $34 to $37 a night, depending on the location — plus extras like special treats, flat-screen televisions, DVDs and pet massages. There also are Pet Paradise Resorts by the airports in New Orleans and Houston.

Some airport authorities are making money from on-site pet boarding. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, which contracted for pet boarding services with the Animal Humane Society, a nonprofit animal-welfare organization in the Midwest, earned $110,000 last year, almost four times the building's previous rent, said Eric Johnson, director of commercial development for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. Additional proceeds from the facility, run by the society's affiliate, Now Boarding Pets, support Animal Humane Society's programs. And the boarding facility (www.nowboardingpets.com) offers airport parking and a shuttle to the terminal for pet owners.

In Seattle, there's no pet-boarding facility at Sea-Tac Airport, and airport spokesman Perry Cooper said it's unlikely there will be as the airport is pressed for space. However, there are pet-boarding businesses within a five- to 10-minute drive of the airport (see the accompanying box).

Kristin Jackson of Seattle Times Travel contributed to this report.