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Urban Tails Dubai, the world’s first seven-star
resort for pets, was inaugurated this summer and owners say it was such
a big hit they have been full all season.
Just think of this place like an equivalent of Burj al Arab for cats and
dogs. It was created by Irish ex-pat Aideen O’Mara who moved to the UAE
in 2004, where she worked at an international school before opening her
luxury pet resort. She speculated the fact that dogs aren’t allowed on
Dubai’s public beaches or in parks and decided to create an environment
where cats and dogs could “socialize in luxury surroundings”, while
their European masters went home during the hottest time of the month.
This way, the poor animals didn’t have to be confined inside for five
months, due to unbearable heat. ”I have always had pets and I feel that
animals are given a bit of a raw deal in the UAE in terms of pet
services on offer and they do not have much freedom in comparison to
dogs in Europe.” Aideen says.
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Her seven-star Urban Tails hotel offers suites for 70 dogs and 40 cats
and promises to take perfect care of them while their owners are away.
There are webcams set up all over the resort, and owners can log on at
any time and check up on their beloved pets to see how they’re being
treated, and speakers installed in communal areas of the resort play
classical music to calm the pets. All suites have air-conditioning and
plasma TVs to let them hear sounds that remind them of home.
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Prices at Urban Tails Dubai start at $30 a night for the Junior Suite,
climb to $37 and $40 for the larger Deluxe and Urban suites, and go all
the way up to the $68-per-night which comes with a personal pet butler
and pet-limo pickup and delivery service. All accommodation facilities
and play areas have been specially-designed to reduce noise and minimize
stress, and O’Mara claims pets love it so much they sometimes “have to
be pulled out the gate when they are leaving”.
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