Product Review: Petsmart PetsHotel

Pet Product Review - PetSmart PetsHotel

One of my passions is travel. I travel as often as I can, visiting friends, family, beaches, resorts, historical cities and more. My other passion(s) are my pets , but the two don't always go together. To that end, I'm always on the search for exactly the right pet care service while I'm away.

One of the challenges I've faced is consistency of services and professional credentials and of course value!

Today I stopped in a PetsHotel near the motor city. The people at PetSmart are pretty smart, for their PetsHotel covered all of my concerns.

There is so much I could write about that was positive about the PetsHotel operation. But I suggest you go to their very informational website at www.petshotel.com for full details.

http://petshotel.petsmart.com/tour/index.shtml

Here's what I liked about the PetsHotel I visited:

The facilites were incredibly clean and had no odor.

The staff was super friendly, even to humans, and well prepared to assist with my needs. The playtime care specialist was even a certified trainer and a vet is always on call.

The playtime sessions looked organized and well supervised.

The prices were great, even with extra playtime sessions, salon services and snack kong or lactose-free soft serve ice cream treats.

What did not impress me were open exposed atrium rooms. Spend the extra $10 for the suite with a TV and a cot bed.

What I really did not like was the fact that your pet only received "a minimum" of two potty breaks. And the fact that your dog is not walked in an outdoor setting but rather escorted to a room with faux pebble floors for their potty break. My concern is that my dog is very well trained not to go indoors at all. I'm afraid he might feel very uncomfortable for the first day of so until he gets used to the PetsHotel arrangement.

All in all, the PetsHotel is a safe, clean, convenient and affordable boarding option for both dogs and cats. I would certainly trust these professionals watching my pets while I'm gone. But if you and your pet require fresh air walks and outdoor activity, it might not be the best situation for you.

If you have a pet product you think will pass the Secret Shopper test, send an email to: secretshopperblog@gmail.com