National no-kill animal rescue group Best Friends Animal Society announces pet-friendly hotel

From Aloft to Loews, pets are big business in the hotel industry. In recent years even Disney has relaxed its rules regarding pets in select hotel rooms. But most of these pet-friendly hotels still treat pets like an afterthought. Now one animal rescue organization is looking to change that.

Best Friends Animal Society (no relation to the similarly named pet kennel at WDW), a nationwide rescue and no-kill advocacy group, are opening the ultimate pet-friendly hotel near their massive Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah. With more than 1,600 animals ranging from bobcats to bunnies along with hundreds of cats, dogs, horses, parrots, pigs, and other domestic wild and domestic animals the 3,700-acre sanctuary is the largest facility of its kind in the nation. Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, which welcomes more than 30,000 visitors per year, is already home to a small RV park, cabins and other accommodations but the new hotel will bring a level of pet-friendly luxury unseen in the area.

Creative service firm WOW Atelier designed the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile hotel to be the ultimate pet-friendly destination. All 40 regular rooms, eight suites and two multi-level suites are designed with pets in mind. Pet-friendly fabrics and materials are used throughout the hotel. Beds and other furnishings will be at least 18 inches off the ground to ensure pets don’t get trapped below them. Rooms come equipped with pet beds and will have a two-door entry system to stop any accidental escapes. Throughout the hotel there will be drinking fountains for pets. Instead of a pool, the hotel has a fenced-in pet park with a dog-friendly splash pad. A complimentary pet washing facility means your pets will feel as clean and refreshed as you. Pet-sitting and pet-walking services will be available upon request. Don’t worry if you didn’t bring your own pet; the hotel will offer pet sleepovers with rescues from the sanctuary.

For the human guests, a complimentary vegan continental breakfast will be offered each morning, and a retail store will offer vegan grab-and-go food, beer, wine and Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile branded merchandise. The hotel will also host various activities throughout the week, including yoga, art fairs, farmers markets, musical performances and more. A free shuttle will run between the hotel and the nearby animal sanctuary.

Zion, Bryce and Grand Canyon National Parks and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument are all within a short drive of the hotel and sanctuary.

Proceeds from the pet-friendly hotel will benefit the nonprofit’s goal of making every cat and dog animal shelter in the nation no-kill by 2025. Reservations at the Best Friends Roadhouse & Mercantile open in August.

This article appears in Jun 12-18, 2019.