Five-star treats for the Year of the Dog

You’re right. This adorable Labrador puppy is wearing a fluffy hotel dressing gown. That’s because he’s staying at the Belmond Hotel Splendido in Portofino. And Belmond isn’t the only upscale hotel brand taking the 2018 Year of the Earth Dog quite so literally.Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park London has teamed up with British luxury pet brand Teddy Maximus to offer a ‘Pawfect Package’. The package, which costs from £600 a night, includes an overnight stay in a Super Room, furnished with a Sand Shetland Wool Cocoon bed and lounging cushion by Teddy Maximus and ceramic food and drink bowls, plus a Teddy Maximus toy bone and neckerchief to take home. If owners are willing to upgrade to a suite, their four-legged friend gets The Otis lead which they can model in nearby Hyde Park.Already one of London’s most dog-friendly hotels with its own pet concierge, The Egerton House Hotel in Knightsbridge has introduced a new Doggy Afternoon Tea. Priced at £15, the tea includes a selection of treats, such as chicken and beef meatloaf, homemade dog biscuits, doggie-friendly ice cream and a special chew toy to take home. It’s served in the drawing room so owners can enjoy their own afternoon tea at the same time.But the most dog-friendly brand has to be Belmond. At the Hotel Splendido, in addition to providing pet-sized fluffy dressing gowns, a trained pet therapist will treat man’s best friend to tailored Swedish massages while its owners learn the basic techniques to perform at home. Packages vary from hotel to hotel: Belmond Miraflores Park, Lima, for example, welcomes four-legged guests with a special arrival letter from the hotel’s resident dog, Sariri. Belmond La Residencia, Mallorca provide personalised bowls, pet names embroidered on a perfectly plumped pillow and customised treats while at Belmond Hotel Cipriani, above, dogs are given a tie to wear for extra elegant walkies.

BY MAGGIE O’SULLIVAN