Spending your first-ever holiday at a luxury hotel is not bad going – especially if you’re a dog. And during our stay at Kimpton Fitzroy London, Maisie – my friend’s charcoal whippet puppy – was provided with true five-star treatment.
Presumably in a bid to capitalise on the dramatic rise in pet ownership over the pandemic (more than three million UK pets have been purchased since March 2020), the hotel recently launched its first “Pet-Kation” package. Starting from £309 per night for two adults and a pet, it includes an overnight stay, breakfast and a pet-friendly room service meal from a special “ap-PET-isers” menu.
Exterior of Kimpton Fitzroy London, overlooking Russell Square
The hotel claims it will welcome all pets – no matter their size, weight or breed – as long as they can fit through the door and into the lift. They really mean it; according to the team, 45 pets have stayed at the hotel since June this year including dogs, cats, rabbits and, rather bafflingly, five hedgehogs. In fact, the Kimpton Fitzroy London is so pet-pro that it even has a resident pooch: Winston, who’s also known as the director of pet relations.
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The “ap-PET-isers” menu includes dishes for all sorts of furry and spiky visitors, from hamsters (“Ham-somely Good” features strawberries, hemp seeds, linseeds, blackberries, coconut, peas, basil, mango and apple) to hedgehogs (the “Prickleberry” is a combination of lean beef, blueberries, raspberries, melon and tomatoes).
A rabbit enjoys a room service dinner
(Image credit: Kimpton Fitzroy London)
As an overly excitable dog on an ordinary day, Maisie went wild when we entered our room to find it kitted out with what the hotel described as a “pet tuckbox” (which included a bone and packets of salmon dog food by the sustainable pet food brand Marleybones). The complimentary provision of compostable dog waste bags was a nice touch too.
Kimpton Fitzroy London is in the heart of Bloomsbury, nobly looming over the treetops of neighbouring Russell Square. Given our exclusive location, it felt apt to order Maisie something called the “Bloomsberry Bark” (a combination of beef, sweet potato, carrots, broccoli and kale) for her supper.
Dishes from the ‘ap-PET-isers’ menu
After a lengthy wait, which the kitchen explained was due, at least in part, to the WhatsApp outage, she gobbled down the beef in less than a minute (however most of the broccoli and kale ended up on the carpet).
While Maisie frantically tucked in, her owner and I also enjoyed a room service dinner; we shared peppery calamari and Scottish smoked salmon starters, followed by chicken Milanese and a grilled salmon fillet. Nothing particularly knocked my hotel slippers off but it was all perfectly pleasant, especially for in-room dining.
After a few necessary trips to Russell Square (with a not-so-ideal seven-storey lift ride and short, drizzly walk each way), it was bedtime. Maisie eschewed her luxury dog bed to snuggle up with us in our comfortable – but now extremely cosy – king. From the bed, we spotted a watermelon-sized statue of a whippet by the side of the TV – was it a coincidence or some expert customisation work?
Your pooch will love the Kimpton Fitzroy London ‘Pet-Kation’ package
Room service breakfast the following morning was definitely a highlight of our brief staycation. Our full Englishes arrived piping hot thanks to silver cloches and came complete with black pudding, bacon and sausages – one of which Maisie was quick to nab from the trolley before we could restrain her.
My friend had felt some trepidation over how Maisie’s first hotel stay might unfurl, but thankfully (aside from sausage-gate), there were no disasters. Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into the “Pet-Kation” package, which is far more developed than just being a gimmick designed to entice millennial dog owners. Thanks to the items provided and specialised menu, our stay was far more relaxing than we expected our puppy playmate would allow for.
Although next time, for a fully rejuvenating stay, I might take a friend with a pet rabbit instead.
The “Kimpton Pet-Kation” package starts from £309 per night for two adults and their pet; kimptonfitzroylondon.com
The hotel’s lobby area
(Image credit: Kimpton Fitzroy London)
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Kate Samuelson is The Week's former newsletter editor. She was also a regular guest on award-winning podcast The Week Unwrapped. Kate's career as a journalist began on the MailOnline graduate training scheme, which involved stints as a reporter at the South West News Service's office in Cambridge and the Liverpool Echo. She moved from MailOnline to Time magazine's satellite office in London, where she covered current affairs and culture for both the print mag and website. Before joining The Week, Kate worked at ActionAid UK, where she led the planning and delivery of all content gathering trips, from Bangladesh to Brazil. She is passionate about women's rights and using her skills as a journalist to highlight underrepresented communities. Alongside her staff roles, Kate has written for various magazines and newspapers including Stylist, Metro.co.uk, The Guardian and the i news site. She is also the founder and editor of Cheapskate London, an award-winning weekly newsletter that curates the best free events with the aim of making the capital more accessible.
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