THE 1%

140 PRESTIGE J U LY 2019

JET-SET

PETS

Travel these days is not about creating

memories for just humans, but also for their

animal friends. Mei Anne Foo sniffs out

the bells and whistles for pedigree pets on

vacation with their wealthy owners

unny, a loyal guest of The

Peninsula Beverly Hills, often

stays in one of the hotel’s

luxury suites. He is greeted

with a specially monogrammed towel beside his bed, and

always enjoys his room service meal of a grilled New York

sirloin and scrambled eggs with aged Tillamook cheddar on

bone china crockery. The hotel’s Rolls-Royce shuttles him to

the salon when he’s in need of some styling.

All is commonplace for a five-star hotel, except that

Gunny is a golden retriever. “Like their owners, pets should

have a chance to get away from their normal routine,” says

James Little, the hotel’s chief concierge.

Gunny’s owner is just one of many who lavish luxuries

on their beloved pets. According to the American Pet

Products Association, in the us alone, households spent

in excess of a whopping us$72 billion on pets last year,

with almost 5 percent going into grooming and boarding.

And Asia, the fastest-growing economic region, is quick

to catch that trend. China’s pet economy was estimated

to be worth 170.8 billion yuan (some S$233.5 billion) last

year, rising steadily by 27 percent each year, according to

a 2018 paper jointly published by Lingdang Pet and Pet

Asia Fair. Having a high-maintenance pet has become as

much of a status symbol as owning a luxury car.

G

140 PRESTIGE J U LY 2019