A salmon and quinoa dinner in Abu Dhabi’s Empty Quarter might not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about travelling with a dog. Neither, for that matter, is an Armani raincoat or a Louis Vuitton trunk. Yet pets are becoming an increasingly considered part of the luxury travel experience, from where they sleep to what they eat and, inevitably, what they wear.
At Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara in Abu Dhabi, dogs and cats are now welcome in selected rooms and villas. Bringing a pet to a city hotel is one thing. Bringing one into the Empty Quarter, surrounded by dunes and little else, makes for a rather different proposition.
Images: Qasr Al-Sarab Abu-Dhabi
Pets arrive to beds, cushions, feeding mats, food and water bowls, treats and toys, alongside a bag of practical supplies. Dogs have their own designated walking route through the landscape, while a secure play area is also being developed. Cats and dogs weighing up to 35 kilograms can stay in designated accommodation, subject to health, vaccination and supervision requirements.
The menu is where things become more interesting. Chicken comes with rice and broccoli or pumpkin, lamb with oats and salmon with quinoa. There is also premium American beef. Portions come in two sizes and proteins, cooking methods and side dishes can be adjusted, with prices beginning at AED 40 through in-room dining.
A pet-friendly outdoor terrace is also being prepared at the resort’s Ghadeer restaurant, so owners will eventually be able to bring their animals to dinner rather than leave them behind in their room. These might sound like small details, but anyone who has travelled with a pet will know that the practicalities often determine where you can stay and what you can actually do once you arrive.
Other hotels have reached a similar conclusion. At Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire, dogs receive branded beds, food and bottled water, with hundreds of acres of countryside outside to explore. The old definition of “pet-friendly”, which often amounted to little more than allowing an animal into the room, is beginning to look rather basic.
Images: Qasr Al-Sarab Abu-Dhabi
Fashion has found its own answer. Giorgio Armani has expanded its collaboration with Poldo Dog Couture with raincoats, carriers, collars and AirTag holders in different sizes. The pieces are unmistakably designed for dogs, but the muted palette, considered materials and restrained styling remain very Armani.
Louis Vuitton takes the idea into altogether more extravagant territory. The £18,200 Speedy Pet Trunk turns one of the house’s most recognisable bag shapes into a structured travel case for a dog or cat. Monogram canvas, reinforced corners and the house’s S-lock make it immediately recognisable as Vuitton, while the idea itself has an amusing logic for a house that began by making trunks for travellers.
There is something inherently excessive about designer dog clothes and five-figure pet luggage, but perhaps that is part of their appeal.
Luxury has never restricted itself to the strictly necessary. If people are travelling, dining and spending more of their lives with their pets, it follows that the things they buy are beginning to accommodate them too.
What feels more significant, however, is happening away from the novelty of a monogrammed trunk. A proper meal, somewhere to walk, a room prepared before arrival or a restaurant where a pet can sit alongside its owner removes one of the compromises that comes with travelling with an animal.
At Qasr Al Sarab, that means a trip into the Empty Quarter can now include the dog or cat too. The Armani coat and Louis Vuitton trunk are optional.
