Nick Roman remembers planning a trip some years ago and looking for a top-quality boarding facility for the family’s dogs. But he couldn’t find one.
“Our dogs are our family. … We wanted something good for them,” he said.
That experience sparked Mr. Roman’s journey to open a top-quality boarding and daycare facility for those many furry family members.
K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel Quad Cities opened Monday, July 11, at 1409 E. Kimberly Road, Davenport, to provide a home away from home for dogs of all sizes and breeds. Mr. Roman is owner of the local K9 Resorts franchise.
The business is far from the standard dog boarding/daycare facility, Mr. Roman and his employees are quick to point out. K9 Resorts features dog boarding and daycare services that include: luxury suites outfitted with a TV for dogs; a state-of-the-art ventilation system; premium dog beds; hospital grade flooring; outdoor play areas and much more.
“Once you get your foot in the door and see the place, you won’t want to go to any other place,” Mr. Roman said.
Many visitors and potential customers got their feet in the doors and got a look at K9 Resorts during grand opening celebration events last weekend. The new business hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce on Friday, July 8, and a public open house Saturday, July 9. Some of the features on display included:
- Luxury Suites: These are the most spacious suites, providing ultimate privacy, comfort and tranquility, according to the company’s website. They include eight-foot-by-eight-foot cage-free space, privacy doors and sound environment for comfort and relaxation, and a premium bed. They also include a TV for your dog that usually airs Animal Planet shows. During a recent QCBJ tour of K9 Resorts, the TVs were showing a program about a veterinarian caring for a turtle. The price for these suites is $69 a day. (Mr. Roman points out that the listed prices do not always include various discounts available.)
- Executive Room: There is no TV in these rooms, but they do include a five-foot-by-seven-foot cage-free space, glass privacy doors, sound resistant environment and premium beds. The price is $55 a day.
- Traditional care boarding: The company states this space is ideal for dogs participating in daycare. There are two sizes: One for dogs up to 40 pounds, and one for dogs up to 100 pounds. The price ranges from $30-$35 a day.
- Special ventilation and flooring: A state-of-the-art ventilation system provides 15 fresh air changes per hour to help prevent the spread of odors and contaminants. The facility also has hospital grade, antimicrobial flooring.
There are also many personal touches in the 7,000-square-foot dog hotel that was once a medical facility. For instance, one room has two large photos of Mr. Roman’s two dogs – Freckles and Finn.
“She is so smart; incredibly smart,” Mr. Roman said looking over the photo of Freckles.
Some of the other features include: a kitchen to prepare top-quality dog food; a bathing room for dogs (baths are required if a dog stays for more than two nights); 30 security cameras; and outdoor play areas. On those very hot days, dogs get to play indoors, or pools and sprinklers are brought outdoors during doggy play times.
All these features are being done for the comfort of the dogs and peace of mind of the owners, said Tim Katsch, executive vice president of operations for the corporate-level K9 Resorts, who was at the grand opening events in Davenport.
“When you go on vacation, you shouldn’t have to worry about your dog,” Mr. Katsch added.
Even though K9 Resorts has many features and services, there is at least one service it does not provide – grooming.
Mr. Roman told visitors on Friday that they have discovered most dogs do not like going to groomers. With that in mind, many dogs would not look forward to coming to K9 Resorts if they knew grooming was involved.
“We want the dogs to jump out of their owners’ cars once they get here and look forward to this place,” he added.
The newest K9 Resorts in Davenport has about 20 employees and can care for some 90 dogs in daycare and 75 to 80 dogs in boarding. When the facility opened on Monday, there were expectations of K9 Resorts getting at least 15 to 20 dogs, Mr. Katsch said.
The first K9 Resorts business began in 2005 in Fanwood, New Jersey. The business began franchising in 2011. Currently, there are 21 K9 Resorts in the United States, according to the company website.
For more information on K9 Resorts Luxury Pet Hotel Quad Cities, call (563) 562-2847 or visit k9resorts.com/quad-cities.
