It's a dog's life at luxury hotel for pampered pooches

Dogs will no longer have cause to bitch about their owners going on holiday leaving them in chancy accommodation, whilst fussy felines will think this is the cat's whiskers. Tails are wagging across the south of England, as news spreads of the opening of London's first luxury boarding kennels and cattery – Elmtree Luxury Pet Hotel - which is now welcoming its four-legged guests.

Pampered pooches and frisky felines will be able to book into the state-of-the art hotel opened by property developer and pet fanatic, Ray Fawehimi, on the edge of the green belt in Enfield.

From its glamorous reception, adorned by a wall lined with dog biscuits of varying sizes and tastes to greet all guests, to its indoor canine gymnasium with toys to stimulate the guests, under-floor heating, well-designed individual guest 'rooms' and acres of outside space including a small lake, this is pet heaven. And for owners who hate to be parted from their loved ones, there is a canine-cam so that you can view your pooch enjoying the £2.5 million Elmtree Luxury Pet Hotel facilities.

The latest hotel to open in London is believed to be the only luxury boarding kennels and cattery in the London area. Owner Ray Fawehimi owns a cat and a dog himself. He says: "I've owned this land for years. In fact my house was on the site which spans three and a half acres. I had a vision of opening a great hotel for pets so I got planning consent for the hotel and demolished my house. We've hired staff who have a great pedigree and are amongst the best in the business.

“Our manager, Diana Skoyles, previously worked with Sparsholt College, teaching animal care, and previously worked for the Blue Cross whilst our deputy manager worked for the RSPCA and also for the National Animal Welfare Trust. We have six staff members in total and there is always someone on duty and awake throughout the night".

The Hotel has 29 cat 'rooms' and 55 dog 'rooms' - but pairs of dogs or cats who normally live together will room together to avoid upsetting them. There is an isolation ward for any animals who fall sick and an on-call vet in case of need. The luxurious bathroom has hydraulically operated baths and pedicures are available, so that dogs can enjoy full grooming parlour services on the premises.

Even the underfloor heating has been well-planned: for cats there is a choice of sleeping position as the designers recognised that some cats prefer to be on an elevated level (with a cat flap from the mezzanine sleeping area) whilst others would prefer to be at ground level, to enjoy the underfloor heating. The lower bedding area, too, has a cat-flap also leading to the cool, anti-glare glassed sun-room. Dogs, too have access to light and space. The materials used for the interiors mean that every part can be cleansed thoroughly before new guests arrive.

Costs are £25 (introductory offer until December 2008 - £20) a day for dogs; whilst for feline guests the standard cost will be £15 a day reduced to £12 a day for the opening period to 31 December. Owners are welcome to view the hotel but for those pressed for time, the Elmtree Hotel Pet Taxi can fetch and carry your pet with prices charged on a mileage basis.

For bookings see Elmtreekennels.co.uk.