Meet the Ritz-Carlton of cat hotels! Longcroft Luxury Cat Hotel offers kitties the equivalent of five-star accommodations, including an “a la cat” menu served on bone china and “relaxing paw massages” from veterinarian-trained staff members.
Plus, each Longcroft location houses up to 14 feline guests in six air-conditioned and sound-proofed double bedrooms decked out with wrought-iron car beds and private play areas. And all this service costs the cat owners $23 to $30 per day.
Longcroft founder Abi Purser — who previously cared for horses on the British Equestrian Olympic Team — just opened the hotel chain’s fourth London location and an outlet in Wales, the first franchise outside of England, according to the Evening Standard. (The Wales location also gives each cat a sea view.)
Purser started Longcroft in 2010 sheerly for the benefit of Norman, her own cat. “It was never meant to be more than one hotel,” she told the Standard. “I had no idea about franchising at the time. I just thought, ‘Right, let’s give this a go.’”
By that Christmas, however, 300 people wanted to book their cats into the hotel, Purser recalled. “It’s been really mind-blowing the rate we’ve grown at, and I think it is all because we are all about the pussycat welfare,” she said. “I don’t think what we offer is expensive. People are just looking for better care.”
Purser also revealed she’s thinking about expanding her hotel empire to other countries and may even open a canine version: “Longcroft Dog Hotel might be on the horizon in the next five years.” (Perhaps the lucky dogs will receive turndown service with a bone on the pillow!)
