Animal House: Hotels That Leave the Dog Biscuit out for You

MIAMI BEACH, Sept. 26, 2006 — -- Hari and Mark Graham and little Bailey Graham make their way though the hotel lobby. Bailey waits obediently for the elevator and then eagerly clambers in when the doors open. Up in their hotel suite, Hari Graham gives Bailey a snack and then puts her on a blanket in the bathtub, where she's asleep in minutes.

Watch Jeffrey Kofman's report at 11:35 pm on 'Nightline' tonight.

It's a ritual the Graham family knows well. They spend a lot of their year in hotels, and they'd never consider traveling without Bailey. She's not the Graham's daughter. Although when it comes to Americans and their pets, it's becoming harder and harder to see any distinction. Bailey's their dog, a very likable, 11-month-old goldendoodle -- part golden retriever, part poodle. "There are our children," says Hari Graham, "I mean Mark and I don't have any children."

"Yeah," says Mark, "they really are our kids."

"And she's really our baby," adds Hari, "and we wouldn't leave her at home for anything. We need to take her with us."

Fortunately for the Grahams -- and especially Bailey -- major hotel chains are on top of the trend. Taking your dog on vacation may have been unthinkable a decade ago, but today it's hassle free.

Introducing the pet-friendly hotel, where dogs are just part of the family. The Loews Miami Beach has had more than 1,200 four-footed guests so far this year. Dogs, like kids, stay free.

"A lot of people just want to travel with their animals," says Shawn Hauver, manager of the Loews Miami Beach, where the hotel has a program called Loews Loves Pets. "We encourage guests to come to our hotels with their pets, and we have a pampering program we put together for them from the time they enter the door till the time they leave."

And Loews Miami Beach sure does knows how to pamper the pooches -- for a price. Fresh grapes by the pool for the discerning dog. A cup of ice cubes for the hot dog.

And don't forget the special doggie dinner menu. French chef Marc Ehrler's hotel kitchen caters to canines as well as their masters. Only the finest for Fido.

Over the same stove where he prepares gourmet meals for the hotel's two-footed guests, Erhler shows how he prepares one of his most popular dog dishes. It's called Beef Tenderloin Bow Wow, a scrumptious blend of beef, vegetables and rice. Hold the spices. How do I know it's scrumptious? I tried it. I've never tried dog food before, but this is not your everyday dog food.

"Dog food's a lot better than I thought," I tell the chef.

"If you try the dog food here," chef Erhler responds, "you've got to try the people food. It's even better."

Not to be outdone, the Ritz Carlton up the street goes a paw or two further. Dogs are welcome for a cool $250 a stay. But what a stay.

Laurie and Frank Roberts have brought Triton with them for the week. Triton is a Yorkie mix. He is very much at home on his regal Ritz Carlton four-poster bed, complete with doggie duvet and four Ritz lions standing guard.

Along with the bed, Triton gets a welcome pack that includes shampoo, bacon and cheese treats and doggie sunscreen. (Just where do you spray sunscreen on a dog covered in thick hair? Laurie laughs. She loves pampering her pooch.) Frank says the equation is simple: Hotels that don't accept pets don't get their business.

Just like the Graham's dog Bailey, Triton is considered part of the family.

"We don't have children," says Frank Roberts," and he fills that gap for us."

But dogs are dogs, and part of the deal is that owners have to agree to do the dirty work. The hotel does not clean up droppings.

But what pampered pet wouldn't want to be welcomed back to a welcome meal that includes an all-beef hamburger bone and a monogrammed dog bone for dessert?

It really is a dog's life.