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June 14, 2011, By Rebecca Edwards, ARTICLE, LIFESTYLE What better way to start your vacation, than with the sight of a wagging tail in the hotel lobby? Meet some of Canada’s hotel dogs.
‘LUCY’ AND ‘MISS WILKS’ – LANGDON HALL, CAMBRIDGE, ONTARIO Bernese Mountain Dogs Lucy and Miss Wilks know how to charm guests at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario – they have each received Employee of the Month awards several times. “A lot of people say the dogs have contributed to a wonderful stay here,” says managing director Mary Beaton. “They have many invitations to functions and probably get more Christmas cards than I do!” Lucy, 12, and Miss Wilks, five, are the third and fourth dogs to have made Langdon Hall their home. When the hotel opened 22 years ago, owners William Bennett and Mary Beaton had a Labrador Retriever named ‘Chocolate Mousse’ who followed them to work after he became friends with the gardener. A Bernese Mountain Dog called ‘Leilah’ was the second resident dog. Beaton says the dogs know the hotel’s daily routine, and take their hospitality role very seriously. “They know when check-in and check-out times are, and are usually at the front of the hotel watching who is arriving and leaving. Lucy is getting a little old for long walks now, but Miss Wilks shows guests around the walking trails and loves to greet visiting dogs,” says Beaton. “They have the odd social slip-up, but if a wagging tail has knocked over a glass, they always write a note of apology to the guest. “Several of our staff say that in another life they would like to come back as the Langdon Hall dog – they have a pretty comfortable life.”
‘MARCUS’ – FAIRMONT CHATEAU LAKE LOUISE, ALBERTA Director of pet relations Marcus (known as Marc) can be seen daily in the front lobby of the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, ready to greet two- and four-legged visitors alike. The two-year-old Labrador Retriever – who wears a tag engraved with his job title – has worked at the Chateau since September 2010. He got the job after he failed his Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind training for being too friendly – just one of the traits that make him perfect for hotel life, says Lori Coté, who works alongside Marc in her role as regional director of public relations. “He is an ambassador for the hotel – he hangs out with the concierge team, greeting guests and occasionally guiding visitors on walks around the lake. “A lot of people miss their dog while they are away on vacation, so it is great for them to have a dog to walk,” says Coté. “Because of his training, he doesn’t pull on the leash and is very friendly to other dogs.” Mark also writes a letter of welcome to any dog that comes to stay at the hotel.
‘SANTOL’ – FAIRMONT LE CHATEAU FRONTENAC, QUEBEC CITY Canine ambassador Santol is well known to guests of the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, thanks to his work greeting them in the hotel lobby. But he had a taste of wider fame in 2010, when writer Deborah Kovacs and illustrator Jared T. Williams published an illustrated book about him and ‘Catie Copley,’ the canine ambassador at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel in Boston. In Catie Copley’s Great Escape, the two dogs explore Quebec City and Santol introduces his American colleague to a famous goat, a friendly horse, a clumsy juggler, and intriguing new foods and smells. A portion of the Canadian proceeds will go to The Mira Foundation, based near Montreal, which trains service dogs for people with disabilities, and trained Santol before he joined the hotel in 2007. A journalist based in Fernie, B.C., Rebecca Edwards loves to vacation with her Labrador Retriever, ‘Bryn.’ Photo (1) courtesy Langdon Hall Photo (2) courtesy Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Photo (3) courtesy Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac This article is exclusive to dogsincanada.com. Click here to learn more about our print edition.
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