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A couple weeks ago, we had an amazing opportunity to be a part of a video series to highlight Spotted By Humphrey. We had less than a week to get everything ready and go down to Los Angeles. I felt a bit rushed to prepare and was so overwhelmed.
So needless to say, I’m super thankful that Sofitel offered to host us again in such short notice. As you may know we stayed at Sofitel during our last trip to LA, which is almost exactly a year ago to date. If you haven’t read it yet, here is a blog post I wrote on our first stay at Sofitel.
Humphrey checking out his room during our first Sofitel stay.
As mentioned in my first blog post, Sofitel is conveniently located in Beverly Hills, and within walking distance to West Hollywood where we found lots of cute cafes and restaurants, most of them being super dog-friendly.
Best of all, pets stay for free at Sofitel! Those pet fees that hotels charge can really add up. I appreciate hotels that are accommodating and open to serving their pet guests just as well as their human guests.
LOBBY
The lobby of Sofitel has the most cool, modern vibes. There’s always art exhibited throughout, which transforms the lobby into a modern art gallery. In fact, the art gallery even has a name -- it is called #TheCoolHeART.
The check-in experience is also fun, as the staff keeps dog treats at the front desk. The staff made Humphrey do a bunch of tricks (check out the IG story highlights album titled “Sofitel LA” on @spottedhumphrey) which immediately gave him a positive association walking into the hotel.
Humphrey poses in front of a rose wall installation in the lobby. (Humphrey is wearing the Adventure Harness in Mint)
ROOM
We absolutely loved our room – it had a view of the hills, and we could see the Hollywood sign! In contrast to the cool, modern lobby, the room itself has a very cozy and inviting atmosphere.
And the bed – isn’t that really one of the most important things when it comes to your hotel stay? Between my husband and I, we’ve done a fair amount of travel and stayed at a lot of hotels (I’m an ex-consultant, and at one point I was sleeping in a hotel more nights than my own apartment). And we both think that Sofitel has one of the most comfiest beds we’ve ever slept in.
When we are ready to upgrade from our current queen size bed to a king bed, I’m calling Sofitel to ask where they get their mattress and the soft, luxurious bedding!
DINING
First, let’s talk about the dining experience for your dog! Sofitel offers a Gourmet Pet Menu – some options include hand-cut prime steak with baby carrots and chicken vegetable stew. Sounds pretty awesome, if you ask me!
As for the humans, there is a restaurant called Cattle & Claw, which has amazing food (we loved the lobster ravioli, lobster rolls, burgers, fries….okay we loved everything on the menu!). They have a beautiful space indoors and outdoors. The outdoor area looks like an enchanted garden. It’s spacious and it’s dog-friendly! Cattle & Claw will be developing a Cattle & Paw burger by end of the month (September 2019) so if you're in the area, make sure to go check it out!
The outdoor dining area of Cattle & Claw looks like an enchanted garden, and best of all, is very dog-friendly.
Because our trip happened so last minute, we weren’t able to do a big meet up (we really wanted to meet all our SoCal friends, though!) but we did manage to get a few friends together! I made a reservation for 8 people and 5 dogs for one of the tables outside. Even better, the restaurant gave us one of their private dining rooms which was indoors, air-conditioned, and completely enclosed!
We were so happy to be able to spend time with our friends! Check out their Instagram (from left to right): @marzipanthefrenchie, @pierre_dont_care, @bigbullbentley, @spottedhumphrey, @brucethefrench1e )
DOG PARK
I briefly mentioned how conveniently located Sofitel is in Beverly Hills. We were so happy to have found West Hollywood Dog Park on this trip.
We loved that there were two separate, enclosed play areas for big dogs and small dogs. It’s fun to see the small dogs run around without feeling intimated. Humphrey definitely loved chasing all the small dogs.
The park itself is very clean and well-kept. Everyone was so nice and responsible dog-owners, too. It was a great place to get Humphrey’s energy out. His play time at this dog park was probably Humphrey’s happiest moments during our LA trip.
This is how happy I was about this dog park near Sofitel.
TRAVEL TIPS
I shared this tip on our Instagram, but my big tip for staying at a hotel with your dog is to request the room furthest from the elevator and with the least amount of foot traffic. For some reason, when staying at a hotel, Humphrey barks at the noise in the hallway. One time we stayed in a room with a lot of foot traffic and Humphrey kept us up all night.
We mentioned this to Sofitel and they were so accommodating with our request, and gave us a room that was in the corner, where we had very little foot traffic. Needless to say, we all slept like a baby all 3 nights that we were there!
Other tips include bringing your dog’s favorite treats, toys, etc. that will give him/her a positive association to the new environment. Stick to their usual routine (meals, potty walks, etc.). Use calming aids such as CBD treats as necessary and per your own discretion.
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