TOURISM: Contact Smudge at Fairmont Algonquin Hotel

With Reach like this (Malayia), the Fairmont Algonquin Hotel is more than just a classy place to stay. It functions as an icon that leads people to New Brunswick and St. Andrews-by-the-Sea.

Smudge? He's the dog-in-residence. You can email him/her(?) at: smudge.algonquin@fairmont.com

Art

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Image via WikipediaFairmont goes to the dogs!
By KEE HUA CHEE

Some hotels allow you to bring your own dog but only select Fairmont hotels have resident dogs for guests to walk.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a five-star chain of hotels, has its own inhouse canine brigade. Guests who miss their dogs when they are on holiday can take these Fairmont dogs for walks.

The Fairmonts with Canine Ambassadors have a Canine Concierge who keeps an appointment book for hotel guests to book the dogs on a first come-first served basis. Each guest is allowed to walk the dog for a maximum of two hours and four walks are scheduled each day. The adorable creatures will enjoy a much needed siesta after every two walks. All have been trained to be people tolerant and many are former guide dogs for the blind so they are accustomed to walking through busy streets.
Jordy at Fairmont Richelieu

The Fairmont Waterfront Vancouver was the first in the chain to introduce a K9 ambassador when some guests half jokingly suggested the hotel should have a battalion of resident dogs since many guests were happy to walk them on the waterfront. That was back in 2002 when the hotel took up the challenge by bringing in Morgan, a black Labrador who is now enjoying his dog days in happy retirement. It was such a success with a dramatic increase of room nights that other Fairmonts have followed.



Almost all of Fairmonts’ Canine Ambassadors are large dogs like Labradors or Retrievers. For a sense of comfort and security, it is better to have big dogs as your companion while exploring a foreign city.

At Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club in Kenya, Golden Retrievers Volga and Ducia stay in the courtyard so guests can take them for walks over 40ha of the resort’s property.

Catie, a black Labrador originally trained as a guide dog with the Guide Dogs Foundation for the Blind in New York, changed careers to become a Canine Ambassador for the swanky Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston. Now affectionately called Catie Copley, she spends an hour each day with children at the Boston Public Library and is especially good with hotel guests who are ailing.
Santol at Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, Montreal.

Catie Copley is the star character in two children’s books, the second of which includes her colleague Santol, a Canine Ambassador from Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac the palatial hotel in Montreal, Canada. The first book Catie Copley was a best-seller when it appeared in 2007 and now Catie Copley’s Great Escape follows the adventure of Catie Copley as she takes her first trip outside the United States to visit Santol in Quebec!

Smudge the golden Labrador at Fairmont Algonquin New Brunswick, Canada, welcomes guests in the lobby by furiously wagging her tail. Marcus of Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise in the Canadian Rockies is particularly good at playing fetch. Many play prominent roles as the community’s liaison officer and are called upon during official events just to sit and look glamorous. Each guest is taught the commands the dog knows. However, you are not allowed to bring the dog to your room for sleepovers!

You can also keep in touch with your doggie acquaintances through what Fairmont artfully calls “Ani-MAIL”!

These pooches have their own e-mails, eg mavisthedog@fairmont.com,catie.copley@fairmont.com, beauthedog@fairmont.com,smudge.algonquin@fairmont.com or lcf.santol@fairmont.com! Catie, Santol and Sonny even have their own Facebook pages; can you believe it?

This may be seen as an extra-canine affair so don’t ever let your own dog know you are keeping in touch with his or her rival for your affection!






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