Barkingham Pet Hotel California

www.pethotelcalifornia.com
Home Away from Home with
Lori Weiner
by Levvy Carriker
It was a sunny day when we pulled into the Barkingham
Palace Pet Hotel California. We stepped past sculptures
into the entryway and entered a stylish lobby
with sparkling clean floors, a sporty seating area, and
a smiling front desk staff. This is nice! It is a Luxury Pet
Boarding & Grooming Spa in the Palm Springs Area.
Servicing both residents and visitors to the Desert Cities
with 24/7 onsite staff and cameras throughout the facility,
they offer safety, fun and luxury for dogs, cats and birds.
Founder and owner, Lori Weiner is the woman behind this
luxurious treat for our furry friends. We decided to join her
at the hotel to see what inspired the new property.
Levvy: What was your first pet, Lori?
Lori: My first pet was an Afghan. And I
have had Borzoi (Russian Wolfhounds).
LC: You have horses also?
LW: We had this friend, Kerry, who came
to live with us. He took care of a hundred
unit kennel in Australia. He was a real dog
person, with a on-staff groomer. He had
a way with animals. Later we rescued six
thoroughbreds who were scheduled to
be put down. We shipped them out here
from New York and had these horses.
And it was Kerry who helped Barkingham
get started in 2011. We originally leased
the building and then each year we kept
growing and now we are Barkingham Pet
Hotel California. So this whole thing got
started with Kerry.
LC: And now you are expanding with this
new facility.
There are four
hotels in one!
One of them is
Mandarin Orien’tail,
then we have the
Paw’ninsula,
The Sunset Barkee,
and then we have
‘THE W’oof. In all
They have 65 suites
with faux painting,
beautiful floors and
comfortable
bedding.
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LW: We have grown and the new
space is 22,000 square feet. And
now we own the property. And it
just feels right. Next year we’ll be
developing our 24-hour Emergency
Veterinary Clinic. I really feel there
is a need for a 24-hour vet clinic in
the center of the Valley so that we
can be of service to the animals. So
that will be really nice to have on
the premises.
“...nice flat screen
tvs for them to
enjoy.”
LC: Lori, how many ‘bedrooms’
are there in your hotel? May I say
‘bedrooms’?
LW: Yes you may. They are suites,
and there are four hotels here in
one hotel. One of them is Mandarin
Orien’tail. Then we have the
Paw’ninsula, The Sunset Barkee,
and then we have THE W’oof. In all,
we have 65 suites with faux painting
and beautiful floors and comfortable
bedding.
LC: The interior design is so nice
and comforting for the animals and
their owners!
Human king
and queen
size beds
Attendants are on
the premises 24/7
LW: We have human king size and
queen size beds for them. And
nice flat screen tvs for them to
enjoy. There also will be webcams
for owners to check on their loved
ones. My whole thing here is to
make sure the pets are comfortable
and that they feel like they are
home.
LC: I love that!
LW: It is a good sign when you see
dogs hop out of the cars and race
for the front door.
Sometimes they don’t want to
leave. They are just happy to be
here. So that keeps them stressfree
and in good hands. My staff
spends a lot of quality time with
our four-legged guests.
We also offer a Valet service, which
is a added personal dedicated staff
member assigned to that dog to
attend to their needs.
LC: Also, there is a lake outside?
LW: It is a man-made lake with
boulders and running water down
the rocks. So the labs and golden
retrievers just love it. There is also
shade for them to take a break
from play if they need to. It’s like
Comfortable
waiting area
Photo by Luis Gavela
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Disneyland to them!
LC: You also sell dog products?
LW: I am a Clinical Certified Animal
Nutritionist so I only bring in the top
of the line dog foods. I research the
product to check things. Like , if the
product was cooked at a high heat,
many nutrients would be cooked
out. So products cooked at a lower
heat are best. We are a distributor for
Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential
Oils. One of the supplements that
we sell is Cran-triC, which is cranberry
with vitimin C to support the immune
and urinary track systems.
LC: You also rescue dogs that are in
desperate need of help?
LC: I read that you are working with
PAWS?
LW: In the new facility, we are able to
house 18 rescue animals at a time. We
have had right at 100 or 105 pet rescue
adoptions! We network with others like
Animal Camp in Thousand Palms. We all
work together.
And Sabastian Reich, who is on our
board, helps so much in finding homes
for the rescues.
LC: Sabastian has an amazing heart. It is
a perfect fit here.
Barkingham Pet Hotel California also
commits itself to many charities throughout
the season.
there), and Barnes & Noble. So I have two
books available. I wrote the first book in
2007.
Juli: And you have gotten some nibbles
for a TV series based on your book?
LW: My publisher contacted me and we
met at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles
with producers. So, we’ll see.
LC: Thank you Lori for your gracious
time and also for all you do for all our fur
babies!
Lori with Chaneen McCurdy, the
California PAWS Rescue Coordinator.
NOW OPEN!
73650 Dinah Shore Dr
Palm Desert, CA
760.699.8328
LW: Yes my heart just goes out to
these animals! So we find them ‘forever
homes’.
(phone rings with the ring-tone, Eagles’
‘HOTEL CALIFORNIA’)
LW: It makes me happy to help out with
these various organizations, offering our
services for them to use as fundraising.
We also donate our services for them to
auction at the galas to help them raise
needed monies.
We laugh…
LW: That is going to be our theme
song! Welcome to
The Hotel California!
LC: So Lori there is some ‘breaking’ big
news going on with your book?
LW: Yes, the books on Amazon, Borders
when it was open (I did book signings
www.pethotelcalifornia.com
Sabastian Reich
Friend actress and author
Kathy Garver
With a Rescue
Supervised indoor
community play area
There is a man-made lake with boulders and water running
down the rocks. The labs and golden retrievers just love it.
There are also shade structures nearby for them to take a
break from play if they need to. It’s like Disneyland to them!
Photo by Luis Gavela
Photo by Luis Gavela
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