Urban Tails Dubai, the world’s first seven-star resort for pets, was inaugurated this summer and owners say it was such a big hit they’ve been full all season.

Just think of this place like an equivalent of Burj al Arab for cats and dogs. It was created by Irish ex-pat Aideen O’Mara who moved to the UAE in 2004, where she worked at an international school before opening her luxury pet resort. She speculated the fact that dogs aren’t allowed on Dubai’s public beaches or in parks and decided to create an environment where cats and dogs could “socialize in luxury surroundings”, while their European masters went home during the hottest time of the month. This way, the poor animals didn’t have to be confined inside for five months, due to unbearable heat. ”I have always had pets and I feel that animals are given a bit of a raw deal in the UAE in terms of pet services on offer and they do not have much freedom in comparison to dogs in Europe.” Aideen says.

Her seven-star Urban Tails hotel offers suites for 70 dogs and 40 cats and promises to take perfect care of them while their owners are away. There are webcams set up all over the resort, and owners can log on at any time and check up on their beloved pets to see how they’re being treated, and speakers installed in communal areas of the resort play classical music to calm the pets. All suites have air-conditioning and plasma TVs to let them hear sounds that remind them of home.

Prices at Urban Tails Dubai start at $30 a night for the Junior Suite, climb to $37 and $40 for the larger Deluxe and Urban suites, and go all the way up to the $68-per-night which comes with a personal pet butler and pet-limo pickup and delivery service. All accommodation facilities and play areas have been specially-designed to reduce noise and minimize stress, and O’Mara claims pets love it so much they sometimes “have to be pulled out the gate when they are leaving”.

Photos via Urban Tails Dubai

Story via SWNS