Luxury pet hotel K9 Resorts opens franchise in North Olmsted

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Husband and wife Melinda Hess and Brian Karr, co-owners of K9 Resorts, 26075 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, pose with their bulldog Milton on Jan. 8. (Martin McConnell -- The Morning Journal)

K9 Resorts, 26075 Lorain Road in North Olmsted, officially opened its first franchise in Ohio Jan. 8, according to owner and franchisee Melinda Hess.

She and husband, Brian Karr are welcoming dogs big and small to the hotel experience of a lifetime while their owners are away.

The hotel also provides daycare services, social play time with other dogs and all the comforts of home for dogs in Northeast Ohio.

The franchise has been in the works since 2021, Hess said.

After acquiring the building in June 2023, she and her staff went to work constructing the luxury pet lodging areas.

“We’re the first ones in Ohio,” Hess said. “It happened right after the pandemic happened, and it was 2021, and everything started opening back up again.

“We were planning our next vacation three months out, and I called my go-to boarding place and they were already booked, three months out.”

Hess said her desire for more pet boarding opportunities in the area led to her inquiring about franchising with K9 Resorts.

She said she wanted the hotel to not only feel nice for the dogs, but look nice on the inside and out to make sure owners felt comfortable.

“Everything from the look of the building, to how nice everything is when you walk in the lobby, and you’ve got the pretty chandeliers.

“That’s sort of the wow factor. That’s more for the dog parents, but there’s a whole other side to this business (for the dogs).”

While staying at the hotel, dogs will be treated to high-quality boarding facilities, all-day daycare and a prescription Blue Buffalo dog food diet to soothe any anxieties of being away from home, Hess said.

“It’s great for boarding animals,” she said. “They get tummy upset from being away from home; they’re in a different environment.

“It’s very natural for a dog. And (the food) really helps relieve those symptoms.”

The hotel has a strong focus on the health of the pet, Hess said.

In addition to keeping the floors clean of pet hair as much as possible, the air inside the boarding rooms is kept clean with 15 fresh air exchanges an hour, she said.

“We have systems in each of the boarding rooms called Pet Aerapy,” Hess said. “It’s a blue light sanitation filtration system, so it kills any infectious diseases, anything airborne, anything that might be floating around like that.”

Those looking to book with K9 Resorts can do so through its website or by phone at 440-577-4070.

Although walk-ins are welcome, Hess said that space is not always guaranteed.

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