Best Friends Pet Hotel

Roxanne Gura

2024-04

Huge thank you to the staff at Best Friends for taking care of my two Aussies while I was visiting with family in northern Maine for the weekend. I loved getting the photos of them enjoying a romp in the play area. Both girls came home very happy and groomed to perfection by their in-house groomer, Pam. My blue merle Aussie has a long, wavy coat and Pam got her down to a very adorable and manageable, puppy cut. My red girl is on the shy side and Pam was very patient with her and was able to groom her exactly how I asked.

John Saling

2024-04

I was very pleased on how my cat was able to stay there. He was very anxious and aggressive, but they were able to take care of him. They did request that if I stayed there again that he’d be given something to help calm him down. I find this very reasonable. I would go here again without hesitation. Also, it is very affordable.

Carly Hoss

2024-04

Will and Emilie are simply THE BEST. I have always felt so good dropping off my dog to them and the whole staff at Best Friends because of their warm and loving demeanors. They are excellent with communication in person and over the phone. The facility is super clean and sterile. The report cards on dog behavior are adorable. I love how happy my dog is both at drop off and pick up. Thank you Will & Emilie!!

Kailey D

2024-04

My pup loves coming to Daycare at Best Friends Pet Hotel every week. He has the best time and has consistent dog friends while he is there! Will, Emilie, Amanda, Pam, and the entire team take great care of my best friend and he is so excited to see them!

Sophie Chevillet

2024-03

Day Camp at Best Frends Pet Hotel is truly a gem for any dog parent seeking top-notch care for their furry companion. From the moment she walks in, my Zoe fells the warmth and genuine love the staff have for her. The facility is clean, which immediately put my mind at ease regarding my dog's safety and health. Zoe is so happy and excited when we pull in front of the building. She can't wait to play with her best friends!

Carrie Lembo

2024-02

It’s got a very good staff and amenities etc. However, way too much if you have two dogs that are sharing a kennel. Not a very good discount based on using someone in a home. Less expensive other places. However , if you need a place that is a boarding facility - it is a great option based on everything they offer.

Roxanne Rotondaro

2024-04

My pup, Ricky, loves doggie camp and we love that he is tired out. The team is so nice. We see Amanda, Emelie and Will the most and we love them! Pam groomed him, he smelled good and was nice and fluffy clean.

Jan Kelley

2024-02

Best Friends in Rocky Hill has been providing care to our valley bulldog, Dizzy, since he was a little puppy (for over ten years)! Once we park the car, Dizzy runs in to get his good morning hugs and greetings from all the staff! He loves the care and attention that he receives from Emily and Wil and Pam and Patrick. Patrick and his staff answer my questions and make sure that we are satisfied with all of the services we receive - day camp, boarding, and grooming.The theme parties are always fun and Emily always makes sure we are aware of what is happening and that we remember to view Dizzy’s pictures online! Wil is very patient, upbeat, and happy to give Dizzy the extra good - by greeting that he has to have before leaving for home. Pam is a great groomer and we always enjoy all the bandanas that Dizzy comes home wearing after his bath! Very caring, attentive, friendly place. Best Friends always strives to deliver a positive experience to both Dizzy and us! Thank you Emily, Pam, Wil, and Patrick!

Michelle Paradis

2024-04

I used to run the kennels here way back in...oh man about 2017 ish it's hard to exactly remember...but seeing so many one star reviews od like to give my inside perspective as to why best friends has taken such a terrible turn. When I worked theremyself and the staff truly loved the pets.our goal was to ensure there wellbeing and enjoy the time spent with them,it was like a familiy.then management changed...new cooprrate cared so Little about the pets well-being and more about rhe money corners started to be cut.pet parents were paying peak season prices that were supposed to come with ammmenities yet the center did not have enough for each pet,so the owner paid for it but the pet never recived it ...like extra bedding or snacks, and even walk amd explore time the standard of care andAccountability dropped long time employees Pleaded Management to fix the downfall but our pleas were ignored.we truley loved our job but the injustice and abuse of power was too much, so the staff you once new trusted and loved left. And here we are left with a money hungary corporation that's happy to provide your pet with the bare minimum it angers and saddens me because I truly used to love working here but I refuse to mistreat any living being. ( and yes before I left I made many attempts to fix the issues and reach out to my higher ups,but in doing so I was treated as dirt and Disciplined for not accepting the new so very low standards of care. Id also like to point out,on the website it says meet the team but only features management and not the staff that tend to your pets everyday that itself showcases the cooprrate rundown facility.

Crystal

2024-04

My family has been looking for a new place to board our dog and we set up a tour over the past weekend. The staff was very nice and answered all our questions to help us make the right choice in choosing Best Friends for our pets place to stay while we are away.

Erin Cremins

2024-03

My dog LOVES going to camp at Best Friends! Will and Emelie take extra special care of him whether he’s at camp or staying over. He had lots of dog friends and can’t wait to go see them!

Lareisha Rodriguez

2023-05

First time going! Did a tour to see where my Luna will be staying during the summer LOVE how clean and organized it is! And there care for animals Is AMAZING! They were able to answer any question I had wheither it was a question I already had prepared..or a question i just had that popped out my head. Will def make another review after she has stayed there :)

Isa Martinez

2022-05

Best place to take your fur babies for boarding and grooming! Jamie is the lady that took good care of my fur babies! (Hulu & Maya) at the groomers, she did a fabulous job! Will continue taking my dogs to best friends hotel!

Ruth Whitworth

2023-05

I have been bringing my two small dogs to Best Friends in Rocky Hill for as long as I can remember. My dogs are now 9 and 11 years old. As stated in the most recent reviews something has drastically changed with this place. The last few times I have tried to book an appointment they have stated my dogs vaccinations are not up to date. I verified with our vet that they are multiple times now. It seems they will not make the call themselves to their Vet as this is now the second time I show up for my appointment and they refused to groom my dogs. What irritates me the most is the lack of professionalism and customer service from a lady named Dory who I tried to explain my frustration to. She wouldn’t listen to a word I had to say, and was very combative and clearly didn’t care if my dogs were groomed or not or if she lost a customer. After seeing about 20 bad reviews in the past year one would think they would try to leave a good impression on those who still want to give this place a shot. Well I was sadly mistaken and will be taking my dogs elsewhere from now on.I have noticed the professionalism in the place has been lacking in my last few visits as well. I have showed up with my dogs and waited in the lobby where no one was there, or people are working and haven’t acknowledged me being there. In the past, Best Friends would usually call 24 hrs ahead of an appt to confirm if we will be coming. They have stopped doing that as well. Lastly I haven’t received any report cards for my pets in their last few visits either. Makes you wonder how they are caring for the dogs when you are not there. After dealing with this woman named Dory and her horrible attitude I wouldn’t trust my dogs in their care. It’s unfortunate I have to find another place but if you aren’t going to treat people with respect you shouldn’t expect them to leave their extended family/fur babies in your care either.

Kate Eastwood

2023-07

Communication with BFRH was inconsistent. We had boarded our past pets here and since the ownership change, this kennel does not resemble the place it once was. Beginning what the lobby feeling sparse, the staff and the quality of care (it should have been a red flag when we didn’t see other dogs on the board). No report cards, photos or even the live stream even though we asked about that and called during the stay, which we were told that we would receive. Pricing is a joke, increased rates without informing the client. Miscommunications between booking, staying and paying the final bill (another joke). Unprofessional staff. I called with a question and the “manager” picked up after I was put on hold for quite a while - instead of saying hello she picked up and said “you had a question”- I had no idea who I was even speaking to. The ENTIRE experience was less than desirable. There are so many places to board your animals in the area, why would we choose to come here again for a less than experience.

A Google User

2023-05

Pre-pandemic this was an outstanding place to board and groom our two dogs (we had been using them for five years). However, we recently boarded our dogs for two nights and the experience was one of the worst we experienced. Not only were we misquoted the price, they didn’t have our booking set up properly so thought we were coming on different days. The new manager has no personality and is extremely abrupt and rude and has no experience of running a boarding/grooming salon. She prided herself on her retail experience even though she had no real pet experience. They no longer provide any feedback on how the dogs did, no report cards, and didn’t really show any care for our dogs. We will not be using them again, and I would be very wary of trusting them with any animals given the lack of experience, leadership, customer care, and most importantly pet care that the manager clearly did not demonstrate to any level of competence.

Devon Shire

2023-05

Had a good experience. My puppy is a high energy puppy and he came home exhausted, happy, well tended to, and healthy. What else can you ask for? If you’re new to kenneling, spend the extra to get your dog groomed before coming home. They’ve been in a communal scent for their stay- playing, rolling around, slobbering - if you’d bathe yourself after staying in a hostel - do it for your dog. As for the staff, they were all pleasant to myself and my partner. The only thing I wish I knew was that the camera online were specific to doggy daycare versus boarding. It took me a day or so to figure out but other than that - def a pleasant experience!

Jessica Kuethman

2022-05

We used to bring our rescue dog here for camp as well as overnight stays while on vacation. They were the best. We'd be sent home with his report card during pick up and overnight stays always included a few email updates with pictures, not to mention the report cards from daily camp. We were able to see our little guy in the play room as well as outside. Best place ever, THEN. NOT ANYMORE.We just brought our new dog here to stay for a few days and I would never come back again. After not being able to see my dog ever on the pet cams after checking multiple times a day, I called three times to get an update, but there was no answer so I eventually left a message asking to be called, texted, or emailed with an update on how he was doing, his very first time away from us. Never got a response. When I mentioned how disappointed I was when I picked him up to the person behind the counter, she mentioned that there were over 100 messages on their voicemail.During drop off, I had to give directions on how I wanted my dog groomed. Every groomer I've ever been to always asks. Needless to say, I can barely tell my dog was groomed, except for his paws.I never received report cards, emails with pictures, there were absolutely no updates. Poor management of staff, not properly trained. I'd stay far away from here.

Sandra Barnes

2023-05

We brought our 14 year old dog there while we went out of the country, he's been there before and the staff is well aware that he has issues with his back legs due to a spinal disease. When we went to pick him up, initially they couldn't find him....apparently he was moved to another room without anyone telling the rest of the staff. Eventually when they found him they asked one of the groomers to help us walk him to the car, which at first we really appreciated. This drastically changed when the groomer looked directly at me and said I needed to put my dog down. He then came back in and told his co-worker in front of me (as I was now crying) that she knows how he feels about the dog still being alive. The staff standing there (including a manager) said nothing to him about his insensitive, unprofessional comments. Our dog passed away shortly after.As if that wasn't bad enough, we also noticed they did not give us ANY of his things when we left, including his leash, food container, & area rug (we provided for him so he would not slip as much on the floors in the kennel). I was too upset to notice at the time because of the comments made to me by groomer.We tried calling and emailing Best Friends multiple times so we could pick up his things with no response to our emails and when we called no one picked up the phone EVER.The comments the groomer made alone are enough for us to never go back. Not to mention, if our dog was having so much trouble while in their care they had multiple emergency contact numbers that they chose not to call because they wanted the money. This place used to be great years ago but in the last few months it's become a joke.Now we have to take time out of our schedules to drive there and demand his things back in person. 0/5 stars to this joke of a business.

Sabrina Tedeschi

2023-05

We used to bring our dog here years ago and had a very pleasant experience. We received updates, report cards, etc while on vacation. We just went here with our new puppy and had a miserable experience. No updates or report card. And, our puppy was clearly having a bad health reaction to being boarded. We don't know if it was the food or the stress of being boarded for the first time, but we never received any call to let us know that she was not feeling well. She was also filthy in her own feces when we picked her up. WILL NEVER GO AGAIN!!!

jennbenn

2023-05

The second you walk through the doors, your greeted by clumps of dog hair and old feces in the breezeway. Once your in the lobby, the smell overwhelms you. When this place was run by Best Friends Pet Resort and Salon, business was booming. It was clean, beautiful and jam packed with pets. Now that it changed ownership, it's gone completely downhill. If they cleaned the place up they'd have a better chance at surviving. Not sure I'd come back to see if they will.

Katie Place

2023-05

Like the previous reviews, I am sad to report that the quality of customer service and our dog's care at Best Friends has dropped dramatically in the past year. When dropping off our dog for a week's boarding on June 18, the front desk staff person (manager) was short-tempered and seemed frazzled / disorganized. It wasn't the same welcoming atmosphere that I've experienced when dropping off my dog in the past.

Flora McMeans

2024-02

Lulu McMeans and I love Best Friends The Staff (Patrick, Will, Emily and Pam) are very helpful and very friendly.

Angela

2022-05

We’ve boarded our dog three times with Best Friends in Rocky Hill, but I’m sure it will be our last. The first time I picked him up in the morning it was clearly evident he hadn’t been let out to relieve himself since the day before, yet when I walked in there were at least three kids joking around the desk area seeming like they had truly nothing better to do.This latest time we boarded him, my husband picked him up and was told that they had lost his (brand new, $35) collar. They said they would keep an eye out for it and call us back. After days of hearing nothing and repeatedly calling, my husband finally managed to get someone on the phone to be told that they had found it and were wondering why we hadn’t come to pick it up. Come Saturday, my husband drives to Best Friends only to be told they have once again lost it. The woman at the desk not so kindly reminded him that per the contract, they are not responsible for lost items. Since then we’ve tried to contact the manager, however, much like many other reviewers, we have been unsuccessful to get anyone on the phone.In addition to the phone never being answered, the money spent towards the pet cameras is a waste when nearly half the time your pet is in an area which conveniently does not have cameras.If you’re looking to board your pets I’d recommend Paws Pet Spa and Resort in Cheshire! A little pricier, but ALL the more worth it.

will judge

2023-05

Wish I could give them 0 stars. First off this location is priced on the higher end. Our 11 month old golden retriever stayed for 3 nights while we travelled to our destination wedding. He was promised group play with other dogs every day, we did not see him on camera playing with other dogs once.We called to check on him since we didn't see him, we got no answer and no call back. After 2 days and 2 voicemails we finally called again and someone answered. We were told that he had no interest in interacting with other dogs so he was removed. We said he is a puppy and asked if they could try again to which they said their group play was full the next day even though his reservation was made in advance and he was promised group play each day.We paid for grooming treatments including "shedicure" but he still has many tufts of fur and is shedding more now than when we brought him. They didn't even put him in a bandana like every single grooming place I have ever heard of(not a big deal just seemed odd). We were promised a doggy report card that tells us what activities he did and how he behaved but we never received one.Would never recommend this place to anyone, and are never sending our dog here again, we feel as though they were fraudulent and charged us premium prices then didn't provide even regular services.

Kaitlin Dunn

2023-05

We have been taking our dog here for 2 years and the girls always knew her when we would come in, even knowing what her favorite toy was. They have let us know in the past if they didn’t have something on file that they needed prior to us dropping her off so that we would be able to bring it with us when we brought her. This place must be under new management, because when I went to drop her off this morning, the rude woman at the front desk said they don’t have current vaccination records or a vet on file (which is blatantly false since she has boarded there several times and we put her vet down) which was never indicated to me when I made the reservation. I’ve never dealt with rude employees here but this woman was beyond. We have spent a lot of money here but definitely won’t be back after this experience. It has really gone down hill since our dog last boarded here late last year. Not to mention they’re a kennel cough hot bed, which they never were before. Go anywhere else

Christina Arias

2022-05

EDITED 4/12/22: My dog used to love going to Best Friends in Rocky Hill. He had been going since he was 14 weeks to puppy play. Recently about 3-4 weeks ago I noticed they had a complete change in staff. Looking through the video cam I noticed they were not attentive and there was minimal interaction with the pups. I also oticed my dog was less interested when we mentioned daycare. Last week I brought my dog and within a half hour the new manager (who had been there all of 3 days) messaged me to pick up my "aggressive dog" and told me he was not a good candidate for daycare. HE HAS NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES PRIOR, is kind and gentle with his puppy friends and and is the sweetest loving dog ever. The previous staff knew my dog by name and he was eager to kiss and hug them when he walked in the door. They helped ease him into the room with the other pups since he can be a little shy. I am so disappointed with the lack of training and care at this facility now. I do not trust this place with the safety and care of my dog neither should you.My pup loves Best Friends. We go for puppy play daycare. As soon as he arrives he is ready to jump out of the car.

Chris Pierz

2023-05

Do you want your pet to have an awful experience…book here!First of all they are horribly disorganized here. Good luck trying to get a call back or calling to check up on your pet. Our dog didn’t have a voice after for a week, feces all on her back side, and her paws were yellow. No one could tell me why she was like this and the manager was not “available”. Not sure if she ever saw outside her crate. So sad. Tried calling there a few times since to-get the manager and nothing. Biggest mistake I ever made.They need to close this place for animal abuse.

Emilie Kundycki

2023-05

We used to love this place, but something clearly has changed in the last few months. Our cat was well taken care of in the past, the staff got excited whenever we dropped him off, we got picture updates, etc. However, our recent stay was a very negative experience overall. First, no one picked up the phone when we tried to make a reservation (we did so online instead). Staff seemed to be confused when we dropped him off (again, after all the staff knowing him by name before), and rudely commented that he had a bit of a weird/funny name for a cat.We dropped off food and treats for our cat's stay, but were called partway through to say they ran out, which we assumed we just miscalculated. They also informed us he wasn't using the litterbox, when he's never had issues with that before, but seemed healthy otherwise.We picked him up on Monday morning, and he cried the whole way home, which he normally doesn't do. It's now Wednesday and he has spent all of the daytime hiding and acting generally terrified (again, this is NOT his normal behavior when returning from boarding), to the point of avoiding eating during the day (he is using his litterbox though, at least).Well, the bag of food and treats we left for him were returned to us destroyed and with bite marks, the size and aggression of which look like the work of a dog, definitely not a cat. We've tried to call the staff to ask about this, and about our cat's odd behavior (we suspect a dog got into the cat boarding room, perhaps?), but again.. they're not picking up the phone.We're moving, but even if we weren't we wouldn't board our pet here again, and I advise others to avoid them as well. Not sure what happened, but the place has clearly gone severely downhill.

Kelly M

2023-05

We wanted to love this place but just can’t. This place seems disorganized and our last straw is our dog came back with two meals which we were told he was given a “special diet”. Which is why we pack our own food because he has a very sensitive stomach. We decided it wasn’t even worth the hassle of inquiring because no one seems to know anything.We’ve lost our doggie towel and measuring cup for his food here. Amongst other things that go missing and they have to look for them.Please don’t waste your money here and look elsewhere.