Former Carlson hotel executive and lifelong dog lover John Sturgess aims to teach the pet industry some new tricks with Adogo Pet Hotel, a premium boarding and day care facility in Minnetonka.
Sturgess is applying what he learned in 23 years in the corporate lodging world, including eight years as vice president of development at Carlson Hotels Worldwide, to offering man's best friend a level of service and accommodations "modeled after four- and five-star human hotels."
"I'm taking my experience in the human hotel business and my knowledge of dogs and love of dogs and combining those two to run a professional hotel," said Sturgess, who devoted much of the past eight years to researching his business plan, including making it a focus of his studies while he was completing an MBA at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management.
That background, he believes, along with his ability to raise capital to start the company and possibly expand, distinguish Adogo from mom-and-pop kennels.
"There are a lot of very good people running facilities that didn't necessarily come from the service industry," Sturgess said. "I want to offer a great experience for the dog and beyond that make sure the owner is confident in the facility when they are away."
Adogo also has a prime location on the Minnetonka-Eden Prairie border and a one-stop, full-service philosophy. In addition to overnight boarding and day care, it offers grooming and training by Canine Coach, a dog training company.
What is a pet hotel?
The pet hotel is licensed as a kennel, with 93 overnight rooms and indoor and outdoor play areas. The renovation was overseen by the same firm that designed the trendy Crave restaurants. The Minneapolis-based firm Shea also helped develop the Adogo pet hotel brand.