Issue Date: December 21, 2003

News & Views

Who let the dogs in?

Even the ritziest hotels are catering to animals. Maybe your Lhasa apso would enjoy a holiday dinner of Lassie Latkes.

People aren't the only ones who can enjoy a holiday meal at a fancy hotel. At the Regency Hotel in New York City, executive chef John Iachetti has served lots of VIPs (very important pets), including a cow from the 2000 movie Me, Myself & Irene. This year's holiday fare includes jowl-licking dishes from Turkey-Cranberry Schnauzer Stew to Lassie Latkes. (Meals cost $10 to $25.)

Who else is letting the dogs in? In Chicago, try the Ritz-Carlton -- although, like other animal-friendly hotels, it provides only room service (most health codes ban animals in restaurants).

Smaller pets have been welcomed for years, but now size and weight restrictions are being lifted at more top-tier hotels. That's good news for large or pudgy four-legged companions of guests hoping to sweat off those holiday meals at Le Merigot Beach Hotel & Spa in Santa Monica, Calif.

Loews, which offers pet-friendly services at all of its 19 hotels, including the Regency, developed its pet menus with a licensed veterinarian, Iachetti says: "Of course, we stay away from foods dogs can't have, like salt, pepper and chocolate, but otherwise we include the same high-quality ingredients we use for people." The admittedly bland recipes were designed, he adds, to "help pets deal with the stresses of travel -- like jet lag and altitude sickness." Or maybe a day of window-shopping with their masters?

At Loews hotels, including those in Miami Beach, above, and New York, right, pet menus are veterinarian-approved.

On your holiday list: Find a new job

The holidays are the best time of year to find a new job. So says job-search authority John A. Challenger, head of the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Why? Job hunting declines at least 20% between November and January, because many job seekers mistakenly assume no one is hiring, Challenger says, and the slowdown means fewer competitors for those who persist. Challenger offers these tips, exclusively for USA WEEKEND readers:

Go to as many holiday parties as you can. Tell everyone you meet you are looking for a job.

Take advantage of employers (other than retailers) having more time to see you during the holiday season. You may catch them in a charitable mood.

Don't send résumés by mail. They'll get lost in the holiday rush. Instead, hand-deliver them, and see if you can schedule an interview on the spot.

Read the business sections of newspapers for companies' 2004 plans that may indicate job openings. Strike while the iron is hot!

Contributing: Judy Mandell