This hotel had a great dog-friendly set of rooms that each had sliding glass doors that led out to a private, enclosed potty area.
We received the best gift ever this past Christmas – the Petcube camera – and used it for the first time here. We were able to attend the banquet all while keeping and eye on the pups!
This hotel was very conveniently located right outside of the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex, where Winter Meltdown was being held.
This hotel offers several favorable amenities, including:
free wireless internet
fitness center
laundry facilities
indoor heated pool
complementary breakfast buffet
24-hour pantry with snacks, drinks, and other items
The room was clean, and the people were friendly. Our room had a king size bed, sitting area, and a full kitchen. Cello and Hooch made themselves right at home!
It’s hard to believe that it was last year (for this same dock diving event) that Cello stayed in a hotel for the very first time!
Next year we will definitely book a room in this hotel for the 2016 Winter Meltdown!
Cello had been going through a little bit of a slump, but during this event, she really seemed to be starting to get back on track! We were very proud of her!
Big Air Results:
22’6″ 22′
22’3″ 21’10”
23’3″ 21’9″ 2nd Place Elite Division
21’3″ 21’5″
Extreme Vertical Results:
5’2″ 3rd Place Cadet Divsion
Speed Retrieve Results:
17.128 10.968
Big Air Finals:
22’2″ 17’5″ 3rd Place Elite Division
Iron Dog Points: 2511.83 3rd Place Warrior Division
Hooch
Hooch is still a bit nervous to run and jump off the dock, but he loves to get the crowd going with his “Hoochie Hop” off the end of the dock!
Cello participated in a dock-diving contest this past weekend. What was planned as a camping trip in our travel trailer, wound up as a hotel stay due to yet another nasty snow storm that was predicted to hit both PA and NJ Sunday-into-Monday. After a search of dog-friendly hotels in the area, we narrowed our choices down to three. Two hotels were more “high-end”, and the third, was more middle-of-the-road, but also recently built. So, we went with the newest built hotel, and “reluctantly” booked a room at La Quinta Inn and Suites Harrisburg/Hershey, in Harrisburg, PA.
I say “reluctantly” because Brian and I hadn’t stayed in a hotel since the weekend we got engaged in Boston, MA, in 2006!! After our engagement, we began staying in bed and breakfasts for all our trips. We continued choosing bed and breakfasts until 2009, when we bought our dream home (a log cabin on a lake) that wasn’t quite in dream-home condition. So, we gave up traveling to begin renovating our cabin. In 2011, we gave tent camping a shot…a last-minute decision trip that wound up being the start of a new love for us. We tent camped with Cello until August of 2012, and then upgraded to “Glamping” and bought a Jayco travel trailer to continue our camping adventures. Since we bought our travel trailer in October of 2012, our thought has been “if we can’t camp there, we don’t go there.” …UNTIL it meant “scratching” a dock diving event that we had already signed Cello up for.
Leading up to this hotel stay, I was very, VERY nervous – about not sleeping in our own bed, about Cello and how she would react… about all aspects of our upcoming hotel stay!…and I have to say, I was quite pleased…with EVERYthing. The hotel was just recently built, so it was very clean – still very new looking and smelling, and the staff couldn’t have been more helpful, pleasant, and dog-friendly. Each time we entered the hotel, Cello was greeted by the front desk staff with hugs, kisses, and dog treats!
Cello took her first ride in an elevator and wasn’t scared at all!
When we got to our room, Cello made herself right at home, and was SO well-behaved during our entire stay!
Cello was a diva and did not pack lightly…here are is Cello’s spot on the bathroom counter for all her toiletries 🙂
And here are some pictures of the hotel and our room…
Front Desk
Lobby
Breakfast Area
Our Room
Overall, it was a very pleasant experience – although we did all still miss camping in our travel trailer!
This past weekend Cello participated in The National Pet Expo (hosted by Keystone DockDogs) Winter Meltdown event at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA. We were a bit nervous, as Cello has not gotten her full exercise regimen to meet the daily requirements of a German Shorthaired Pointer due to this brutal winter we’ve had in Southern NJ. We were also a bit anxious because Cello had never competed in an indoor event before. We planned for a camping trip to Harrisburg – however once again, a major snow storm was predicted to PA and NJ Sunday-into-Monday…so we decided to get a hotel room instead (Cello’s first hotel stay!).
On the first day, just as we expected, Cello did not jump her best, but still managed to win 2 medals with jumps of 20′ 8″ and 20′ 11.”
On the second day, Cello jumped even worse, and was so tired, she was falling asleep sitting up! This was WAY more activity and excitement than she has had this entire winter! She did not earn any medals on the 2nd day, but somehow found her way into the Masters Division Big Air Finals!
She jumped with all her might, and soared her furthest ever!!!! A leap of 22 feet, 9 inches got her a 2nd place in the finals! She even beat out other dogs who had been jumping further than her all weekend! Cello won a bucket full of prizes including dog treats and dog toys, $50 cash prize, and a big 2nd Place ribbon. It was a great surprise to end this fun-filled weekend!!