Why are so many of these new doggy day care/boarding/spas housed in cavernous interior spaces that are gloomy and dimly lit? Even in Southern California, many of these places don’t walk the dogs outside.
How about something different? How about a Canine Day Care and Resort Motel?

Concept
How about a motel conversion, using the concept of “hip kitsch,” in which an old/abandoned/decrepit/neglected vintage motel is restored and used for office space/mixed use/condos/retail? In this case, a canine day care/boarding concept. If a dog can’t be left alone, or the owner does not believe in crate training, or does not want to rely on a caretaker coming into the house, this Canine Day Care and Resort Motel provides a place to leave the dog(s), for an hour or a month or anywhere in between, in actual rooms with real furniture just like at home, personalized attention, and complete flexibility. Working late? No problem – 24/7 pickup and drop off. Last minute vacation getaway? No reservations needed. Dog is aggressive with other dogs? A room of its own. Dog loves other dogs? A room with roommates, at a lower cost.

Location
The ideal location for this business would be along a corridor that in its heyday in the 1940s-1970s hosted a strip of motels, and which has now fallen into neglect, likely on account of an expressway or interstate having been constructed, or a tourist industry that disappeared or moved nearby into high-rise chain hotels. This location would be near, or in, a city, with a center of clean industry, such as insurance or banking, and a reasonably healthy economy, convenient to commuters who would find it easy to drop off their dog on the way to work, and/or near an area of high tourist activity, convenient for vacationers who have traveled with a dog, but would like to have more flexibility.

Market(s)
The undergirding support and revenue-generating piece of this pie is that of wealthy, busy dog owners, who love their dog like a child, and who will pay to know that when the dog is not with them, it is still as happy, comfortable, and safe as possible. To give back to the community, some space can be devoted to an onsite adoption center, where shelter dogs can hang out and meet prospective adopters.

Aesthetic
This aspect of the plan celebrates the romance of the road, and the fascinating history of the motel, by restoring the site from the “historic preservation” perspective, with period details and authentic appointments, so that the Resort Motel has the look of its original appearance, back in its heyday.

Related potential possibilities
Depending on what site is actually chosen for this business, if space allows, some of the rooms or other buildings could be used for resident staff/owners; a retail shop selling period furniture; bookshop; café; artist studios; gallery; office space; etc.

Special advantages to this business, over others
Renovating a derelict motel is a big job. But renovating it for occupation by dogs is a heck of a lot easier than getting it up to par for persnickety humans and their building habitation codes. Picture a motel, built in 1940, empty since 1970, tiny, dark rooms with old paneling and curtains. Compared to a fenced kennel with a concrete floor, or a cavernous, dimly lit, gloomy warehouse space, one of these homey, kitschy motel rooms, if it’s properly cleaned and cheerfully decorated, even with a minimum of expense, it’s a palace!