(PRESS RELEASE) Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, a pet-centric, 40-room lodging option in Kanab, UT, has opened its doors to travelers — and their pets. The new Roadhouse, owned and operated by Best Friends Animal Society, looks forward to welcoming all travelers and their pets who seek to explore the beauty of Southern Utah.
The new property will provide complimentary shuttle transportation to and from the organization’s nearby Sanctuary, as well as offer organized Best Friends member activities, including volunteer opportunities and pet sleepovers. Revenue from the Roadhouse will support Best Friends’ efforts to end the killing of dogs and cats in America’s shelters by 2025.
The Roadhouse features 30 regular rooms, eight suites and two two-level suites, while the Mercantile houses a reception, a common area space for guests, a complimentary vegan continental breakfast bar, and retail that includes Best Friends and Roadhouse branded merchandise as well as a small section of vegan food items that guests can purchase to take with them.
“With the opening of Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile, we are excited to introduce the next level in pet-centric travel,” said Brooks Bradbury, director of hospitality, Best Friends Animal Society. “We look forward to welcoming all visitors to Kanab — travelers with furry friends and those without, travelers who are visiting or volunteering at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary or those guests who would like to know more about our work. We love welcoming pet sleepovers!”
Guests can feel comfortable bringing their pets along for the trip with pet-friendly features such as guest rooms outfitted with durable fabrics and materials, pet introduction doors — a two-door entry that ensures the pet will not slip out, room furnishings built 18 inches or higher to avoid pet entrapment or accidents, sleeping areas featuring pet mattress, as well as complimentary pet washing stations and fenced-in park with a water feature, and pet walking services and sitting, upon arrangement.
Two rooms, specially designed to accommodate cats, feature a window perch for lounging, high hanging light fixtures, cat proof blinds and curtains, generously spaced furniture to prevent cats from jumping on top of the furniture and a litterbox under the bathroom vanity. Each room is named for a beloved Best Friends animal alumnus. The room’s corresponding artwork is an image of the featured animal and a framed plaque relating their special story. There is one room specifically designated as pet free for those with allergies. Two rooms are handicap accessible.
Designed by WOW Atelier of Salt Lake City and Jillian Kliewer, the Roadhouse is comprised of two simple, low slung structures — the Roadhouse and the Mercantile — that sit unobtrusively within Kanab’s landscape of flat open land and undulating hills.
All rooms at the Roadhouse will feature complimentary Wi-Fi, Bluetooth-cable HDTV with remote, an Intelity in-room tablet, animal and cruelty-free bathroom amenities, Lutron lighting fixtures and controls, convenient power and USB charging stations, in-room Nespresso coffee machines and coffee and a bed with a slide out pet platform.
The Roadhouse provides an ideal in-town location for activities for guests and the community, including Best Friends presentations, musical performances, videos, lectures and discussions, art fairs, farmers markets, yoga classes and more that will further engage visitors in a Best Friends designed experience.
Best Friends Roadhouse and Mercantile is located at the center of the “Golden Circle” and serves as an ideal base camp for day trips to Zion, Bryce, and Grand Canyon National Parks and the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument.
Room’s rates are seasonal and range from $109-$309.
bestfriendsroadhouse.com