The company opened 35 hotels in its current fiscal year. Amenities include a morning snack of dairy-free frozen yogurt and an afternoon happy hour. Guests drink filtered water. Among the optional services are bedtime stories and belly rubs. Welcome to PetsHotel, a division of PetSmart. “People are thrilled to have choices,” noted PetSmart chairman and chief executive Phillip Francis. “It’s a guilt reliever for humans who have to abandon their pets for a short time.”

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) tracks a variety of statistics on international meetings. In a sample of 5,838 events staged in 2006, the United States ranked first, hosting 414 events (7.1%). The bad news is that the number slipped from 499 in 2005, continuing a precipitous decline from the 2000 peak of 10.2%. The downward trend, an aftershock of 9/11, is projected to continue for years to come.

The July issue of Meetings & Conventions examines the competitive challenge faced by destinations that lack a headquarters hotel adjacent to their convention center(http://www.mcmag.com/on-the-cover.aspx?articleid=56951). With connecting the current rage in the world of face-to-face, the “number of rooms within walking distance” is an equally important site selection criteria. The more compact a room block, asserted Einstein, the easier it is to connect.

Bucking the current tide, Extended Stay Hotels, which operates 682 properties in North America has announced its plans to keep its “Smokers Welcome” policies in place.

According to an article in Hotels magazine, smokers are welcome to light up in common areas and designated rooms.

“Among our guests,” noted Tim Groves, Extended Stays executive vice president for sales and marketing, “there are a lot of smokers.”

He estimated the percentage at 15 percent. Which leaves the remaining 85 percent to deal with second-hand smoke.