Wag Hotels - Redwood City — Local services in Redwood City

This was our first—and almost certainly our last—visit to Wag Hotels. We signed up our 18-week-old puppy for daycare, hoping she’d enjoy some playtime and socialization. What we witnessed at pick-up was deeply upsetting.

She was curled up inside a wire shelf meant for cleaning supplies, her ears pinned back, body rigid and hunched—visibly distressed. The handler’s first comment was that she’d been “really shy” and kept to herself all day. That didn’t add up. At other dog socials, she’s consistently the most outgoing and playful pup in the group. When I mentioned this, the handler added that a Boxer had been bothering her persistently, and she hadn’t played since that dog arrived. Boxers are large, energetic dogs—so why was one placed in the small dog group?

I noticed that large and small dogs were freely mixed together. For a young puppy still learning to socialize, that kind of environment can be overwhelming—especially without proper supervision or separation.

When I asked whether my puppy had played at all, the handler said she couldn’t say—she’d only been in the room for ten minutes. Yet she continued with vague reassurances like “she’s really sweet,” which made me suspect my puppy had spent most of the day—possibly from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.—curled up in that wire shelf. The thought of her spending hours in that state was gut-wrenching.

I didn’t press for more details—I just wanted to get her out of there. She looked completely overwhelmed. It took about ten minutes for them to bring her out, and through the window I saw her recoil from the handler’s approach. That was alarming. She loves people, and I’ve never seen her resist human interaction like that.

When she finally saw me, she urinated from excitement—something she’s done before, but never in such large volume. It made me wonder if she’d been given proper bathroom breaks. And once we got home, she drank water like she hadn’t had access to any all day. That raised even more concerns about whether her basic needs were met.

I understand that not every day is perfect and dogs can have off moments. But I expected the staff to intervene if a dog was being overwhelmed or harassed. At other socials we’ve attended, handlers are proactive—they step in, redirect energy, and help dogs reset. That kind of attentiveness seemed absent at Wag.

Update: After posting our review, the facility’s director called to downplay what happened to our puppy. We were initially told she was harassed by a Boxer, but the director later claimed the interaction was brief and happened late in the day. She also said our puppy had been hiding most of the day despite the interaction with the Boxer, yet refused to show us footage to verify any of it—making her account hard to trust.

She mentioned she had placed a towel on a shelf for our puppy, which felt inappropriate for a distressed pup. When we asked about basic care—whether she drank water or ate the lunch we packed—the director couldn’t give clear answers. She later referenced notes saying our puppy ate half her meal, but this lack of attention to basic care felt like neglect.

We had called ahead to discuss her needs and were specifically advised to drop her off at 7am to avoid rush hour. Had it not been for their recommendation, we would have brought her in much later.

The director also claimed our puppy only began showing signs of distress around 5pm. However, we were already at the facility at that time for pickup, watching through the window as staff struggled to identify her. She was visibly curled up and distressed well before they acknowledged it.

We believe our puppy was neglected. Her emotional distress, lack of supervision, and the staff’s inability to confirm basic care were deeply concerning. The lack of transparency, questionable handling decisions, and unwillingness to take accountability left us feeling deeply uneasy and regretful about entrusting them with our pup. We hope others take caution before leaving their pets in this...

Close miss on a 5 star review, here is our breakdown. We will board again at Redwood City Wag. It was clean, the staff up front was super friendly and seemed to know what they were doing. It was organized and geared towards our pets. There was even a cute welcome sign for our dogs at the front door when we showed up. Overall our dogs were given food each meal time and their treats we left them in each meal bag. They did have water too. We did receive our photo memories of the dogs each day so we know they were taken out for their Specialized Care time. The cameras worked and never stopped working so we had constant access to see them while in their room. We also received report cards on each dog about their stay. They had a grooming appointment the day before their stay so we passed on the complimentary grooming that was included in the package we chose. But, both dogs came home clean. Their room was clean the whole stay of 7 days. They called us promptly when they noticed the appetite was low for both dogs and asked if they could add a topper to entice them to eat. We have zero qualms about their care and services for the dogs.

Here is the dock in one star We boarded our two large dogs here because they had an ultra suite available and we wanted a larger space for them to be in while we were out of town for 8 days. We originally were booked at the Santa Clara location but we could not get them the ultra suite. The largest room they had available was big enough comfortably for one large dog. So we switched last minute to the Redwood City location purely for that reason. Both our dogs are rescues with horrible start to life backgrounds so we knew giving them extra comfort and keeping them together was a key to their stay here so they did not feel dumped. They each had their toy they loved and their night time milk bone with no problems or objections from Wag. Where our only issue is was when we arrived we asked to see the room they were in. Not a tour, just walk back with them to say bye. We wanted this because we know how sensitive our dogs are to our leaving and this was the first time boarding them anywhere (normally they stay with family). We were quickly rejected by the site supervisor to our request - just cold and curt. It didn’t sit well for the money we were spending to board them there- but on a more personal standpoint, the customer service from her specifically made the difference here from a five star to a four star review. This was also for our own comfort as we were going to be out of state, it was our first time boarding our Dog's and far enough away that we couldn’t get to them quickly if needed. (We did have an emergency contact on file if anything happened.) We were the only drop off in the lobby and staff was able to retrieve and send home two other dogs from the play area quickly while we were there getting checked in. A totally separate individual came out to take our dogs back to their room and both our dogs were trying to stay with us instead of going in the back. He was kind and gentle with the dogs but us walking them back would have made all parties more at ease. It was stressful for our dogs and us, their/our trip could have started off much differently and better than it did. This put their staff in an unnecessary and uncomfortable position. Regardless of the situation that didn’t allow us to walk back with them, it could have been handled better from their own leadership on site. When you are running a pet hotel it should be obvious that you are working with families that value their pets and treat them as family. No one wants to start their boarding experience with their dogs fighting to not go in the back. That extra minute of conversation and understanding or walking them back instead of seeing them fight not to go would have been the chef’s kiss.

We would recommend and stay again at Wag...

Long post! But I hope it helps someone else when making their decision!

My two dogs have stayed at Wag Hotels (Redwood City) a handful of times between daycare and boarding. The past 2 boarding experiences have been less than satisfactory.

I am frustrated by the lack of communication, the expectations and the actual reality of their stay.

Communication - I had to have called 20-30 times during their stay with no answer. No one ever answers the phone here. This was at all different times of the day. I left 3-4 maybe 5 messages. No one got back to me. TO THIS DAY (they stayed about a month ago now), no one has called me back to address my questions/concerns.

Expectations - My dogs stayed in the Ultra Suite. This is way too expensive, but I thought, it will be the most comfortable for them, plus they get lots of extra little special things. I have no problem paying a high price, if what is promised, is delivered. First of all, the room is nothing like the pictures they have online. From the camera I had access to in the room, the rooms had a small foam bed, covered by one sheet, with a pillow. The description of a Spacious, themed accommodation is interesting - what was the theme of my dogs room? I was told I would have an app-controlled treat dispenser (I did not), customizable music selection - (I did not), In-room television with dog-friendly programming (the TV was on the Netflix home page the entire time). Nightly 2-way video chat (I did not have this). I also never saw someone come in for a before bed belly scratch or bedtime story. I saw the door open, food dropped off, and the team member walk away.

If I pay for something, I expect it to be delivered. Now they might say, well you should have called us to have the nightly 2-way video chat! Or, you have to call us to enable the treat dispenser or the custom music -- but that brings me back to issue number 1 - I called. At least 20 times.

Other issues that are not a big deal, but again, when I am paying top dollar, I expect the small things to be standard --

The lights were never turned off when it was bedtime. I check at midnight - lights still on. I checked at 3 am, lights still on. I checked at 7am - lights still on. (Yes, I am crazy, but I was up at these times for flights)

When I checked in at the front desk before their stay I asked the receptionist, can they please have dinner by 7/7:15pm? I was told, sure. I checked the cameras and to my surprise, they were not in their rooms, the room was not even set up yet- no sheet on the bed. I obviously tried calling. No answer. I watched them get fed around 10pm.

I have photos/timestamps, I have screenshots from the cameras. I have tried reaching out to Wag about these issues- and to no surprise--- NO response! I paid over $1k in the last two visits (2 nights and 1 night) and did not receive half the promises that were made.

I want to continue to use Wag Hotels, I want to trust when I drop my dogs off they are in good hands, and that they are getting the things I was told they would get - but unfortunately, that has not been my experience. I also want to be able to REACH an employee! Or at least have someone CALL ME BACK (or email me back!!) to address my concerns.

If you have other options - USE them! Wag was a last resort option for me and I am so disappointed in the amount of money that was spent for my dogs to not get the things that I was...