Inside Lildog Hotel, where 140 Scandinavian locations are redefining dog-friendly shopping

Photo Courtesy of Lildog Hotel

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Outside a bustling shopping center in central Oslo, a sleek glass structure stands apart from the traditional architecture. Inside, a dozen dogs of various breeds lounge in temperature-controlled comfort, some napping on cushioned platforms, others watching their owners disappear into the retail labyrinth beyond. 

This is neither a kennel nor a traditional pet daycare, but one of 140 “Lildog Hotels” now scattered across Scandinavia — a Norwegian innovation rapidly transforming how Europeans shop with their four-legged companions.

The space between

For generations, dog owners faced a familiar dilemma: leave their pets home alone or significantly restrict their shopping options to pet-friendly stores. Lildog’s founder Morten Sæthre recognized this friction point as an opportunity to extend his company’s pet-tech ecosystem into physical space.

“We have started Lildog Hotel, which gives dogs a safe place to stay outside shopping malls, and has rolled out 140 hotels in Scandinavia with great success,” Sæthre explains.

The concept is deceptively simple — secure, monitored spaces where dogs can safely wait while owners shop in places that would otherwise exclude canine companions. 

However, the implications for retail environments and pet care culture run deeper than convenience alone.

Each “hotel” features automatic disinfection between uses, ensuring hygiene standards meet public health requirements. Temperature controls prevent the dangerous conditions that have led to tragic outcomes when pets are left in vehicles. The spaces incorporate similar technology to the company’s signature GPS trackers, allowing owners to check on their pets via smartphone throughout their shopping experience.

From tracker to physical innovation

The evolution of Lildog (and Lilcat) from digital device maker to physical infrastructure provider represents a significant business pivot. Founded in Norway and focused initially on developing GPS trackers for dogs and cats, the company has leveraged its understanding of pet owner anxiety to expand beyond the digital realm.

The company’s core product — a GPS tracker with real-time location monitoring — has amassed 45,000 customers across 21 European countries. However, the physical hotel concept demonstrates how digital-first companies can expand their footprint into tangible infrastructure.

The Norwegian company has positioned itself fundamentally differently from competitors by controlling every aspect of its production chain. Unlike most pet tech companies manufacturing in Asia, Lildog moved production to Europe, maintaining tighter quality control and data security standards. This same attention to detail characterizes their hotel installations, which undergo rigorous safety testing before deployment.

Reshaping retail environments

Mall operators across Scandinavia have embraced the Lildog Hotel concept, seeing it as a valuable amenity that increases shopper dwell time and opens their facilities to pet owners who might otherwise shop online or at standalone pet-friendly retailers.

Lildog Hotel works as an intermediary space that bridges the persistent incompatibility between human commerce and pet presence. By creating these transition zones, Lildog extends its philosophy of care beyond the digital realm into the architecture of daily life. 

The pet hotel’s advantage lies in proximity — it positions pet care directly adjacent to shopping environments rather than requiring separate trips to dedicated pet facilities.

Lildog Hotel: expansion and adaptation

Lildog Hotel’s success in Scandinavia has prompted plans for expansion beyond Nordic borders. The company has announced upcoming launches in Copenhagen, Barcelona, and Dublin — strategic cities with high concentrations of tourists and pet owners.

“We believe that our success reflects our effort to plan the products we introduce carefully. We create products that don’t just highlight what’s new in pet technology — they should solve pain points in pet ownership and enhance the relationship between the owner and the pet,” Sæthre notes.

With this expansion, Sæthre acknowledges particular challenges as the company navigates different regulatory environments across Europe. What works in the permissive Scandinavian context may require modification to meet southern European nations’ more stringent public health standards or the complex pet regulations of urban centers like Dublin.

Extending the Lildog Hotel Advantage

Lildog’s business model presents an intriguing case study in hardware-software-service integration. The company sells physical trackers, maintains subscription software services, and now operates physical infrastructure — a triple revenue stream that insulates against market fluctuations in any segment.

As the concept proves viable in shopping environments, Lildog’s potential applications extend to other spaces where pet presence creates friction — offices, restaurants, cultural venues, and transportation hubs. 

The Lildog Hotel model could potentially transform into multi-service hubs that include veterinary telemedicine, grooming services, or nutrition consultation — expanding from simple holding spaces to comprehensive pet care centers integrated into urban infrastructure.

The Norwegian company’s philosophy — “if it works in Norway, it works anywhere” — will be tested as it expands beyond Scandinavia’s cultural and regulatory environment. But its success thus far demonstrates how thoughtful design at friction points between pet ownership and public space can create entirely new categories of service and transform the retail experience for millions of European dog owners.