Christina Jelski
Forget turndown service or pillow menus -- the hottest new hotel amenity has four legs and a reputation for spitting.
I'm talking about llamas, which have emerged as the mammal du jour in the hospitality space, dethroning the goat yoga fad that dominated pre-Covid.
While llamas and their camelid cousins, alpacas, have long had a stronghold in tourism destinations in South America, they're quickly carving out a niche across North America.
I wasn't expecting to encounter llamas during a press trip to The Hythe, a Luxury Collection Resort in Vail, Colo., last summer, for example. But thanks to local tour operator Paragon Guides, I was able to sample Paragon's Take a Llama to Lunch hiking experience, consisting of a private guided hike, a picnic lunch and the company of several llamas.
A llama awaits the start of a hike with Paragon Guides near Vail, Colo. Photo Credit: Christina Jelski
The llamas, who patiently posed for countless Instagram photos, served as more than just cute hiking companions. They also carried our food, water and gear. With our essentials safely stowed on llama-back, the experience was far more enjoyable for a less-experienced hiker like me, whose lungs were still struggling to acclimate to Vail's higher elevation.
Unsurprisingly, Paragon's llama hikes, which start at $625 for two, have quickly become one of the company's most popular tour offerings, according to our guide.
Other U.S. properties and destinations are also jumping on the llama bandwagon.
The Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa, a historical property in Whitefield, N.H., is something of a pioneer in the space, offering llama programming since 2004. Today, the property has four llamas and eight alpacas and invites guests to walk the resort grounds with the animals as part of its seasonal MVG Llama Experience ($30 per person).
Earlier this year, the property also debuted an experience known as the Llama Tee Time Trek ($150 per person). During this golf activity, llamas serve as both caddy and companion during rounds of golf at the nine-hole Mountain View Golf Course. Players are accompanied by a llama handler and enjoy unlimited drinks and snacks as they play.
Llamas have also been a hit at the Brush Creek Ranch in Saratoga, Wyo., which introduced llamas last year and welcomed its first llamas born on the property earlier this year.
"We've seen such good feedback over the years from all of our other animal experiences, so this was kind of an evolution of that," said Karli Miller, marketing director for the Brush Creek Ranch, which, in addition to llamas, offers programming featuring horses and goats. "People don't see llamas on a daily basis, so they're unique," she said. "And they're fluffy and cute -- people just fall in love with them."
And while the cuteness factor is a big draw, Miller said that llamas also have plenty of utilitarian appeal when it comes to hiking, with an adult llama able to carry a load of 50 to 90 pounds with ease.
Brush Creek Ranch guests can choose from offerings like a full-day llama hike and picnic ($400 per person), a half-day llama hike ($200 per person) or Llamas 101 ($150 per person), a family-friendly experience during which guests can feed and groom the llamas, pose for photos and play with baby llamas. (In the winter, the hiking programming is replaced with snowshoeing.)
The property also plans to soon launch an outdoor "paint and sip" llama experience, enabling guests to enjoy drinks while painting pictures of the llamas.
Miller added that llamas' penchant for spitting is largely exaggerated. She describes Brush Creek Ranch's llamas as very "gentle and friendly."
"Most are pleasantly surprised to find that they're very happy and interactive animals," Miller said. "So, it's very easy to coordinate people interacting with them, and we have a lot of younger guests and children participate."