Meet Timber The Frenchie!

The New Chief Comfort Officer

Some introductions you plan for. Others find you somewhere over the skies between Dallas and San Francisco, with a tiny French Bulldog asleep in your lap, and you realize the next chapter has already begun.

Those of you who have followed The Suite Life Travel Guide for a while know that for twelve beautiful, irreplaceable years, these adventures were shared with Koda — our original Chief Comfort Officer, our four-legged compass, and the most opinionated hotel guest who ever padded through a lobby. Losing him in late 2025 left a silence that no five-star experience can fill. But life, when it is ready, nudges you forward. And so it is my absolute joy to introduce you to Timber — eleven weeks old, silver and tan with the most breathtaking blue eyes, bat ears that enter a room slightly before the rest of him, and a personality that already makes clear he has absolutely no idea he is a small dog.

Timber at 9 weeks old — already very aware of his own charm.

The Mission: SFO to Dallas

The plan was simple: fly from SFO to Dallas, pick up Timber, and bring him home. Simple, of course, is relative when you are about to become the parent of a French Bulldog puppy. The moment I arrived and those blue eyes looked up at me — his head tilting to one side with a confidence that felt frankly unreasonable for something that small — any lingering hesitation dissolved completely. We were already a team.

His Debut: The Kimpton Pittman, Dallas

If you are going to introduce a new Chief Comfort Officer to the world of luxury travel, few properties do it better than the Kimpton. True to everything this brand stands for, Timber was welcomed not as an afterthought but as a genuine guest. No fees, no sideways glances at the front desk — just the warm, effortless hospitality that has made Kimpton a cornerstone of this blog for years. Koda knew these properties well. Now, so does Timber. I mean who gets this kind of amazing amenity and thoughtful framed photo welcome in the room!

Then came wine hour. For the uninitiated, Kimpton’s complimentary evening wine hour is already one of the quiet pleasures of travel — but experiencing it with a nine-week-old French Bulldog on your lap is something else entirely. Timber made his social debut among fellow guests with a composure that suggested he had been attending cocktail hours for years. Every person in that lounge stopped to say hello. He accepted the attention with grace, a very waggy tail, and zero modesty. Big thanks and cheers to the amazing people who work the front desk and door here. They volunteered their time to watch Timber so I could grab lunch with an old friend and that evening a drink to cheers to his arrival. They really went above and beyond making this moment memorable and I will never forget it and neither will Timber.

The Dream Team: When a Hotel Staff Becomes Family

Here is the thing about truly great hospitality: it is not about marble lobbies or pillow menus. It is about people. And the team at the Kimpton Pittman did not just welcome Timber — they wrapped their arms around him like he had been a regular for years. This is the part of the stay I will never forget, and I want to make sure every single one of them gets the recognition they deserve.

Let’s start with the three women who became Timber’s official besties and unofficial puppy-sitters. Tierra W., Assistant Front Office Manager, was the first to claim the title of Timber’s Best Sitter — and honestly, it was not even a competition. She swooped in with a warmth and enthusiasm that Timber responded to immediately (and let’s be real, Frenchies are excellent judges of character). Ziamara O., Guest Service Agent, stepped right into the role of Bestie Number Two without missing a beat — equal parts patient, playful, and completely smitten. And rounding out the trio, Eleanor P. claimed the honorary title of Bestie Number Three and held it with distinction. Together, these three volunteered their time to watch over Timber so I could step out for lunch with an old friend and later raise a glass to toast his arrival in style. They did not just watch a puppy — they loved him. And I will be forever grateful.

Behind every perfect in-room moment was Holli W., Director of Front Office, the creative force behind that stunning welcome amenity and the thoughtfully framed photo that greeted us on arrival. The details mattered — and that level of intentionality is a direct reflection of her leadership. Holli, you set the tone for the entire stay.

A very special mention goes to Chef Logan, our official Snack Expert, who made sure that both the human and the Frenchie were well taken care of in the culinary department. And then there is Ivan, the bartender who crafted the most extraordinary strawberry cocktail I have ever had the pleasure of sipping. It was so good that I did what any reasonable person would do: I ordered a second one to take up to the room. No regrets.

And finally — because great hospitality extends all the way to the front door — a heartfelt thank you to Itzel and Eric, our incredible valet and door team. From the very first moment we arrived, they were looking out for Timber with every entrance and exit — making sure those big, beautiful hotel doors never posed a risk to one very small, very precious set of bat ears and a tiny brindle body. It is the kind of quiet, watchful care that most guests never notice — but as a new Frenchie dad, I noticed every single time.

Kimpton has always stood for something different — a belief that hotels should feel like home, that pets are family, and that the people behind the desk are just as important as the thread count on the sheets. The Pittman team did not just meet that standard. They raised it. Timber’s first hotel stay was everything I could have hoped for, and it is because of every single one of them.

First Flight: DFW to SFO on Delta

Here is the honest truth about flying with a puppy for the first time: you prepare for everything, and then you hand a portion of that control over to the universe and hope for the best. Delta made that considerably easier.

From check-in to landing, the crew treated Timber not as cargo or a complication, but as a passenger who mattered. Flight attendants checked on him genuinely and often — not out of obligation, but out of what felt like real warmth. One crew member crouched down at boarding just to say hello and let me know he was going to be just fine. He was right. Timber slept for most of the flight home, tucked in, wholly unbothered by altitude, or the general organized chaos of air travel. He is, in every sense, built for this life.

By the time we touched down at SFO, we had already logged our first hotel stay, our first wine hour, and our first flight together. Not a bad first week for an nine-week-old Frenchie.

Stepping Into Very Big Paws

Koda traveled the world with me for twelve years. Through hotel lobbies and rooftop terraces, across continents and time zones, through every version of this blog and every chapter of my own life. He set a standard for how to move through the world: with curiosity, with warmth, and with the absolute certainty that every room you walk into already belongs to you.

Timber does not need to be Koda. He needs to be himself — and from everything I have seen in these first weeks, that is going to be more than enough. Those blue eyes carry something. A spark. A readiness. The unmistakable energy of a dog who already understands that the world is enormous and he intends to see all of it.

Welcome to The Suite Life, Timber. Your predecessor left this world a little more loved. I have a feeling you are going to do exactly the same.