A dog hotel is planned for 851 Richards Blvd. in Sacramento’s River District, in the same building as the HQ Gentlemen’s Club & Bar. Richards Boulevard Dog Hotel would fill 6,546 square feet on the west side of the building, according to an application now under review by the city. The project applicant is Kevin Petrosyan.
The hotel would have its own entrance, leading into a reception, lobby and retail area. Toward the back of the space would be the dog shelters, along with an indoor play area and storage. The application doesn’t say how many dogs the hotel could house.
The strip club would keep most of the 22,320-square-foot building. Renderings show the exterior being remodeled, with less signage for the club. Another 3,400-square-foot space at the building’s west end would remain after the dog hotel is added.
The application asks for a conditional use permit to operate the hotel and for site plan and design review of the exterior changes. Approvals would be made at the city’s staff director level.
This isn’t the first unusual idea for the building. Five years ago, a group tied to a Los Angeles-based cannabis company filed plans to open a dispensary next to the club. That concept turned into a cannabis consumption lounge, which its proponents were still discussing with the River District’s board of directors as recently as 2023. The city’s online permit tool doesn’t show any applications for a lounge at the address.
Devin Strecker, the River District’s executive director, said in 2023 that the lounge’s backers had also mentioned a dog spa and daycare as a possibility for the building.
The building was sold in March 2026 for $2 million, according to real estate records. It sold for the same price in 2019.
The River District is a former industrial area north of downtown Sacramento that has been targeted for redevelopment, including new housing.
