Velvet Beds, Spa Treatments, and Special Beer at India’s First Dog Hotel

Pet hotels are nothing new. Pet owners have been enjoying the convenience of having an establishment take care of their furry friends whenever they have to go out of town. But we bet your friendly neighborhood pet hotel ain’t got nothing on the Critterati Hotel in Gurugram, India. This luxury dog hotel is said to be the first in Southeast Asia to cater exclusively to our canine friends.

Rates include a $70 per night stay and this entitles dogs to velvet beds, 24-hour medical facility, a spa, and even a fully stocked bar with beverages made for dogs! The idea of this kind of dog hotel existing is more eyebrow-raising if you think about the location. In India, there are 30 million stray animals desperate for homes.

Welcome to Critterati, the first pet hotel in Southeast Asia that caters exclusively to dogs.

The hotel serves dogs and their human parents who will spare no expense in indulging their pets.

Deepak Chawla, Critterati’s chief executive, wanted to provide an alternative to the less than stellar facilities for dogs in the country.

“No decent dog owner would want his dog to stay in those places,” he said.

“An animal is more loyal than human beings, they will do anything for us so they deserve it.”

The Critterati suite equipped with a giant bed with a velvet headboard, TV, and a balcony accessible by a private dog flap in the room.

The suite has a dog flap that leads out to the balcony.

This pretty room will cost you $70.

Facilities include a spa with ayurvedic massage oils, swimming pool, and a veterinarian on call 24/7. Currently, the hotel is building a medical unit with a theater.

The dog cafe features rice and chicken and sweets such as ice cream, muffin, and pancakes. The ice cream comes in flavors such as bacon and vanilla. To top it all off, there’s even non-alcoholic beer imported from Belgium.

Chawla doesn’t approve of dogs being left alone for long hours, which is the norm in standard kennels. He shared:

“Here things are quite different. It starts from 7am with potty breaks, then breakfast, then again a potty break, then play sessions for around two hours, then swimming sessions, then again play sessions, plus time in the café.”

The dogs can swim happily in the pool under the watchful eyes of the staff.

They are thoroughly dried before they can return to their suites.

One of the hotel’s spacious playrooms.

The dogs’ owners are happy to part with their cash when it means to indulging their pooches.

“He loves coconut water and vitamin water. He tells me he wants to eat chicken, so he eats it every day,” says Ashish Arora, a hotel chain executive, of his dog Rubo the Labrador.

“I keep spending quite a bit. I don´t mind, it is like you are spending on a child.”