Louie and Hermes are among the four-legged guests checking in for the Idul Fitri holiday.

They did not bring any luggage, but the hotel is bracing for the first days of their stay.

Other guests, especially the spoiled ones, often bark for hours, wailing after being parted from their owners. While Jakarta’s homes are left empty as residents leave to join the Idul Fitri exodus or simply go on vacation, the capital’s pet hotels are fully booked.

Pets are banned from (human) hotels and public transportation, forcing their owners to leave them at home during holidays or business trips.

Cub n’ Kit pet hotel on Jl. Pluit Raya, North Jakarta, started to accept bookings a month before Idul Fitri and was fully booked just three weeks after.

“We have 80 slots that are fully booked. However, we can accommodate up to 150 pets; we’ve prepared 80 cages and the remaining 70 are prepared by the [pet] owners,” Cub n’ Kit general manager Adiwirya Hadisaputra said on Wednesday.

Currently, Cub n’ Kit pet hotel has 107 bookings.

The 24-hour hotel has a pet clinic with 12 veterinarians and a pet shop in its five-story building.

Toni Darwis, a 47-year-old driver, arrived at Cub n Kit on Wednesday to drop off his boss’ white, male Pomeranian.

Tony said the dog’s owner was going to the United States for a nine-day vacation, while he himself would soon be returning to his hometown in Palembang, South Sumatra.

That day, the pet hotel was busy welcoming owners who were saying goodbye to their furry family members.

“I will be on a 10-day vacation around Indonesia, but mostly in Bali. While I’m away, I will entrust Cun n’ Kit with Kong I,” Hyuna Kim, a Korean cosmetic manager who lives in Cikarang, Bekasi, told The Jakarta Post.

Kong I is a 3.5-year-old, cream -colored male Pomeranian.

An IT staff member from Central Jakarta, Yuliana Santoso, who was about to catch a flight to Europe dropped by the pet hotel to leave her brown, male Maltese named Hermes.

The fee for keeping your pet at Cub n’ Kit’s pet hotel ranges between Rp 145,000 (US$10.89) and Rp 340,000 during the Idul Fitri holiday, depending on the animal’s weight.

Normal daily rates are between Rp 90,000 and Rp 210,000.

The hotel’s amenities include fully air-conditioned rooms, cages that are 1.4 square meters and 1.8 sqm in size, premium quality meals, mineral water, free grooming for at least a week’s stay, veterinary supervision and emergency services for when a pet falls ill.

“We will have our vets check the pets before they are checked in [to the hotel] to make sure they are healthy and free of lice,” Adiwirya said, adding that unhealthy pets would be isolated in Cun n’ Kit’s clinic.

In Tangerang, Banten, Savvy Pet Hotel owner Wulan Purwono said that since early June, the hotel has had to reject at least two prospective clients every day as its 12 cat rooms and 20 dog rooms are full.

However, Little Queen Pet Care in Kebon Jeruk, West Jakarta, which has space for 50 dogs, does not intend to operate at maximum capacity.

“We will only accept a maximum of 20 dogs and we already have 14 bookings so far,” said Daniel Ratulangi, 65, who runs the service, adding that it would be stressful for the animals to stay in a crowded space while also separated from their owners.

Daniel emphasized that pets are not objects and placing them in a kennel for several nights would put them under a great deal of strain. “We only accept pets from people we know well,” he said.

Little Queen Pet Care’s fees range from Rp 100,000 to Rp 150,000 a night depending on the pet’s weight. Most of its clients provide meals for their pets. (dra)

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