A new luxury dog hotel, daycare and spa provides human’s best friends with a unique boarding experience.
The Barkgata Pet Hotel opened its second location at 1661 Broadhollow Rd in Farmingdale on March 1, and the Farmingdale Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting on Tuesday, April 1, for the grand opening.
Bianca Caras opened the first Barkgata location in Nesconet in the spring of 2022. She had been attending school when the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, causing her to change her career path. The Happaugue native signed the lease in Suffolk County for her first location in November 2020, but it took a year and a half of revising town laws and codes, meeting with multiple departments, and acquiring specific permits for her first pet hotel to open.
After seeing the success of the Nesconcet location, Caras signed another lease in Farmingdale in November 2023 and had to go through a similar process before opening in March.
Caras said business heavily increased when people returned to the office after COVID-19 receded and needed someone to take care of their dogs.
The pet hotel is cage-free and is fully monitored in person. There are 27 employees across the two locations, although Caras said more of the staff works at the Nesconet site.
Caras said that clientele grew from word-of-mouth at first, which built a close connection between her staff and customers.
Barkgata provides customers with a number of different services that she said provides them with great care.
“You have to treat the dogs like they’re your dog,” Caras said.
The pet hotel provides tailored services for its guests through its daycare service. People can drop their dogs off for half or full days.
Barkgata also provides personal suites with orthopedic beds and meals through its boarding program, which includes interactive daycare. Dog owners can choose the comfort suite, which provides a temperature-controlled personal hotel room with water and food bowls, a plush blanket, a bed and a glass privacy door, or the larger version, the imperial suite. Each guest will receive a Hills Science Diet lamb and brown rice meal although pet owners are welcome to bring their own food for their pets. Barkgata also offers 20% off additional dogs sharing the same room from the same household.
Boarding drop-off hours are from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the weekends. Daycare hours are from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. during the week and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.
All guest goes through a free first-day evaluation for two hours so the staff can learn how the dog interacts in the hotel.
The pet hotel also provides pampering grooming services that use the Prima Bathing System and all-natural products.
Caras said that her whole business stems from her life surrounded by dogs. She grew up as an only child with three dogs and she now has four. Her dog Delilah is pictured in Barkgata’s lobby. The owner said she also spends a lot of time with the guests at the pet hotel.
“I see them probably more than their owner sees them,” Caras said. “We are very personable and we really know our dogs.”
