Happy 10th birthday, Pooch Hotel! A Cape Town Hotel for Man’s Best friend is turning 10. The first five-star dog hotel in Africa, atFrits Dog Hotel & Daycare Centre, has seen over 370,000 dog stays in the past decade, showing the love we have for fur babies.

“Some arrive on foot, others by bicycle, or car. This is a daily reminder that atFrits is for every dog and every owner,” Klue says.

Happy 10th birthday, Dog Hotel!

The founder, Yanic Klue, got the inspiration for the hotel in 2010, when she encountered a dog hotel in the United States. At that time, she “knew that I had to do this in Mzansi.” Thereafter, 5 years of planning and concept development followed. In 2015, the City of Cape Town paved the way and approved the atFrits concept. This then saw the opening of Cape Town’s first five-star dog hotel.

“We don’t see status, background, or bank balance; we simply see dogs.”

The tail-wagging hotel has evolved into a thriving pet hospitality business, and it has cared for hundreds of thousands of canine guests. Klue says ten years – or 70 in dog years – is a remarkable milestone in any business. She says this is especially true in the still-developing pet care industry in the country.

The atFrits Dog Hotel & Daycare Centre launched in the Mother City on 1 December 2015.

Celebrations at Man’s Best Friend Hotel!

The Hotel has features like private themed suites, a grooming spa and 24/7 webcam monitoring for pet parents. Could Petflix become a reality, one wonders? Klue says 10 years on, atFrits is not only celebrating a milestone, but reaffirming its mission. This is to care for dogs as family, to uplift people through meaningful work, and to run a business where transparency, trust, and humanity are non-negotiable.

“Most of our guests are the beloved companions of young professionals, single parents, or people who work long hours.”

atFrits Celebrates 10 Years as South Africa’s First Dog Hotel

According to a statement from the Hotel, Klue firmly believes that nurturing entrepreneurship is key to South Africa’s prosperity. She says people are always saying, How could you set up a dog hotel in a third-world country? Referencing the doubters, she added that they don’t realise that small and medium businesses like this are what will make our country move forward. Klue said these businesses keep the economy alive.

“atFrits was created for anyone who loves their dog and needs reliable care when life gets demanding.”

 

She added that she had to overcome scepticism not just as an entrepreneur, but as a woman in a still-niche field. Klue admits that her hands-on leadership and expertise have earned respect and that today, she’s seen as a visionary who introduced a new sector to South Africa.

Here are some key milestones of the Hotel over the Years

• 2015 – Launch: South Africa’s first dog hotel opens in Cape Town, pioneering a new model in pet care.
• 2018 – Expansion: Moves to the largest pet facility in the world at the time, with a dedicated cat hotel.
• 2018 – Launch of CTPUP: Co-founds the Cape Town Pet Upliftment Project (CTPUP) with the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. This provides free veterinary care for pets belonging to the city’s homeless and vulnerable residents. Should something happen to the homeless person, his dog is fully vaccinated and sterilised. The canine can also stay atFrits till the owner is better.

“To us, every dog is welcome, above all else. we want to ensure that all dogs that come through our doors are loved and cared for,” says Klue.

• 2020 – Pandemic Resilience: It weathered COVID-19’s challenges by pivoting to community support. atFrits took in pets of homeless people who had to go and live in shelters, quarantined owners and pets of doctors and nurses. Despite a temporary dip in daycare demand, the business emerged leaner and more focused.
• 2021 – Return to Roots: Buys back and relocates to the original site. It has preserved the heart of the atFrits experience at Castle Street.
• 2021 – Pension Gift of Empowerment: Cat hotel manager Naziemah is gifted the cat hotel business. It now operates independently from her home.
• 2023 – Operational Excellence: Deepens quality and service consistency, reinforcing atFrits’ position as South Africa’s most trusted pet care facility.
• 2025 – it’s our Birthday! At atFrits, we celebrate 10 years as pioneers in pet care.

Klue on her ethos: “If every business in South Africa just changed the lives of the people and animals around their businesses, South Africa would be a better place.”