A new $65 million luxury pet hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport is changing the way animals travel.
The Ark at JFK, co-owned by Greenwich, Connecticut, residents John Cuticelli and his wife Elizabeth Schuette-Cuticelli, is a multi-purpose animal handling and transport hub adjacent to the airport, according to Greenwich Time. At any one time, it can house top-bred horses, parrots, dogs, cats, rats, turtles, and rabbits, among others.
“The ARK has been built to facilitate the safe and humane transportation of animals from around the world,” John Cuticelli told the New York Post back in January when the facility launched its first of three phases of opening.
The project began in 2015 when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey granted the couple's bid to develop the space. With experience developing real estate, it was a natural progression, though the process of animal transport is often mired in red tape.
“We went to airports around the world and then I drew the plan for this place on a napkin,” Cuticelli told Greenwich Time. “This is a very risky endeavor with high barriers to entry.”
The Ark currently subleases out some of its space to partners like Worldwide Flight Services, Air Heart Pet Hospital, and Paradise 4 Paws, Greenwich Time reported. It also employs professionals to care for its tenants.
“Right now, animals can wait four or five hours on the tarmac or in the cargo facility because there is no other way to process them,” Cuticelli told the Post in January. “The ARK will be focused on the safe and humane transportation of animals.”
Considered the first "privately owned animal terminal and quarantine in the world," the Cuticellis hope to build more just like it.
"You’ll see another one of these in the next 18 months,” Cuticelli told Greenwich Time.
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