Getting the dog into the car is often the worst part of the day — particularly at six in the morning with a flight to catch. The Barkelton Chauffeur is our own transport service: a trained handler, not a rideshare driver, arrives at your door in a crate-secured vehicle, walks your dog out, and drives them to the resort. Same in reverse at the end of the stay. Priced by distance zone, one way or return, and added to your booking rather than paid at the kerb.
Book the chauffeur with the stay, or call the desk up to twelve hours ahead. Collection windows are two hours wide and we text on departure, so you aren't standing by the door guessing.
Pick a two-hour collection window at booking. Earliest is 6:00am, latest is 8:00pm, seven days a week including public holidays.
Your handler texts when they leave the resort with a live arrival estimate, and again from your street so nobody rings a doorbell at dawn.
The handler walks your dog to the vehicle, fits the harness or crate, and confirms the leash, tag and any medication you're sending.
You get a photograph and a message the moment they're checked in and in their suite — then watch the rest on RitzView.
Zones are measured as road distance from the resort to your address, and we quote the exact figure at booking before you commit. Return is the round trip — collection at the start of the stay and drop-off at the end — and it saves roughly fifteen per cent over booking each leg separately.
| Zone | One way | Return | Typical drive |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 Up to 5 miles | $28 | $48 | 15 minutes |
| Zone 2 5 – 12 miles | $42 | $72 | 25 minutes |
| Zone 3 12 – 25 miles | $65 | $112 | 40 minutes |
| Zone 4 25 – 40 miles | $95 | $165 | 1 hour |
| Beyond Zone 4 Over 40 miles | $2.75 / mile | $4.90 / mile | Quoted at booking |
Added to the zone rate. All of them can be arranged mid-stay by calling the front desk.
| Add-on | Charge | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Airport transfer | +$35 | Terminal kerbside pickup or drop-off, flight number tracked |
| Out of hours | +$30 | Before 6:00am or after 8:00pm, any zone |
| Private ride | +$40 | Your dog travels alone — no shared vehicle |
| Second dog, same address | +$14 | Third and fourth dog $10 each |
| Vet or groomer run | $55 | Return trip from the resort, handler waits through the appointment |
| Same-day urgent vet | No charge | If our vet advises it during a stay, we drive and we don't bill it |
| Extra waiting time | $12 / 15 min | First fifteen minutes are free |
| Late cancellation | 50% | Inside two hours of the window; free before that |
Nothing in the fleet is a converted passenger car with a blanket on the seat. Each vehicle carries fixed crates or FMVSS-tested harness anchors, a separate climate zone in the back, and a non-slip floor. The handler picks the vehicle from your dog's size and how well they travel.
For toy and small breeds and for dogs who travel badly — the quietest ride in the fleet, and the one we use for nervous first-timers and post-surgery collections.
The vehicle most guests actually get. A full-height crate bay behind a fixed bulkhead, tailgate ramp for dogs who shouldn't be lifted, and room for a bed from home alongside.
Four individual crate bays, each with its own airflow, so dogs from different households never share a space. This is the vehicle for airport transfers and for multi-dog homes travelling together.
The chauffeur doesn't only drive between your door and ours. If you're flying, we'll meet you kerbside at the terminal so the dog goes straight from your hands into a crate rather than into a car park. If your dog needs a vet or the groomer mid-stay, a handler drives them, waits through the appointment, and brings back the notes.
Transport is the part of boarding where things go wrong quietly, so here is exactly how ours is set up.
Every chauffeur is a Ritz Barkelton handler first — canine first aid certified, trained in restraint and loading, and DBS checked. They work shifts in the building too, so most of them already know your dog.
The fleet carries commercial animal-transit cover, not ordinary motor insurance. Vehicles are temperature-logged and no dog is ever left in a parked vehicle, for any length of time, for any reason.
We don't carry dogs without current vaccination records, we don't share a crate bay between households, and we won't collect a dog showing signs of illness — we'll call you and rebook instead.
Add the chauffeur when you book and we'll confirm your zone, your price and your collection window in writing. Rates start at $28 one way, $48 return.