Don’t ask if your dog is welcome. Ask where.
Seven questions to ask a hotel before you book. Based on our own nights with Celine, from Brussels to Texel. Tick them off, print them or save them on your phone.
Can Celine come to breakfast? Four hotels, four answers.
Don’t ask if your dog is welcome.
Ask where.
Seven questions before you book
- In this room type and on my travel dates?
- Are there limits on number, size, weight or breed?
- Do I need to register my dog in advance?
- Per dog, per night or per stay?
- Are a bed, bowls or extra cleaning included?
- Is there a deposit or damage policy?
- Ask separately about the breakfast room, restaurant, bar, lounge and terrace.
- Is a carrier bag, blanket or lead required?
- What’s the alternative in bad weather?
- Is there a lift, or can you get a ground-floor room? Handy with a small dog and luggage.
- Garden, lounge and other shared areas.
- Where does your dog need to be on a lead?
- Are the spa, pool or gym off-limits?
- For how long, and on what conditions?
- Do you need to let reception know you’re out?
- Can housekeeping enter while your dog is there, or do you agree a set time?
- A bed or cushion, food and water bowls, a welcome pack?
- Does that apply to my room too?
- Where’s the nearest spot, and can dogs go off-lead there?
- Where do you leave poo bags?
- Can you easily get outside late at night and early in the morning?
- Where’s the nearest vet, and is there an emergency clinic?
Get it in writing. Ask for the answers by email, or have them added to your booking confirmation. No discussion on arrival.
Pack as if nothing’s there
- A familiar blanket or bedMakes a strange room feel like hers straight away
- Food and water bowlsNot every hotel has them
- Her own food and treatsFor the whole stay, plus an extra day
- Lead and harnessA lead is often required in shared areas
- Poo bagsEven if the hotel has them, for out and about
- A carrier bagFor breakfast, the lounge and busy streets
- A warm coatFor cold days by the sea
- An old towelFor wet paws after rain, beach or grass
- A favourite toyCalm in the room after a busy day
- Any medicationIn the original packaging, with a few days extra
- A small first-aid kitPlasters, gauze and a tick remover
- A local vet’s numberLook it up before you leave
Where it often goes wrong
Reading ‘dog-friendly’ as ‘welcome everywhere’
The breakfast room, restaurant, spa and gym often have their own rules.
Not asking how the surcharge works
Per night or per stay makes a big difference on a longer trip.
Not registering your dog
Many hotels only have certain rooms for dogs.
Counting on a bed and bowls
One hotel has everything ready, another has nothing.
Not planning your morning
Not allowed at breakfast and not alone in the room? Then you have a problem at eight o’clock.
Forgetting the rules outside the hotel
Beaches and terraces have their own rules, often by season.
How it went for us
Ready to book?
See how it went for us first, and follow Celine for new hotels.
This checklist describes our own experiences on the dates mentioned and is not a general hotel policy. Rules and surcharges change; always have the arrangements for your stay confirmed by the hotel.