With National Dog Day arriving August 26, these hotels going well beyond the basics. There was a time when traveling with a dog meant calling ahead to make sure the hotel would tolerate your four-legged companion. Maybe there was a bowl at check-in. Maybe there was a fee. That was about it.
That has changed. As more travelers bring their dogs along, hotels have figured out that “pet-friendly” can mean a lot more than simply allowing one in the room. Now there are doggie turndown services, pet concierges, special menus, custom accessories and, in some cases, amenities so elaborate that the dog may be having the better vacation.
The Fife Arms
If your dog has ever expressed an interest in Scottish tweed, this is probably the trip.
The Fife Arms offers designated dog-friendly rooms stocked with a Fife Arms dog bed and bowl, treats, arrival gifts and a special turndown surprise. Even the hotel’s famously eclectic gift shop gets involved, carrying locally made pet toys and accessories, including pieces featuring the property’s house tweed designed exclusively by Scottish textile designer Araminta Campbell.
Woof Cottages Nantucket
At Woof Cottages Nantucket, the pet concierge is, appropriately enough, a dog.
The harborfront cottages welcome four-legged guests with their own beds, food and water bowls, personalized pet tags and baskets filled with treats and toys. Guests looking for insider intel on Nantucket’s dog-friendly beaches, lunch spots and places to play can even email Bailey, a black Lab/Brittany Spaniel mix who serves as the property’s pet concierge.
White Elephant Aspen
White Elephant Aspen’s canine guests have a rather enviable setup.
Dogs receive handcrafted treats from Aspen’s Barks Gourmet Deli, mountain-inspired ceramic pet bowls by local artisan Less is More, plush beds and their own doggie turndown service. A dedicated pet concierge can recommend dog-friendly hiking trails and restaurant patios, while the hotel can also arrange dog walking, pet sitting and grooming.
Essentially, your dog now has an Aspen concierge, too.
1 Hotel South Beach
Miami Beach is an easy sell for dogs who like long walks and ocean air, and 1 Hotel South Beach makes bringing one along surprisingly painless. The hotel allows up to two dogs per room, each weighing up to 50 pounds, without an additional pet fee.
There are beds, bowls, waste bags, healthy food options and treats, but the more useful perk may be the canine concierge team. They can point guests toward nearby dog parks, pet shops and groomers and help arrange pet sitting or dog walking — particularly handy if dinner plans aren’t quite as dog-friendly as the rest of the trip.
Faena Miami Beach
Down Collins Avenue, Faena Miami Beach keeps things a little simpler but still makes room for four-legged guests amid all that red velvet and high drama. Dogs under 25 pounds are welcome and receive treats at check-in, with a dog bed and bowls provided for use during the stay.
It’s a small detail, but for anyone who has ever tried to wedge a dog bed into an already overstuffed suitcase, it’s a welcome one.
Parker Palm Springs
The Jonathan Adler-designed Parker Palm Springs has always had a sense of humor, and its pet welcome is suitably stylish.
Dogs arriving at the Palm Springs hideaway receive homemade treats along with pet bandanas bearing an exclusive design by luxury sleepwear and lifestyle brand Sant and Abel. It’s very Parker: colorful, playful and almost certainly going to end up in your camera roll.
La Réserve Eden au Lac Zurich
La Réserve Eden au Lac doesn’t merely accept dogs; it considers them VIPs — Very Important Pups.
Canine guests can settle into plush Dog in the City beds, eat and drink from designer dogBar feeding stations and snack on gourmet treats. The hotel also supplies leather waste-bag holders and can arrange dog walking, premium daycare and overnight services.
Perhaps the biggest luxury for anyone who travels with a dog, however, is not having to leave it behind at dinner: the hotel’s restaurants welcome canine guests as well.
Paradero Todos Santos
Paradero takes a different approach. Rather than piling on the doggie swag, the resort makes it possible for pets to actually be part of the trip.
Dogs are welcomed with fresh water at check-in and can join their humans outside as they explore Baja’s landscape. Hiking trails and sunset beach walks become something everyone can do together instead of activities that require leaving the dog back in the room.
The Lanesborough
London grand-dame hospitality extends to four-legged guests at The Lanesborough, where pets receive the same considered treatment for which the hotel is known.
The property offers amenities and services geared toward guests traveling with animals and even has its own four-legged celebrity in residence: Lilibet, the hotel’s Siberian Forest cat. For travelers who don’t want bringing a dog to turn into a logistical headache, that’s really the appeal. Pets feel like part of the household rather than an exception being made.
The Lowell
Few New York hotels do discreet Upper East Side luxury quite like The Lowell, and dogs are very much part of the equation.
The hotel offers pet amenities including beds, bowls, toys and dining options, while its team can assist with services such as dog walking. Its most charming canine credential may be Archie, The Lowell’s own dog mascot, who has become such a fixture that guests can even take home a plush version of him.
The Beaumont Mayfair
At The Beaumont Mayfair, “home away from home” explicitly includes the dog.
Canine guests receive plush beds, food and water bowls and gourmet dog treats, while the concierge can recommend nearby parks and point owners toward grooming salons and pet-spa services. It’s especially useful for travelers who actually want to experience London with their dogs rather than simply have them permitted upstairs.
Le Bristol Paris
Naturally, one of Paris’s great palace hotels has a resident pet with a following of his own.
Socrate, Le Bristol Paris’s Burmese cat, continues the hotel’s long tradition of feline ambassadors. Visiting pets get their own five-star treatment, too, with amenities designed to make traveling with a four-legged companion considerably more civilized.
It’s exactly what you’d expect from a Parisian palace: the animals have standards, too.
Gleneagles
Few destinations take dogs quite as seriously as Gleneagles.
Dogs staying at the legendary Scottish estate can be supplied with their own bed, foam duvet, floor mats, bowls and clean-up kit. There are also dedicated kennels on the property with soft mattresses for owners who need them.
Then there’s the Gundog School, where Gleneagles’ highly trained Labradors take center stage. Families can book an experience learning the fundamentals of gundog handling, progressing from basic obedience to retrieves. Dogs aren’t an afterthought here; they’re practically part of the programming.
Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa
For travelers bringing a dog along on a European grand-hotel itinerary, Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa has another advantage: location.
The historic hotel sits beside Baden-Baden’s leafy Lichtentaler Allee, so long walks through one of the city’s prettiest stretches of parkland are just outside the door. It’s an old-school European hotel experience that doesn’t require leaving the dog at home.
Upper House Shanghai
Upper House Shanghai may have one of the most fashion-forward pet packages of the bunch.
Its “People and Paws” experience puts guests and their pets into a spacious terrace room and includes an in-room pet menu and dog-walking services courtesy of the Guest Experience team. There’s also an in-room preview of the Adidas Originals pet-wear collection, a limited-edition Adidas Originals pet bib and a themed afternoon tea for the humans.
Apparently packing outfits for your dog is now a legitimate part of preparing for Shanghai.
Borgo Egnazia
Borgo Egnazia’s sprawling, village-like layout makes a strong case for bringing the entire family to Puglia — four-legged members included.
Here, the appeal is less about novelty pet amenities and more about the setting itself. With its outdoor spaces and resort layout, a dog can actually be part of the vacation rather than spending most of it waiting back in the room.
Trips Built Around the Dog
Not every good dog trip needs to revolve around an elaborate pet menu. Sometimes location — and the ability to actually bring your dog along for the fun — matters more.
In Montauk, Marram opens its doors to dogs after Labor Day, giving owners and their four-legged companions an especially good reason to head east once the summer crowds thin out. The beachfront resort sits close to Shadmoor State Park, putting coastal walks, trails and plenty of time outside within easy reach.
In New York, Walker Hotel Greenwich Village and Walker Hotel Tribeca have turned the city stay into its own dog-friendly package. Waggin’ at Walker includes branded dog beds, customizable dog tags and a welcome treat, with two very walkable downtown neighborhoods right outside the door.
Other hotels are pushing pet travel firmly into wellness territory. In Napa Valley, Bardessono Hotel & Spa has partnered with HigherDOSE on a pet spa experience featuring PEMF and infrared technology. Its Cabernet Canine experience adds welcome gifts, a selection from the dog menu and Yappy Hour. In Delaware, HOTEL DU PONT is marking National Dog Day with its Distinguished Dog Guest Experience, complete with a three-course meal, robe and photoshoot.
And now the pampering starts before you even reach the hotel.
BARK Air, the dog-first airline, was already built around the idea that dogs should travel in the cabin rather than be treated like cargo. Its flights cater to canine passengers with treats, bone broth, calming aids and pet-focused concierge services. Now it has gone a step further, partnering with PRIDE+GROOM on what it bills as the first luxury in-flight dog grooming service.
Yes, your dog can apparently get groomed on the plane.
At this point, “pet-friendly” barely covers it. The more interesting question may be just how far hotels — and the rest of the travel industry — are willing to take this.
Judging by the turndown services, custom tweed, infrared treatments and in-flight grooming, pretty far.
