Bestwestern blog

Travel tips for dogs

Posted by Jason

Travelling with four-legged friends is one of my favourite pastimes. Call me mad but I believe there is nothing better than a weekend break away with a wagging-tailed, hairy friend. Here’s why…

Dogs are keen to explore. They love new places and being out and about. They hate waiting around in shops – so much so that most dogs are banned from them!

They do however love lounging in bars especially lying in front of a warm fire after a long walk. Throw them a pork scratching or two and they are practically in heaven!

Dogs also (if they are well trained) don’t need a bed so you can either save some cash on a single room or spread out on a double bed.

But you can’t take a dog to a hotel you say! Well, you may be surprised to find out that there are over 100 Best Western hotels that are pet friendly.

Most have specially allocated ground floor rooms in ‘canine corridors’ which are suitable for dogs and are specially maintained to make sure they look and feel as special as any other room (so no need to worry about dog hairs etc!). Furthermore, many of our pet friendly hotels have special treats for pets too. For example the BEST WESTERN Monkbar Hotel in York offers its very own doggy menu!

So here are my 5 tips for a top four legged hotel break:

1. Hotels will list if they are dog friendly on our websites and in our brochures. If you’re searching online for a pet friendly hotel, make sure you select ‘pet friendly’ when searching.
2. Always tell the hotel in the comments or notes section of the booking form that you would like a dog friendly room.
3. Make sure you take the obvious; food, bowls, lead, dog-bed (if needed!) but also consider treats, D.A.P. (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) Spray to relax them in case they get nervous in a strange place (this helps if they are prone to barking too!), toys/ball thrower, as well as a water bottle.
4. Make sure your dog is microchipped and has a dog tag with your mobile phone number on it just in case you get separated.
5. Buy them a dog rucksack  - they can happily carry their own luggage!

If you can suggest any more I am all ears!

Jason

A family man and a keen traveller, Jason is head of all things digital at Best Western head office.