Start With the Questions Most Bookings Don't Ask

Most hotel listings say "dog-friendly" and leave it there. That single phrase can mean anything from a bowl of water by the door to a fully fenced paddock and a designated dog wing. Before you commit your card details, ring the property and ask exactly what the pet charge covers. Across Kent you will find everything from a flat £10 per stay to £25 per night, per dog, so a long weekend with two Labradors can add more to the bill than the room itself.

Ask specifically about:

• The fee structure — per dog or per booking, per night or per stay, and whether any of it is refundable if plans change.
• A damage deposit — many places hold a sum against stains and scratches, returned a few days after checkout.
• Size and breed limits — some properties cap dogs at around 15kg, which rules out most retrievers.
• Number of dogs permitted — two is common, three is often a negotiation.

Get the answers in writing, ideally by email, so there is no awkward conversation at reception after a four-hour drive down the M20.

Floor Access, Lifts and Late-Night Toilet Trips

This is the detail that catches most people out. A room on the third floor of a converted Georgian townhouse in Whitstable or Deal may be charming, but if the only route to the garden is a narrow, carpeted staircase, you will be carrying a muddy spaniel up and down it twice a day.

Ask whether there is a lift, whether dogs are permitted in it, and whether the room has direct outside access. Ground-floor rooms with a patio door are gold dust — you can let the dog out at six in the morning without getting properly dressed. In larger hotels, ask which corridors are used for pet rooms, because many keep dogs on one floor to make cleaning manageable. That is usually a good sign, but it can also mean your room sits next to the function suite.

On arrival, walk the route yourself before you unpack. Note where the fire exits are, how far it is to the nearest patch of grass, and whether the corridor carpet is the sort that shows every paw print.

Green Space Within Walking Distance

A hotel can be perfectly welcoming and still be hopeless for a dog that needs a proper leg-stretch. Before booking, study the map rather than the marketing copy. What you want is somewhere you can reach on foot in under ten minutes, at any hour, without crossing a dual carriageway.

Kent is generous here if you know where to look. The Kent Downs offer miles of bridleway, Blean Woods outside Canterbury is criss-crossed with well-marked trails, and the flat paths along the Royal Military Canal near Hythe suit older dogs and shorter legs. On the coast, check the seasonal rules: many Kent beaches, including stretches at Whitstable, Herne Bay and Folkestone, restrict dogs between May and September, though promenades usually stay open.

Ask the hotel two things: where guests normally walk their dogs, and whether there is an enclosed area on site. A secure paddock is worth a great deal if your dog has unreliable recall.

Room Placement, Noise and Other Guests

Request a room away from the bar, the kitchen extraction fan and any late-licence wedding venue. A dog that settles easily at home may bark at every clatter of a trolley at midnight, and you will spend the weekend apologising to strangers in the corridor.

It is also fair to ask whether dogs are welcome in the restaurant, bar or breakfast room. Some properties accept them everywhere, some restrict them to a snug or a particular corner, and a few ask that dogs are never left alone in the room. That last rule matters if you had planned a meal out — ask whether the hotel offers a sitting service or can recommend a local walker.

Hard Floors, Mud and the Small Print

Finally, think about the room itself. Tiled or laminate flooring is far easier than pale wool carpet when you have come in from a wet walk across the Romney Marsh. Ask whether the hotel provides dog beds, bowls, old towels and a boot room or outdoor tap — the better ones do, and it saves you packing half the car with kit.

Read the terms carefully on:

• Leaving dogs unattended — usually prohibited, and understandably so.
• Public areas — leads are almost always required, and occasionally muzzles.
• Cancellation — check whether the pet fee is returned if you cancel within the free window.
• Extra cleaning charges — some properties levy a further fee for excessive hair or mud.

Do that bit of homework in advance and the break starts the moment you park, rather than at the reception desk with a damp dog and a hopeful expression.