World's Best Luxury Pet-Friendly Hotels for Dogs & Cats

You find the perfect hotel. The location is right, the suite is stunning, the restaurant has a Michelin star. Then you read three words: no pets allowed.

You close the tab.

I've watched too many clients do this — good hotels dismissed in seconds because the welcome didn't extend to who mattered most. Luxury travel with pets should not mean compromise. For many travelers, myself included, a trip without your dog or cat isn't really a trip. It's an absence.

The luxury pet-friendly hotels in this guide refused to make that compromise. Not with a dog bed in the corner and a laminated fee note, but with Michelin-starred pet menus, canine concierges, a lobby rebuilt around a cat, and a bronze statue erected in memory of one.

This is the second installment in my Paws & Passports series. The first covered the journey and logistics — health certificates, carrier dimensions, airlines that allow pets. This one covers what waits at the other end: where your animal earns a genuine welcome.

Mount Nelson, a Belmond Hotel, Cape TownA golden Vizsla takes his rightful seat at afternoon tea, surrounded by tiered pastry stands and cream-laden scones — the kind of effortless, tail-wagging welcome that separates a truly pet-friendly luxury hotel from one that merely tolerates four-legged guests.

The Nine Hotels at a Glance

Hotel	Location	Pet Type	Weight Limit	Fee	Standout Amenity
Splendido, A Belmond Hotel	Portofino, Italy	Dogs	Small dogs (Splendido); all sizes (Splendido Mare)	None	Doggy concierge escorts guests through Portofino boutiques
Rosewood Vienna	Vienna, Austria	Dogs	No limit	€50/night	Dogs welcome in all spaces — bars, restaurants, terraces
The Mark Hotel	New York City, USA	Dogs	No limit	$250/stay	Two-Michelin-starred Spoiled Dog's Menu by Jean-Georges
The Peninsula London	London, UK	Dogs	Prior notification for dogs over 15kg	£50/night	Hyde Park directly opposite; bespoke beds and bowls in every pet room
Badrutt's Palace	St. Moritz, Switzerland	Dogs	—	—	Dogs welcomed in the grand lobby and Chesa Veglia restaurant; Engadin trail from the door
The Lanesborough	London, UK	Cats	N/A	None (confirm)	Resident cat Lilibet; Hyde Park–facing window ledges; generous in-suite space
Le Bristol Paris	Paris, France	Cats	N/A	~€100/night (confirm)	Resident cat Socrate; grand suites with high ceilings and deep window ledges
Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa	Baden-Baden, Germany	Cats	N/A	—	Resident cat Kléopâtre; spacious rooms, suites, and villas; garden and terrace
The Oyster Box	Umhlanga, South Africa	Cats	N/A	—	Bronze portrait of resident cat Skabenga; donations to Durban SPCA

All fees and policies reflect information as of 2025–2026. Badrutt's Palace and The Oyster Box pet fees not stated in article — confirm with your advisor before booking.

The Five Best Luxury Hotels for Dogs Around the World

A dog moves the moment it enters somewhere new — nose low, reading the floor like a newspaper. When a dog lands somewhere it belongs, the body shows it: the tail drops to its natural angle, the ears soften, the whole animal exhales. These are the dog-friendly luxury hotels where that happens.

1. Splendido, A Belmond Hotel — Portofino, Italy

No arrival in European travel rivals approaching Portofino by water. Terracotta rooftops. Boats rocking in the harbor. Terraces draped in bougainvillea. At the top of the hill sits Splendido, one of the most celebrated luxury hotels on the Italian Riviera and one of the top dog-friendly luxury hotels in Europe.

A Belmond staff member greets your dog by name before you set down your bags. A custom dog bed and a curated dining menu await in the room, with canine massages available on request. What sets this pet-friendly luxury hotel apart is its doggy concierge — a team member who escorts you both through Portofino's boutiques, where leather travel bowls and dog perfumes sell as naturally as anything meant for human guests.

I had a client from San Francisco who chose Portofino for their golden retriever's first international trip. He walked into the lobby as though he owned the place, and was treated as though it were his. They returned the year after, and the year after that.

Splendido on the hill welcomes small dogs; Splendido Mare accepts all sizes. Neither charges a pet fee. Seasonal property — reopens May 2026. Confirm pet policy with your advisor before booking.

Gallery images from Splendido, a Belmond HotelAt Splendido, A Belmond Hotel, the turquoise waters of Portofino and the medieval Castello Brown frame the outlook.

2. Rosewood Vienna — Vienna, Austria

The Baroque facade of St. Peter's Church catches the first pale light of a Viennese morning. Below it on one of the Old Town's most elegant pedestrian streets, a woman in a coat pauses while her dog investigates the bakery doorway. Another with his dog seated beside him waits at the nearby bus station. This is Vienna, one of the best destinations for pet-friendly travel: dogs ride the U-Bahn, occupy restaurant banquettes, trot along the Ringstraße as if the city were built for them.

Rosewood Vienna ranks among the finest luxury pet-friendly hotels in Europe. Dogs are welcome to move freely through every space — bars, restaurants, terraces — with no weight limit. By evening, THE1835 bar in particular holds a quiet that dogs absorb without effort: low conversation, glassware, amber warmth, so dogs can exhale beneath the barstools, indifferent but included. Plush dog beds, bowls, locally sourced food, and treats wait upstairs.

A pet fee of €50 per night applies. No weight restrictions. Confirm with your advisor before booking.

Gallery images from Rosewood ViennaThe views at Rosewood Vienna frame the green copper dome of St. Michael's Gate and the grandeur of the Hofburg beyond.

3. The Mark Hotel — New York City, USA

On chilly October mornings, Central Park's Sheep Meadow belongs to dogs in the quiet hours before the city wakes. The Mark Hotel sits three blocks away. Every decision this luxury property makes points back to that particular joy.

Two-Michelin-starred chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten designed The Mark's human menu and its Spoiled Dog's Menu with equal care: gourmet dishes and pet-friendly desserts on custom placemats, atop a Molly Mutt dog bed. The WoofWoof Kit, consisting of a collar, leash, and water bowl, arrives at check-in. The lobby runs black and white, elegant and Parisian in its bones.

A housekeeper knocked on one of my client's door one evening and asked, with complete gravity, whether Gustav (a Weimaraner of impeccable bearing) preferred his water still or sparkling. Gustav preferred still. That is The Mark, precisely.

No weight restrictions. $250 fee per stay, per pet applies. Your advisor can confirm current pet policy when booking.

Gallery images from The Mark Hotel, NYCThe Mark Hotel's residential-style suites make even nervous dogs feel right at home, with low seats and plenty of room to explore.

4. The Peninsula London — United Kingdom

The Peninsula London occupies a building of pale Portland stone on the edge of Belgravia, an upscale neighborhood in London. The lobby carries fresh flowers, local charm, and warm cedar — and a dog's paws on the polished stone floor belong here as much as the heels of any other guest.

Hyde Park begins directly opposite the front door, beckoning with trails and gardens galore. Last November, a couple I helped checked in with their old Labrador — fourteen years old, one arthritic hip. They walked two hours every morning. Each time they returned from Hyde Park, the dog moved ahead to the elevator as though these were the stairs at home. Dogs can move through the bar and dining rooms freely, with bespoke beds and bowls in every pet-friendly room.

Pet fee of £50 per night applies. Dogs over 15kg require prior notification.

Gallery images from The Peninsula LondonFrom fine doggy dining to boutique outlets where you can shop leather collars, jackets, luxury accessories, and more, the Peninsula London is a paradise for your four-legged friends.

5. Badrutt's Palace — St. Moritz, Switzerland

In January, St. Moritz becomes a winter wonderland of Alpine air, snow packed close to marble, and Badrutt's Palace glowing warmly above the frozen lake. This luxury hotel doesn't just pamper dogs. It treats them the way it treats every other guest: as someone who belongs there.

The hotel prepares the room before arrival, with custom dog beds, food and water bowls, and an in-room pet dining menu from the kitchen. Uniformed staff greet dogs at the door with the same attentiveness they show every arriving guest. Along the Engadin trail, which begins right outside the hotel, your dog can experience a morning walk unlike any other — snow underfoot, the silence of altitude; a dog running the trail ahead with ears flat against the cold, pressing back against your leg at the first rest stop. Both of you return carrying the deep, satisfied exhaustion that only a mountain produces.

The grand lobby — "the living room of St. Moritz" since the 19th century — admits dogs without hesitation. So does the Chesa Veglia, the hotel's 17th-century farmhouse restaurant: dogs on the terrace, mountains on every side, fondue in its copper pot. Last January, a border collie lay beneath a table there, lifting his head each time the kitchen door swung open, settling each time. His owner described it to me afterward: He knew we weren't leaving without him.

Demand peaks in winter and summer. Pet-friendly rooms fill quickly — book well in advance.

Gallery images from Badrutt's PalaceThe terrace at Badrutt's Palace looks out over the impossibly turquoise waters of Lake St. Moritz, the Engadin's pine-forested slopes rising toward snow-dusted peaks — the same trails that begin at the hotel's edge, where guests and their dogs set out each morning into the Alpine silence.

The Four Best Luxury Hotels for Cats Around the World

The luxury hotel world has historically belonged to dogs. Dogs announce themselves. Their needs stay legible — walks, lobby greetings, restaurant terraces. Designing for a dog has knowable solutions.

Cats demand a different negotiation.

A cat entering a new room skips exploration. It assesses the highest point, the darkest corner, the wall-angle where nothing approaches unseen. Then, if the room earns it, the cat jumps. There is a sound a cat makes landing on a sun-warmed windowsill: four soft weights, close together, then silence as it settles and looks out. That is the sound of a cat deciding it will stay.

Cats earn territory through familiarity, on their own terms. The right cat-friendly luxury hotel offers a ledge wide enough to matter, silence dense enough to swallow a city beyond its walls. Not a welcome, but a landscape worth claiming.

The four cat-friendly luxury hotels below have built exactly that.

The Lanesborough LondonLilibet, the Lanesborough's resident cat since 2019, lounges often in the lobby, evaluating every guest - animal or human - that enters.

1. The Lanesborough — London, United Kingdom

The marble hallways of The Lanesborough run long and cool, gold-leaf details catching the afternoon light. Lilibet, the hotel's official feline resident, has moved through them since 2019. An official Cat Committee manages her schedule: welfare appointments, BBC News appearances, birthday cakes. A single corridor video commands half a million likes.

For guests traveling with their own cats, this cat-friendly luxury hotel in London delivers on something specific. The rooms face Hyde Park with window ledges wide enough to occupy for hours, and morning light that moves slowly across the floor. Cats breathe easily here, with room to explore within each suite and an abundance of luxurious spaces to stretch in the sun.

Lilibet and visiting cats hold separate territories — she commands the public spaces; guest cats claim their own generous suites. A guest's Maine Coon met Lilibet near the lift last winter and received one appraising look — then Lilibet walked on. "The most perfect hotel welcome she had ever witnessed," her owner told me after.

Cats welcome in-suite; carriers recommended in common areas. Currently no additional fees for pets, but confirm cat policy with your advisor.

Gallery images from The Lanesborough LondonThe marble entrance hall of The Lanesborough, where gold-accented chandeliers and cool stone corridors create the kind of measured, unhurried grandeur that the resident Siberian Forest cat — or a discerning guest — might move through with tail raised and opinions firmly held.

2. Le Bristol Paris — France

At Le Bristol, Paris, cats have always held the final word. They've moved through the cobbled inner courtyards and gardens as though they knew this property was built for them, sampling bites from the 3-Michelin Star restaurant Epicure or lounging in private apartments between greeting shifts. If you're looking to pamper your cat, this is the place to do it.

Fa-Raon, a Sacred Birman who famously lived the 5-star life at Le Bristol, arrived in 2010 and presided for eleven years. His son, Socrate — named for the Greek philosopher — now moves through the marble hallways, inspecting each visitor and surveying the lobby from elegant windowsills.

For the cat traveling with you, the suites at this cat-friendly luxury hotel in Paris offer something rare: genuine scale. High ceilings, deep window ledges where your cat spends twenty minutes choosing the right view, walls thick enough to block the city beyond. Socrate holds the common areas; your cat commands one of Paris's grandest suites.

Cats are welcome in-suite; Socrate and visiting cats are kept separate. Advance notice is required. Your advisor can confirm the current pet fee policy; typically €100 per night.

Gallery images from Le Bristol ParisA grand suite at Le Bristol Paris, where soaring ceilings, deep-backed bookshelves lined with art volumes, and a crystal chandelier casting soft light across pale silk walls create the kind of generous, unhurried space that suits both discerning guests and the cats they travel with.

3. Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa — Baden-Baden, Germany

This boutique hotel was practically built around a cat. To understand Kléopâtre, one of the great storied cats of the hospitality industry, go back to a particular afternoon in Paris.

In a back office on the Faubourg Saint-Honoré, a basket sat between a file cabinet and a stray chair. In the basket sat Kléopâtre. The director of Brenners, visiting Le Bristol, found her, and described her expression as that of a cat who had exhausted her patience with current arrangements. He brought her to Baden-Baden. She never looked back.

Baden-Baden, a peaceful town on the edge of the Black Forest, does not hurry. The River Oos runs cold past the hotel's garden walls; the forest rises above. Kléopâtre fits this place. She presents herself at reception each morning at nine, claims the garden through the afternoon, the upper terrace her high perch, the entrance hall windows for her afternoon light.

Guests and their cats stay in the hotel's spacious rooms, suites, or villas, each one elegant and unique. Plush chaise lounges and ornate beds make the rooms nearly impossible to leave, for humans, and irresistible to the traveling cat.

Of course, Kléopâtre often makes her presence known. "She was making an assessment," a guest said last spring, after finding Kléopâtre outside her door. "We passed. She came back the next morning."

It's worth confirming her current residence before your visit, along with the cat policy and any associated fees — and book well ahead.

Gallery images from Brenners Park Hotel and SpaThe cream-hued Belle Époque façade of Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa rises through the Baden-Baden treeline, its wrought-iron balconies and mansard roofline a study in unhurried grandeur — precisely the kind of setting where Kléopâtre's morning rounds feel entirely appropriate.

4. The Oyster Box — Umhlanga, South Africa

Some hotels have a cat. The Oyster Box had a legend.

The hotel stands above the Indian Ocean — the Umhlanga Lighthouse visible from the lobby, afternoon light hammering the water gold. Ceiling fans, frangipani from the garden. For sixteen years the sofa closest to that light belonged to Skabenga.

His name means hooligan in isiZulu, which was fair. He arrived as a stray, assessed the five-star life at this luxury South African property, and never left — unofficial ambassador to a hotel that received princes and presidents. He attended Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco's reception uninvited, advancing past security with a confidence the guests found admirable. Chefs prepared his preferred dish — kingklip — and he napped on that sofa each afternoon in light that makes everything look permanent.

Skabenga passed in March 2025 at nineteen. The Oyster Box commissioned a bronze portrait by sculptor Sarah Richards, placed at the entrance with his fan-donated collars at the base and a QR code for the Durban SPCA. They turned his absence into a presence. The sofa, and the light, will always be Skabenga's.

Confirm current resident cat, cat guest policy, and fees with your travel advisor. Twenty minutes from King Shaka International Airport.

Gallery images from The Oyster BoxSkabenga, the late tabby resident of a storied South African hotel, surveys her domain, scrutinizing the quality of everything from the marble floors to the lush pools outside.

When Animals Choose a Home, Trust It

A bronze portrait stands at the entrance of a hotel on the KwaZulu-Natal coast because a cat named Skabenga spent sixteen years turning a lobby into somewhere that felt like home. The hotel watched a cat choose them as his home — and committed to earning that honor every day after. That is what the best of these hotels understand, and what so many others still don't.

Genuine pet-friendliness is not an amenity. It's a commitment to good hospitality for every being that enters.

If you're considering bringing your pet on your next adventure, connect with me below. From finding the right airline to choosing the right property, let's make the journey worth every moment.

All hotel pet policies reflect current information as of 2025–2026. Policies can change. Always verify with your LuxRally Travel advisor before booking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do luxury pet-friendly hotels charge fees?

Most do, though the structure varies. Rosewood Vienna charges €50 per night; The Peninsula London charges £50 per night; Le Bristol Paris typically charges around €100 per night. The Mark Hotel charges a flat $250 per stay. Splendido and The Lanesborough currently charge no pet fee, though policies can change — always confirm with your advisor before booking.

Which luxury hotels accept large dogs?

Rosewood Vienna imposes no weight limit and welcomes dogs of all sizes through its bars, restaurants, and terraces. The Mark Hotel in New York City also has no weight restrictions. The Peninsula London accepts larger dogs with prior notification for those over 15kg.

Can I leave my dog alone in a pet-friendly hotel room?

Policies differ by property. Most luxury hotels ask that dogs not be left unattended in rooms, and some offer pet-sitting or dog-walking services to fill that gap. Confirm the in-room policy with your advisor when booking — and ask whether a canine concierge or walking service is available, as several properties in this guide offer both.

Which hotel chain is the most pet-friendly?

Kimpton Hotels and Belmond consistently sets the benchmark: no pet fees, greeting dogs by name, and offering a doggy concierge service at many properties. Rosewood and Peninsula Hotels also maintain genuinely generous pet programs across their portfolios. That said, the most pet-friendly experience is rarely about the chain — it's about the individual property and the people running it.

Will a luxury hotel's house car transport my pet?

Policies vary by property, and it's worth asking before you assume. Some luxury hotels extend their house car service to pets traveling with guests — particularly for airport transfers — while others restrict vehicles to humans only. When booking, ask your advisor to confirm whether the hotel's house car will accommodate your dog or cat, and whether any carrier or crating requirements apply.

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Alina Moretti

My name is Alina Moretti, and honestly, travel chose me before I ever chose it. As a fully licensed travel advisor with LuxRally Travel, I still think about my first trip to Cuba. The coral reef. A coffee plantation in the middle of nowhere. The ocean so blue it didn't look real. That was years ago and I can still feel it. That's the thing about certain moments — they just stay. I became a travel advisor because I couldn't stop collecting those moments, and along the way I realized I was good at creating them for other people too. I personally visit every destination I recommend. I have relationships and access that open doors most travelers never even see. And every trip I design starts with one question: what do you want to feel? I work with couples, families and solo travelers who are done with ordinary and ready for the kind of travel that changes something in them. If that sounds like you, let's connect.