About the DFHA
A non-profit association representing the world's best dog friendly hotels, the ones that genuinely welcome you and your dog, each held to one public charter.
Why the association exists
It is the most misleading phrase in travel. Any hotel can put "pet friendly" on its site, then spring a surcharge at check-in or shut your dog out of shared rooms. The label is self-declared, so it means whatever a hotel wants.
We exist to give it meaning again. As an independent non-profit, we list hotels that genuinely welcome dogs on a public register, easy to find and easy to trust.
Governance & independence
We set and keep the Charter ourselves, as an independent non-profit that answers to dog owners.
Membership is open to hotels and other places dogs stay, from city hotels to country inns and B&Bs. The Charter stays the association's own, and membership is the door.
The Charter is set and maintained by the association.
We advocate for canine inclusivity and hospitality.
Hotels that fall short of the Charter are removed.
The public ombudsman for dog owners and hotels.
When the bar is real, you can stop second-guessing every booking and travel knowing your dog is genuinely welcome.
Questions
A genuinely dog friendly hotel welcomes your dog as a guest, not as an exception. Dogs are provided for in the room and welcome beside you in shared spaces, with the policy and any fees published before you book.
Pet friendly is a self-declared label with nothing behind it. A hotel can claim it while charging a steep surcharge, barring dogs from every shared room, or springing the rules on you at check-in.
Because it has burned them too often. Pet friendly stays have meant surprise fees, grudging welcomes and closed doors, so dog owners have learned the words alone mean very little.
Because it so often excludes them. Very few hotels that call themselves pet friendly actually let cats in, so cat owners have learned to loathe a term that rarely includes them.
The DFHA is an independent, non-profit body. It sets the Dog Friendly Hotel Charter, keeps a public register of hotels that meet it, and acts as an ombudsman between dog owners and hotels.
Every hotel on the register is assessed against the Charter, six clear and public requirements, and given a published review of exactly what it offers a dog, so you can check the facts before booking.
Pet friendly is a vague claim a hotel makes about itself. Dog friendly, under our Charter, is an independent, verified standard with a published review you can actually trust.