BEST PET FRIENDLY HOTELS IN BELGIUM

One of the most important aspects when organising a trip is precisely the hotel where you are going to stay during your holiday. And when travelling with a pet, things get even more complicated, as not all hotels allow pets, or they do, but with many limits. That is why we are going to tell you what we think are the requirements that a hotel must have to be really pet friendly.

1. Pets allowed without weight limitThis seems to us to be the most important one, because in most hotels there is ALWAYS a weight limit. I understand that if it is a hotel where the rooms are very small, you can't put an 80 kg dog in there because it might not fit, but if you are going to set a limit, make it flexible. That's why we think that a limit of maybe 30-40 kg in small hotels would be fine. Although there will always be someone who disagrees (and we understand that).

2. Price per night: another essential feature. There are many hotels that charge very high supplements per night just for bringing your pet. Obviously, we understand that you have to pay a supplement for cleaning, but the reality is that you have to clean your room thoroughly whether you have dogs in the room or not. We are going to show you hotel chains that charge up to €40 a day extra, which is crazy if you plan to travel for a week or more. So keep this in mind, especially if you don't have as much money as we do 😂

3. Pet policy: This is something we pay a lot of attention to when booking a hotel or not, and it is precisely the hotel's policy regarding animals: whether they can be left alone in the room or not, whether you have to leave a deposit or not, whether they lend you a bed for your pet, etc. We have seen hotels where as a rule you have to leave a deposit of at least €200. I understand that this is in case they break something, but what they are showing you is that they don't trust you, and they are not giving you a chance to prove that your dog knows how to behave.

4. Reviews: we usually look at hotel reviews and comments, especially in the questions section, where many of them are related to pets. If a hotel has a bad reputation, suspect that it may not be the best for your furry friends.

• Ibis:

This chain is inside Accor, a group that includes many hotel chains in different price ranges. We have stayed a few times in this chain (before Snow) and we are very happy. Without going any further, on our trip to Porto (things to see in Porto with a dog in 2 days) we stayed at Ibis. The truth is that they treated us wonderfully and we were very comfortable. We will definitely repeat. You have to keep in mind that it is not a luxury chain, but it has everything you need to be comfortable, both us and our pet.

You have to pay a fee, and we love that it's always so affordable, as it's always around €10 and 20 €, in some European countries even less than €10. In our case, in Porto the supplement was 15 € per night. The truth is that we found the price to be quite affordable, and that was one of the reasons why we chose this hotel. Best of all, they didn't even charge us the supplement, so with us you will have guaranteed customers. The requirements for booking are:

• Dogs up to 15kg allowed.
• Please inform the hotel of your stay at the time of booking.
• The animal must have the compulsory vaccines.
• Always keep them on a leash, or if it is a PDD, it will have to carry a muzzle and liability insurance.
• They are banned from cafés and restaurants, except for assistance dogs.
• It is forbidden to leave animals unattended in the room or inside the vehicle.
• It is forbidden to leave food in the bowls, to bathe them and to use hotel towels.
• It is forbidden for them to sleep on the bed or any furniture.

They are standard rules in all hotels, everyone knows their dog and knows what they can and can't do. Without a doubt, for us the best option if you don't want to spend a lot of money, very basic hotels, but with everything you need, well done and tolerant with pets.

From the same Accor group in Belgium you have the Novotel, which is a bit more luxurious than the Ibis, but with the same policy. The website doesn't say anything about the maximum weight, but the supplement is similar to that of the Ibis: between €10 and €15 per night.

• B&B Hotels

A very interesting chain, because it is affordable and has hotels in the main European capitals. Like all hotels, this one also has its requirements and supplements for pets, and they vary depending on the country and the city. Before making a reservation, we recommend that you contact the hotel in question to avoid any surprises. 

Requirements in Spain

• Dogs and cats up to 40 kg allowed.
• Only one animal per room.
• Pets must always be under the supervision of the owner.
• You may not be alone in the common areas.
• The pet fee is €7.50 por noche.
• Dogs are allowed in all Spanish hotels except forB&B HOTEL Zaragoza 280 and B&B HOTEL Victoria Valdemoro.

EU Requirements

We can't know exactly what the weight limit is outside Spain because they don't specify it anywhere, we can only say that they put small dogs, up to what weight is small for them? We do not know. The best thing to do is to contact the hotel in question and ask.
The pet fee depends on the country, but the average is €12 per night, but for example in Amsterdam is €5. The good point is that the maximum is €20, which is a great price.

We think the requirements and the supplement are quite good, and therefore we highly recommend it.

• Van der Valk Hotels:

A well-known chain in countries such as Belgium, Holland and Germany. They are mostly 4-star hotels, so you would expect them to be more luxurious than the Ibis. Booking requirements are:

• No weight limit is specified on their website.
• In most hotels, you can go to their restaurants and common areas with them.
• Have documentation at the time of check-in.
• The pet may not be left alone in the room.
• The price depends on the hotel, between €10 and €25 per night . We think it is a bit expensive, but unfortunately it is in the average and what is usually paid for.

You can consult the more specific conditions of this chain here

• NH Hotels:

A large chain that also accepts pets. Most of their hotels in Spain and Europe accept dogs and/or cats. You will also have to pay a supplement that we could not specify, since as in many chains it depends on the hotel in particular, but we know that it could vary between the €20-€30. They offer services such as pet beds and bowls for drinking and eating. As in all of them there will be a maximum weight, we can't say exactly, as it varies depending on the hotel.

As always, we recommend contacting and checking availability before booking. NH is synonymous with quality, so if you can afford it, don't hesitate. We stayed in a NH hotel on our trip to the Algarve, specifically in the Tivoli Lagos, and the truth is that the hotel is very good for pets. The specific requirements were:

• Dogs allowed up to 25kg.
• Your pet must be kept on a leash at all times.
• They can't stay alone in the room except at mealtimes, for which a sign had to be left on the door.
• To get your room cleaned, you had to be outside (another obvious thing).
• They are forbidden to be in the pool, spa and restaurant areas (except on the terrace).
• Have documentation and the vaccines at the time of check-in.
• They give you a bed and a bowl for your pet. It's a nice gesture, to be honest.
• The suplement was €25 for the entire stay. This was a really nice plus.

Within this chain in Portugal you have the NH and the Tivoli. In Belgium, there are only 8 hotels of this chain that allow dogs.

• The Augustin

This is a boutique chain that has hotels in Brussels and Paris. This is where we stayed on our trip to Brussels and we really loved it.

The hotel was very centrally located, and the staff were exceptional at all times. Also, the room was huge, so Snow was able to run around the room if he wanted to. The pet requirements are as follows: 

• They do not specify a weight limit, so call or send a message just in case.
• They must be on a leash and under the control of their owners at all times.
• They are not allowed access to the restaurant or buffet areas. 
• Pet fee of €25/night.
• There is no welcome kit for our pets, which we would have appreciated.

The only negative thing about this hotel was that when we arrived at the buffet, we were told that we couldn't go in with the dog, to which we replied that Snow was an assistance dog. Even then, we had to wait for them to talk to the boss, when we had already contacted the hotel 2 months before specifying that he was a service animal. But well, apart from that detail, the rest was great, the bed was comfortable and big, the bathroom spacious and Snow was at home.

We hope you have found this post about the best pet friendly hotels in Belgium. Obviously, there are more non-chain hotels that you can look up on Booking, but we wanted you to have a list of chains that exist in the country and that can be adapted to a low to medium budget traveller.

There are many hotels that are not listed here, either because they are not chains with many hotels or because they are not so well known, but they are pet friendly. So the best websites to find pet friendly hotels are these two here:

• Booking: a classic that we all use at some point in our lives. All you have to do is, once you have typed in your destination, filter where it says ‘pets allowed’, and you will know exactly how many hotels allow pets. Once you see one you like, just go to the requirements and see how much the supplement is per night. Sometimes it doesn't say, so in that case you can look in the questions to the hotel (there are almost always one or two related to pets), or you can write directly to the hotel.
• Bring FidoWe discovered this application a year ago and we LOVE it. The bad thing is that it is in English, but if you need help with this procedure we have a service of consultancy and language assistance to help you with this process. You search for the destination you want and you will see the hotels, flats that allow dogs and the requirements. You also have the option to view restaurants and bars that are pet friendly, but it is not very reliable because if the establishment is not registered on this website it will not appear.