Kent’s accommodation picture splits sharply by area. Thanet (Margate, Ramsgate, Broadstairs) is genuinely the best-covered part of the county, thanks to official council and tourism-board sources. Canterbury and Ashford each have one well-confirmed option. Large chunks of the county — Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone town, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge & Malling — came back as genuine gaps, and we’re saying so plainly rather than padding the list. Premier Inn is excluded countywide, since no Kent branch overrides the chain’s standard assistance-dogs-only policy.
Thanet: Margate, Ramsgate & Broadstairs
Our main sources here are the official Thanet District Council tourism document and Visit Ramsgate’s own dog-friendly page — both genuine council/tourism-board sources, though neither publishes postcodes or exact fees, so a few of these are worth a confirming call.
- The Walpole Bay Hotel, Cliftonville, Margate — a supplement applies for dog-friendly rooms (amount not published).
- Fort Road Hotel, Margate Old Town, near Turner Contemporary — dogs allowed at the hotel’s discretion, supplement applies.
- Doghouse Margate, 91 Norfolk Road, Margate, CT9 2HX — dogs-only accommodation, £15/night, bowls and pet-sitting offered. Single-sourced via a booking aggregator rather than the venue’s own site, so treat as a weaker confirmation.
- Albion House Hotel, Ramsgate — most rooms dog-friendly, £30/stay flat charge.
- Royal Harbour Hotel, Ramsgate — all rooms dog-friendly, £10/dog/night.
- Langmead Guest House, Ramsgate — small, well-behaved dogs only; enquire before booking.
- Botany Bay Hotel, Broadstairs — on the dog-friendly stretch of Botany Bay beach (September to March), large green area, some dog rooms.
- The Royal Albion Hotel, Broadstairs — limited dog-friendly rooms, supplement may apply.
- Fishermen’s Cottages and Fagins Den, Broadstairs — self-catering cottages, fully dog-friendly, supplement applies.
- Birchington Vale Holiday Park, Birchington — selected dog-friendly pitches and units, supplements apply.
- Holiday Inn Express, Minster — dog-friendly with a supplement; guide dogs stay free.
Council-tagged but with no fee or room detail published, so worth a direct call before booking: the Bedford Inn, the House at Ramsgate, the Royal Oak and Addington Street Townhouse, all in Ramsgate. The Falstaff welcomes dogs on the premises, but overnight stays with a dog in the room are “by arrangement” rather than a blanket yes.
Canterbury
- Broome Park Hotel, The Broome Park Estate, Canterbury Road, CT4 6QX (around 15 minutes’ drive from the city centre, sometimes listed under “Barham”) — confirmed via the hotel’s own site: £30/night per dog, dogs welcome in Mansion House rooms, selected woodland lodges and the main house bar/lounge, but not the restaurant. On a lead on the golf course.
- Abbots Barton Hotel, Canterbury, CT1 3DU — dog-friendly rooms with bed and bowl provided, maximum 2 dogs per room, welcome in the Westfield Bar & Garden Terrace. Single-sourced via a booking aggregator rather than the hotel’s own site, so worth confirming directly.
Whitstable, Faversham & Sittingbourne (Swale)
The Marine Hotel, Tankerton, Whitstable, CT5 2BE, allows any number of dogs with no size limit, and some dining areas allow dogs — but the listing confirming this hasn’t been updated since 2019, so it’s worth a phone call to check the policy still stands before you book.
Swale Borough Council’s own tourism page names three further dog-friendly options — Sheerness Holiday Park and Harts Holiday Park, both on the Isle of Sheppey, and Mocketts Farm Cottages near Faversham — but gives no fee, limit or policy detail for any of them, so a direct call to each is needed before booking. Sittingbourne town itself came back with no verifiable dog-friendly accommodation at all, genuinely nothing beyond a Premier Inn branch, which we don’t list.
Ashford
Holiday Inn Ashford Central is confirmed directly on IHG’s own hotel page: dogs allowed (no other pets), maximum 2 pets, £15/dog/night plus a £40 damage deposit, with grounds available for walking.
One name worth flagging: “The Lodge at Ashford,” which turns up in pet-policy searches, is actually part of Ashford Castle in Co. Mayo, Ireland — nothing to do with Ashford, Kent.
Genuine gaps
Despite dedicated searching, we couldn’t verify any named, bookable dog-friendly accommodation in Tunbridge Wells town, Maidstone town, Dover, Folkestone & Hythe, Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks or Tonbridge & Malling. The Milk House in Sissinghurst (near Cranbrook) confirms it’s dog-friendly in its pub garden, terrace and bar, but doesn’t confirm whether dogs are allowed overnight in its bedrooms, so we haven’t listed it as accommodation here. These are genuine coverage gaps, not an oversight — if you’re set on one of these towns, a phone call to individual hotels is your best bet.
A new room is a lot of new smells for a dog to process, and some take longer than others to properly settle in for the night. Figo always does a full lap of inspection before he’ll relax, and a calming bite before travelling can help take the edge off that first evening away. If the unsettled behaviour doesn’t ease once they’re used to a place, that’s worth a word with your vet.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where’s best for dog-friendly accommodation in Kent?
Thanet — Margate, Ramsgate and Broadstairs — by a clear margin. Official council and tourism-board sources name several confirmed options, though not all publish exact fees.
Is Premier Inn in Kent dog-friendly?
Not as standard. No Kent branch overrides the chain’s usual assistance-dogs-only policy, so we haven’t listed any Premier Inn here.
Is there dog-friendly accommodation in Tunbridge Wells or Dover?
We couldn’t verify any in either town, or in Maidstone town, Folkestone & Hythe, Dartford, Gravesham, Sevenoaks or Tonbridge & Malling. These are genuine gaps — worth a direct phone call to individual hotels if you need to stay in one of these towns specifically.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who judges every hotel room by how quickly he can find the comfiest corner.
