The UK Hotels That Actually Welcome Cats

Since “pet-friendly” still has a habit of meaning dog-friendly, we went looking for the places where the cat can come too.

There are plenty of good reasons to leave your cat at home when you go away. There is the friend who swears they are happy to pop in twice a day. The cat sitter who now knows your alarm code. And, of course, the fact that most cats have absolutely no interest in your weekend plans.

But for the cats that do travel well, finding somewhere to take them is surprisingly difficult.

Search for a pet-friendly hotel and you will find dog beds, dog menus, dog walking maps and biscuits at check-in. All lovely. Less useful when the pet in question meows.

So we went looking for something else: hotels around the UK that genuinely welcome cats, and importantly, places we would actually want to spend a weekend ourselves.

Turns out, travelling with your cat is kind of chic.

LONDON

Kimpton Fitzroy, Bloomsbury

For checking into somewhere nicer than home

If you’re going to do a London staycation, you may as well do it properly.

Kimpton Fitzroy occupies one of those gloriously grand buildings overlooking Russell Square that makes staying a few Tube stops from home feel sufficiently like going away. Inside, it’s all tiled floors, sweeping staircases, cocktails at Fitz’s and rooms you won’t be rushing to leave.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · No pet fee or deposit · No size/weight limit · Pet beds, bowls & mats available

The Milestone Hotel & Residences, Kensington

For going all in

Opposite Kensington Palace, The Milestone is the old-school London option - ornate rooms, afternoon tea, white-glove service and the sort of attention to detail that feels increasingly rare.

That extends to its four-legged guests, too. The hotel has built a proper pet programme around their stays, rather than simply allowing them through the door.

CAT POLICY: Pets welcome with prior notice · Refundable deposit required · Pet services & welcome amenities available · Contact the hotel directly for current arrangements

Royal Lancaster, Hyde Park

For escaping without really leaving

A few steps from Hyde Park, Royal Lancaster gives you central London without feeling completely surrounded by it.

It’s the easy option in this edit: no complicated journey, no long weekend required, just a change of scenery and a hotel bed for the night.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · £25 per pet/day · Free for Friends members · Carrier required in public areas · Pet-sitting available

NORTH

Elmbank, York

For the easiest proper weekend away

This was one of the finds that made us want to put this edit together.

York is around two hours from London by train. The cat can come on the train with you. And at the other end is Elmbank, a handsome Art Nouveau hotel that has thought beyond simply putting “pet-friendly” on its website.

Its courtyard rooms make particular sense for anyone travelling with a cat, with direct outside access and a setup that feels considerably easier than navigating endless hotel corridors with a carrier.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · Up to 2 per room · £30 per pet/night · Pet-friendly rooms must be booked in advance · Cats welcome in the lounge, terrace & bar

The Reach at Piccadilly, Manchester

For stepping off the train and essentially being there

Manchester makes a very good spontaneous weekend away. Even better when you don’t have to trek across the city after arriving with a suitcase and a cat.

The Reach sits moments from Piccadilly station in a restored former railway warehouse, with interiors that nod to Manchester’s industrial past without making the whole thing feel themed.

Previous cat guests have reported thoughtful in-room touches too - exactly the sort of detail that caught our attention when researching this list.

CAT POLICY: Cats welcome · 1 pet per room · £30 non-refundable fee per stay

The Mount, Portinscale

For disappearing to the Lakes

The Mount is a very different proposition from the city hotels in this edit.

A small guesthouse in Portinscale, just outside Keswick, it’s surrounded by the sort of scenery that makes you understand why people voluntarily buy walking boots.

More importantly for us, it’s one of the relatively rare places that doesn’t leave you wondering whether “pet-friendly” secretly means dogs only. Cats are explicitly part of the welcome.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · Accepted by prior arrangement · The owners have two resident cats

SCOTLAND

Oban Bay Hotel, Oban

For the view

There is something wonderfully excessive about taking your cat all the way to Scotland so they can sit in a window overlooking the loch.

Which is precisely why Oban Bay made the list.

The hotel sits right on the Esplanade looking out across the water towards the islands, and previous cat guests have reported window beds being set up specifically for them to enjoy the view.

CAT POLICY: Cats welcome · £25 per cat/night 

Kimpton Blythswood Square, Glasgow

For the spa weekend

Taking your cat to a five-star hotel while you disappear downstairs to the spa feels like a fairly strong argument for bringing them along.

Blythswood Square is one of Glasgow’s grandest hotels, sitting in a Georgian terrace in the city centre with a spa, excellent food and the kind of rooms where staying in for the evening is entirely acceptable.

Kimpton is also one of the hotel groups that has made pets a genuine part of its hospitality proposition.

CAT POLICY: All pets welcome · No pet fee or deposit · No weight limit · Cats must not be left unattended · Pet beds, bowls & treats available

Dryburgh Abbey Hotel, Scottish Borders

For the country escape

Set beside the River Tweed with Dryburgh Abbey next door and acres of grounds around it, this is the one for when “weekend away” means getting properly out of the city.

There’s fishing, walking and plenty of space outside - but the appeal is really the setting itself. It feels secluded without requiring an expedition to get there.

It’s also one of the properties that came up repeatedly in our search for places where guests have successfully travelled with cats.

CAT POLICY: Cats welcome · Pet-friendly rooms available 

SOUTH WEST

Penventon Park Hotel, Cornwall

Penventon has a slight advantage over the rest of this list: we’ve already worked with them.

Earlier this year, Reva partnered with Penventon on a pet-friendly Cornwall escape, so we already knew this Georgian mansion in Redruth took travelling with pets seriously.

What makes it particularly relevant here is that “pet-friendly” doesn’t stop at dogs. Cats are welcome too.

There’s a spa and pool for you, Cornwall outside and a hotel that understands that families come in more than one configuration.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · Contact the hotel before booking to arrange your stay and confirm the fee · Pet-friendly rooms are subject to availability

Summer Lodge Country House Hotel, Dorset

For the country-house weekend

Summer Lodge is exactly what you want a Dorset country-house hotel to look like.

Traditional rooms, beautiful gardens, afternoon tea, countryside in every direction and the general sense that nobody would judge you for doing very little all weekend.

Its pet offering is unusually considered too, with the sort of thoughtful extras that turn “pets allowed” into something closer to an actual welcome.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · £25 per cat/day · Designated pet-friendly rooms only · Bed, bowls, towels & treats included

Camelot Castle Hotel, Tintagel

For maximum drama

A castle. On a cliff. Overlooking the Atlantic. With your cat.

There isn’t really much more we need to do with this one.

Camelot Castle sits above Tintagel with enormous views over the Cornish coastline and the South West Coast Path nearby. It’s decidedly more theatrical than understated, but that’s surely part of the appeal of spending a weekend in a castle.

CAT POLICY: Cats explicitly welcome · £10 per cat/night · Classic Rooms only

Before You Pack the Carrier

One thing became very clear while putting this edit together: “pet-friendly” is not a standardised term.

For some hotels it means dogs are allowed in certain rooms. Others have proper pet programmes. Some explicitly mention cats; others welcome them by arrangement. Policies, charges and room restrictions can change too.

So before booking anywhere with a cat, we’d always contact the hotel directly and tell them exactly who is coming.

Ask which rooms are suitable, where cats are allowed in the hotel, whether they can be left alone in the room, what they need you to bring and whether there’s an additional charge.

And then there’s the more important question: whether your cat actually wants a weekend away.

Some cats are seasoned travellers. Others consider a closed bathroom door an unacceptable disruption to their routine.

If yours falls into the latter camp, home - plus the cat sitter who already knows where you keep the treats - may still be the more luxurious option.

REVA APPROVED

The Pet Owner Edit is our take on the places, products and ideas worth knowing about when your pet is part of the plan.