Roch Dog Friendly Hotel Awards Set a New Global Standard for Canine Hospitality

Roch Dog announces the launch of their 2026 Dog Friendly Hotel Awards and invites hotels who can demonstrate excellence in canine hospitality to submit their nominations.

LONDON, April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Roch Dog, the independent certification body for dog-friendly hotels, is thrilled to announce the launch of the 2026 Roch Dog Friendly Hotel Awards, a new global initiative to seek out and celebrate the hotels setting the standard worldwide. The awards will recognize unparalleled service, exceptional amenities, true canine inclusivity, impactful community engagement, creative marketing, and canine culinary excellence at dog friendly hotels all over the world.

From city breaks to countryside escapes, the Roch Dog Friendly Hotel Awards shine a light on the most committed and creative hotels in canine hospitality. This year's awards, their inaugural awards ceremony, features ten distinct categories, each designed to spotlight and recognise a different aspect of excellence in dog-friendly hospitality, inclusivity, and community.

International Hotel of the Year - Their most prestigious award, honoring one standout hotel that exemplifies world-class dog-friendly hospitality across the board. This hotel will set the global standard, balancing luxury, accessibility, and a passion for canine hospitality.

National Hotel of the Year - Celebrating the top hotel in each country that consistently delivers outstanding service for dogs and their owners. Winners demonstrate national leadership in policy, services, amenities, facilities, staff training, and access levels.

Best Countryside Hotel - Recognising an outstanding countryside hotel that combines natural surroundings with thoughtful resources, and amenities that encourage outdoor adventures.

Best Urban Hotel - Recognising an outstanding city-based hotel that makes dog travel convenient, easy and enjoyable, even in the hustle and bustle of an urban environment.

Culinary Excellence Award - Recognising a hotel that goes above and beyond to feed its canine guests with chef designed dog food menus and homemade treats.

Canine Concierge Award - Awarded to a hotel with the most thoughtful, tailored services for dogs, this award celebrates true attention to detail and outstanding dog-specific care.

Community Pawprint Award - Awarded to a hotel that extends their dog-friendliness beyond their walls into the community, whether it's supporting local shelters, hosting adoption events, or working with local canine clubs, we look for meaningful community engagement.

Canine Comforts Award - This award honors a hotel that delivers exceptional amenities tailored specifically for dogs. From plush dog beds, high-quality bowls, and welcome treats to curated toy selections, doggy room service menus, and thoughtfully placed water stations, the kind of place where dogs are more than welcome,they're completely catered to.

Best Barketer Award - Honoring creativity and boldness in marketing your dog-friendly hotel, whether it's standout storytelling, smart use of social media, or beautiful visual design, this award is for hotel marketers that know how to market to modern dog lovers.

Canine Inclusivity Award - Honoring hotels that welcome all kinds of dogs, regardless of size, breed, or background. This hotel doesn't just tolerate dogs; it celebrates them. With thoughtful, flexible policies and a spirit of radical hospitality, they make space for everyone.

How to Enter - Nominations for the 2026 Roch Dog Friendly Hotel Awards are officially open. Hotels from around the world are invited to put themselves forward by visiting the Roch Dog Friendly Hotel Awards landing page, and completing a short nomination form.

The process is designed to be quick and straightforward, they simply ask for a few details about your property, the categories you'd like to be considered for, and why you believe your hotel stands out in the world of dog-friendly hospitality. After submitting your entry, our team may follow up for additional information or verification if needed. The nomination window closes on October 1st, 2025, with winners to be announced on January 5th 2026.

For more information about the Roch Dog Friendly Hotel Awards, please get in touch with their team by email using [email protected] to request further details.

About Roch Dog

Roch Dog is the world's leading pet-friendly hotel certification and rating agency, using data-driven analysis to assess and rank hotels. By evaluating everything from policies and amenities to staff training and pet services, Roch provides transparency for dog owners and actionable insights for hotels looking to improve their pet-friendly offerings. Roch is setting a new global standard of dog friendliness, and redefining what it means to be pet-friendly.

For more information please visit Roch Dog, or the Roch Society.

SOURCE Roch Dog