Pet-Friendly Hotels in Southampton for Travelers With Pets

Southampton works for pet owners who arrive by car, because most of these hotels sit beside the M27, the M3 or the M271 and the city is a gateway to the New Forest. You can drive in, park and be on a footpath quickly, instead of crossing a busy centre with an animal. The pet-friendly label comes from each hotel's own listing, so a short message about rooms and rules before you book is worth the minute it takes.

Holiday Inn Express Southampton - M27, J7 by IHG is the busiest option on the list, with 4,733 reviews and an 8.0 rating. This 3-star hotel sits a mile from junction 7 of the M27, next to the Utilita Bowl cricket ground, with air-conditioned rooms, a restaurant, a lounge with a licensed bar and free Wi-Fi. Its listing mentions family suites and welcomes pets. I would book it when the priority is an easy drive in and out, with the dog in the car and no city centre to cross before you check in.

Holiday Inn Express Southampton West by IHG is the other motorway option, just off junction 1 of the M271 with quick access to the city centre and nearby attractions. It has 3,006 reviews and an 8.3 rating, and rooms with tea and coffee makers, flat-screen TVs and en-suite bathrooms. A free breakfast buffet is served daily, and the listing mentions family suites and pets. I would choose this one when you want the city's sights close, such as the medieval walls and the SeaCity Museum, without driving far from the hotel.

DoubleTree by Hilton Southampton and room2 Southampton Hometel are the 4-star choices. DoubleTree sits in wooded gardens near the M3 and M27, with 24-hour room service, a restaurant, a bar and a cafe, and Paultons Theme Park, home of Peppa Pig World, is a 20-minute drive away. The room2 Hometel has a fitness centre, a shared lounge and an 8.8 rating from 1,382 reviews, and it is a short distance from Southampton Guildhall and the Mayflower Theatre. Both list pets, and I would confirm which rooms accept them and whether the animal may use the shared lounge.

The Pilgrim Inn is the most distinctive stay here, and its 9.0 rating from 977 reviews is the highest on the page. This 3-star inn occupies two thatched buildings in a quiet rural location: one holds a cosy bar and restaurant, the other stylish boutique rooms, some with four-poster beds or roll-top baths. It suits a dog that prefers quiet and fields to traffic. The listing marks it pet-friendly, so I would ask which boutique rooms accept animals, and whether the bar and restaurant do too, since an inn like this often has its own house rules.