The George, Cheltenham

The George is a boutique four-star hotel in central Cheltenham, and it is one of the more genuinely dog-friendly hotels in the town - the kind of place that treats dogs as guests rather than tolerating them. It sits in a great central location for the shops and the Regency streets, with large, high-ceilinged, beautifully decorated rooms and a well-regarded breakfast.

The dog welcome is what sets it apart. Dog-friendly bedrooms come with a bed or blanket, a bowl and treats waiting on arrival, and owners travelling with dogs consistently rate the standard highly and describe the staff as warm and helpful. The hotel's own resident dog greets arrivals, which sets the tone from the door. Owners report bringing two dogs on multi-night stays with plenty of room to spread out.

Dogs cost £25 per room, per night, and that nightly charge covers one or two dogs sharing the same room - better value for a pair than most city hotels manage. Dogs stay off the beds and soft furnishings and are not left unsupervised, and a large or mud-loving dog is worth packing an extra blanket for.

Two practical notes. It is worth avoiding a basement room if you can: owners given one have found them small and dark, with a window onto the car park and the back entrance in view of the bed. Dog-friendly rooms often sit on the lower floors, so mention a preference when you book. And as with any busy dog-friendly hotel, guests arriving without a dog have occasionally noticed a lingering dog smell in the room, particularly in the bathroom - the trade-off that comes with a hotel which genuinely lets dogs in rather than confining them. With its central location, boutique rooms and a properly thought-through dog welcome, The George earns a 4.3/5 paw rating and suits owners who want a comfortable, characterful Cheltenham base where the dog is looked after.