If you want to take a relaxing break from the big smoke without properly leaving London, look no further than the dog-friendly Richmond Hill Hotel in Richmond upon Thames. East London dog Pie (@a_slice_of_frenchpie) and her humans were invited along for a mini-staycation on behalf of The Dogvine to celebrate that the hotel has recently turned dog-friendly following a refurbishment. Read on for Pie’s Richmond Hill Hotel review…
The Dog-friendly Richmond Hill Hotel, Richmond
Situated just around the corner from Richmond Park and a well-appointed high street, the hotel also sits atop some picturesque terraced gardens that lead down to the River Thames. On-site, it has a popular bar\restaurant and even a recently-opened beauty treatment room.
We were greeted by a stone dog statue, a sign of the warm welcome we were going to receive inside. The hotel hits the right balance between greeting dogs and making them feel special and not making parties with dogs feel like aliens among other guests.
Dogs are more than welcome across nearly all of the four-star site, including some beautiful communal seating for larger parties to meet up and socialise. The main restaurant area is a dog-free zone, but there’s a well-sized sun terrace (complete with umbrellas) and a luxurious inside dining area where they are allowed.
Dinner On The Sun Terrace
We opted to sit on the terrace for our dinner. Known as 144 On The Hill, the restaurant serves sophisticated, interesting dishes without feeling inaccessible or snobby. Pie’s humans were impressed that there were multiple vegan options and that those who are not drinking alcohol had four mocktails to choose from as well as alcohol-free beer. If you’re into gin, they have almost 50 varieties to choose from!
Pie was given a warm welcome and compliments as we sat down and swiftly brought some water and treats. The staff even let me check the ingredients (for dietary requirements) before filling the bowl. Pie was delighted when, following a conversation where we mentioned her love for a variety of vegetables, the waiter returned with a smorgasbord of carrots, sugar snap peas and leaves for her to munch on. She was given more VIP treatment at breakfast, which once again gave her humans an impressive choice of vegan options – the pancakes are a must!
While eating, we met a young Labrador puppy who had been brought across from East London for a weekend break. It was good to see several other dogs enjoying themselves across the course of our stay – clearly, word of the hotel’s dog-friendly status is spreading.
Making Ourselves At Home
We were impressed by the fact that the hotel makes rooms available for dog bookings across all categories, from single rooms to luxury ones. Some hotels can be much more restrictive, leaving you paying for a larger room than you would like.
We stayed in a Georgian Junior Suite, up on the third floor with some beautiful pieces in the room, including a free-standing bath and Instagram-worthy phone handset.
The hotel welcomed Pie with two big bowls, a chewy treat and a bone-patterned blanket to feel at home in the room.
We were slightly worried Pie might have a little accident on her way to toilet breaks, as we had a few carpeted corridors to navigate to reach the lift. It wasn’t a long walk, but maybe for those without the strongest bladders, you could consider bringing an emergency puppy pad to put in the bathroom.
Dog beds aren’t supplied, so you might want to consider bringing one from home – as the Labrador puppy we met at dinner had done. If your dog needs their food refrigerated, not all rooms have a fridge. Ours didn’t, but you could phone ahead to check whether the hotel could keep something refrigerated for you.
As part of the hotel renovations, the SKIN lounge has opened to provide facials, beauty treatments and massages on-site. With oils and relaxing music floating through the air, Pie quickly settled down for a snooze in the waiting room with one of her humans while our human Mum-to-be was given a 90-minute pregnancy massage. Our masseuse explained that SKIN lounge also has a popular skin clinic, beauty salon and shop elsewhere in Richmond, where dogs sometimes sit on the treatment table while their humans receive their massage!
Roaming Richmond
As mentioned earlier, the dog-friendly Richmond Hill Hotel couldn’t be closer to Richmond Park. This meant we were able to take a relaxing evening stroll before dinner, spotting deer, foxes and lots of birds. Dogs do need to be kept on leads, and we were warned that deer can be very protective over their young, so we kept Pie at a safe distance.
Although the park is an obvious draw, the hotel provides hints and tips about other things you can do with your dog in the local area. We found the staff to be very knowledgeable, recommending dog-friendly spots in the town, walks and things to do with your dog nearby to consider.
Richmond’s high street was very dog-friendly, with water bowls outside many pubs like the doggy beer station at the Angel and Crown, and Pie was welcomed into many shops, not least the upmarket Richmond Rascals pet shop.
Finer Details
Adding a dog to your booking costs £35 (per dog, per night). There is no specific size limit for dogs, and they recommended no more than two dogs per booking. You can book via the hotel website.
Parking is available on-site, although we took the London Overground – the station, which also serves national rail trains to London Waterloo, is just a 15-20-minute walk away.
Dog-friendly Richmond Hill Hotel Review
As you can tell, Pie and her humans had a wonderful mini staycation at the newly dog-friendly Richmond Hill Hotel, which strikes the perfect balance for a relaxing city meets country break in the capital. Here’s Pie’s Richmond Hill Hotel review verdict…
Paws up for…
- Great location right outside Richmond Park, and luxurious interiors
- A warm welcome from staff, guests and other dogs
- Fine dining with your dog
Paws for thought…
- If your dog sleeps in a bed, you will need to bring it, and you will need to check food refrigeration options
- You will need to be smart with toilet breaks to avoid any accidents en-route
Find the Richmond Hill Hotel on Instagram or on Facebook.
Enjoy Puppers!
