Dudley & Co’s guide to the best dog-friendly hotels in New York.

Words by Elliot Wilson

Apples aren’t good for pups – the pips are poisonous. But what about the Big Apple? There are few better cities than New York, with its festoonery of dog-friendly cafes and the splendour of Central Park. But it’s the hotels that catch the eye. The best don’t just ‘accept’ dogs, they embrace our furry friends.

Here are six of the best dog-friendly hotels in New York:

We start with The Benjamin, a family-run place a short walk from Times Square, named after founder Benjamin ‘Bud’ Denihan. Bud loved dogs – a painting of him with a pedigree spaniel hangs in the wood-paneled foyer. When Dudley & Co visits, we get a tour of the hotel, a luxury all-suite affair, many with balconies – perfect for letting your mate cock a cheeky morning leg. The Benjamin accepts dogs of all sizes and shapes, from Chihuahuas to Great Danes. There’s no doggy room service, but all suites come with dog beds and water bowls. And the hotel donates a portion of its profit to Animal League, a no-kill animal shelter.

At the Loews Regency on Park Avenue, décor and decorum are the order of the day. There’s a great bar that twinkles to the sound of crushed ice and cocktail shakers, perfect for weekday suits and weekend tourists. This is a true original, dog-friendly since it opened in 1963. You pay a small cleaning charge at check-in, but for that your furry friend gets a box of treats, a dog bowl and bed, and a menu bursting with items like organic chicken and rice, made to-order by the chef.

Some hotels like dogs; others love them. Then there’s Staypineapple, whose New York residence is what you’d get if the Oscars did Wellness retreats. Its yellow-fresh Website literally bursts with health and it actively urges you to bring along your furry friend, pledging: ‘We aren’t just dog-friendly, we’re dog-obsessed’! You get a special Staypineapple dog bed and tin of treats, and anyone who books direct gets a 50% discount off the cleaning fee.

You don’t get farther up the luxury scale than The Chatwal in the Theatre District, with its elegant Art Deco interiors and classic spa. Pup gets a bed, a Yellow Cab-shaped chewtoy, and a treats menu in the style of a theatre playbill. Oh, and as this is a favoured hangout of actors, the Chatwal employs a ‘Pet Wardrobe Supervisor’, who will curate a personalised jacket, booties, bow-tie and bandana.

A short walk from Greenwich Village, the W New York Union Square is all-in on the dog-pampering front: its Paw Program gives every pair of pleading eyes a plush bed and some chew toys, as well as a turndown treat. Like all of the Big Apple’s pro-pup hotels, the W doesn’t discriminate on size: your best friend is welcome, whether he or she is at home nestled in a handbag or atop a Swiss mountain.

Located in a classic Beaux-Arts flatiron building, the Dream Midtown lies somewhere between classic and luxury, and is a great choice for anyone with a dog in tow but a limit on their budget. So long as pup weighs under 25 pounds or 11kg (think of a typical Boston Terrier or French Bulldog), they are welcome. It isn’t fancy but it is convivial, and after a day roving Central Park, that’s all you really need.