Shenstone Lodge, Kidderminster

Shenstone Lodge is a row of ground-floor rooms attached to a country pub on the Worcester Road south of Kidderminster, and it works well for anyone who wants a straightforward night away with a dog and no fuss made about it. Rooms open onto the car park rather than a corridor, entry is by keypad at whatever hour you arrive, and the bar next door is close enough that drinks have been carried across to the room.

Dogs are genuinely welcome here rather than merely permitted. Guests travelling with pets report no extra charge for bringing a dog, and the point that comes up over and over in their feedback is how warmly the staff greet them - first-time puppies and long-standing family dogs alike. The rooms are large, quieter than the roadside setting suggests, and easy to keep clean after a muddy walk.

The catch is outside the door. The lodge sits on a busy road with little more than an overgrown verge alongside it, so there is nowhere convenient for a proper walk without driving first, and dog owners raise this more than anything else. The car park surface is loose cinder, and guests have found cans, nails and scraps of metal in it, which is worth a look before letting a dog out of the car. The gate has a gap underneath big enough that a small dog would not be secure behind it. Dog owners have also been told on arrival that a dog booking meant a later check-in time, a claim management overturned on the spot, so it is worth knowing the standard time is the one that applies.

Rooms adjoin one another, so a neighbouring dog is audible, and the pub serves food but not breakfast, though staff readily point guests towards nearby options. Best suited to dog owners passing through or visiting the area who will be out for the day anyway and want a comfortable, well-priced room where a dog is no obstacle. It earns a 4.4/5 paw rating.