Pet-Friendly Hotels in Sherbrooke, Quebec
Sherbrooke has two pet-friendly hotels, both full-service and both a short drive west of the old centre: the OTL Gouverneur Sherbrooke at 3131 rue King Ouest, scored 9.3 from 1,720 reviews, and the Delta Hotels by Marriott Sherbrooke Conference Centre, scored 8.4 from 324. Together they carry 2,044 reviews with a weighted average of 9.16 out of 10. The Delta is the one with a published rule: two pets per room, 23 kg each at most. The Gouverneur lists pets as allowed but publishes no size limit I could find, so a phone call settles it. For walks, Sherbrooke gives you a fenced off-leash park at Parc du Barrage and the lakeside promenade around the Lac des Nations, leashed.
Sherbrooke is the largest city of the Eastern Townships, a French-speaking university town built where the Magog River meets the Saint-François, with the Lac des Nations at its centre and Mont-Orford, Magog and Lake Memphremagog a short drive west. Its trails and riverside paths make it easy on a dog, as long as you know where the leash comes off.
Where your dog sleeps and runs
With only two hotels, the choice is quick; what makes the trip work is knowing each one's rule for dogs and where a dog can actually run in a city of trails, rivers and the Lac des Nations.
The Delta Hotels by Marriott Sherbrooke Conference Centre is the safer booking for a large dog, because its rule is written down. Marriott's page allows two pets per room at up to 23 kg each, with a pet fee charged per room rather than per animal; booking sites list the same 23 kg cap. That covers a border collie or a beagle, not most Bernese mountain dogs or German shepherds. The hotel has a restaurant, a bar and a fitness centre, sits a short drive from downtown, and scores 8.4 from 324 reviews.
The OTL Gouverneur Sherbrooke has the stronger reviews, 9.3 from 1,720, the highest score of any hotel on this page by a wide margin. Booking listings confirm that pets are allowed, but none gives a weight limit, a number of pets or rooms set aside, so call the hotel before you reserve, especially with a big dog. Its indoor pool, hot tub and sauna are for people, not dogs, which means someone stays with the dog while others swim. The steakhouse on site helps when you would rather not leave the room for long.
For an off-leash run, the Parc à chiens de Sherbrooke sits inside Parc du Barrage and is fenced, with benches, bins and bags for waste. Dogs stay on a leash until the gate, and each person may bring two dogs at most. The listing gives opening hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., but that comes from a travel aggregator, so check before a late visit. Dogs living in Sherbrooke need a tag issued by the SPA de l'Estrie; a visiting dog should wear its own licence and identification from home.
For a long leashed walk, take the Promenade du Lac-des-Nations, which loops around the lake in the centre from Parc Jacques-Cartier; dogs are welcome on a leash. It is the easiest walk in town from either hotel: flat, paved, and wrapped around a lake that is in fact a widening of the Magog River, so the loop follows the water the whole way. In August, the Fête du Lac des Nations fills the shore with crowds and fireworks, so plan a quieter walk elsewhere that week if your dog dislikes noise.
A traveler's takeI would book the OTL Gouverneur for its 9.3 score and its pool, after a quick call to confirm the dog and its size are welcome. If the answer were vague, I would take the Delta, whose 23 kg rule is written down, as long as my dog fits under it. Either way, I would start the morning on the Promenade du Lac-des-Nations and save the fenced park at Parc du Barrage for a real run before the drive home.
4.7OTL Gouverneur Sherbrooke
Pet-Friendly · 1720 reviewsLuxury hotel with ski-in/ski-out access, spa, and steakhouse dining
Why guests love itAn indoor pool with a hot tub and a sauna gives OTL Gouverneur Sherbrooke a solid rainy-day plan for families, and there is a garden and a terrace when the weather turns. Dinner is easy at the on-site steakhouse, rooms are air-conditioned with flat-screen TVs, and pets are accepted. Guests rate the hotel 9.3 from 1,720 reviews, one of the strongest scores I have seen in Sherbrooke.
4.2Delta Hotels by Marriott Sherbrooke Conference Centre
Pet-Friendly · 324 reviewsModern comfort with dining, fitness, and pet-friendly options near downtown
Why guests love itFamilies get a practical set-up at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Sherbrooke Conference Centre: a restaurant, a bar and a lounge on site, a fitness centre, free WiFi and rooms that accept pets. It sits a short drive from downtown Sherbrooke, so a car makes outings easier. Rooms come with a large cable TV and a work desk. Guests score it 8.4 from 324 reviews, a reassuring figure for a weekend base.
Local tips
- 1Weigh your dog before booking the Delta: Marriott sets a 23 kg limit per pet and two pets per room, and booking sites repeat it.
- 2Call the OTL Gouverneur before reserving with a large dog: pets are allowed, but no size limit is published in its listings.
- 3Head to Parc du Barrage for an off-leash run: the city's fenced dog park there has benches, bins and bags, and two dogs per person at most.
- 4Keep the leash on until the gate of the dog park, then again on the Promenade du Lac-des-Nations, where dogs are welcome only on a leash.
- 5Start the lake loop from Parc Jacques-Cartier, the usual starting point, for an easy walk past the Magog River and the city's murals.
- 6Avoid the lakeshore with a noise-shy dog during the Fête du Lac des Nations in August, when crowds and fireworks fill the area.
- 7At the OTL Gouverneur, plan who stays with the dog while others use the indoor pool, hot tub and sauna, which are for guests only.
- 8Bring your dog's licence tag and identification from home: dogs living in Sherbrooke need an SPA de l'Estrie tag, and a tag helps if a dog slips away.