Pet-friendly Hotels and Hotel-friendly Pets

Ica, our blue-merle sheltie, has been traveling with us since she was six months old and has crossed the country six times. When we set off to any destination, we always have the current AAA TourBook for that area. You can buy AAA's book that lists pet-friendly accommodations, but the regular books that are free to members work also. The key is to look for the symbol of a dog in a square under the description of the hotel. If there is an extra charge for your pet, the word "fee" will be printed under the dog symbol. Sometimes the amount of the extra charge will appear under "terms." If the dog symbol is located after the slash in the "some units" section, I call to make sure that these are not smoking rooms.

The hotel chains that we have often found to allow pets at no extra charge are: Baymont Inn & Suites, Hampton Inn, La Quinta, Motel 6, and Westin. The Westin has always been among our favorites. We will never forget the wonderful experience at the Westin Nova Scotian. In our room we found a luxurious dog bed, a bowl for water, and a matching one filled with treats. Every time we went past the front desk, Ica was offered a biscuit. After a few days, she would stop by the front desk clerk and sit expectantly, waiting for her cookie.

We were disappointed with the Westin in Savannah, GA because they charged $100 extra for our dog. This additional charge was a big surprise since we stayed there the previous year and the new charge was not listed on their web site or in the AAA book.

The Day's Inn, Quality Inn, and Ramada almost always allow dogs at a reasonable extra fee, usually around $25. We have not found pet-friendly rooms to be dirty or smell like smoke. Of course we always request non-smoking rooms.

You can search for dog-friendly hotels on line with any of the travel sites, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity, etc. Click on "more search options" at the bottom of the form that you fill out with the date and city you are interested in, then check the "pets allowed" tab.