Top 5 Pet-Friendly Budget Hotel Chains

Published December 15, 2008

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Pet friendly hotel chains are a perfect alternative to leaving your dog or cat at home.

Finding a pet friendly hotel can be a challenge since not every motel or hotel allows pets and some require deposits and extra fees, testing the limits of your credit card.

Most pet friendly hotel chains are franchises, with each property owned by a different management company. These separate owners set the policies for their hotels. Don't worry, though.

You can find a place to bed down with your pets using two lists, a few hints and a phone.

The Top 5 Pet-Friendly Budget Hotel Chains

1. Motel 6 facilities, all 900 of them, leave the light on for you and your one pet per room. Motel 6 was the first national pet friendly hotel chain, and has been welcoming pets since 1962. No extra fees or deposits are required. Read their pet policy.

2. La Quinta Inns & Suites allow pets at 99 percent of their 700+ properties, according to Teresa Ferguson, director of Communications and Public Relations. "People who travel with their pets generally have very well-behaved and well-groomed animals," she says. Accordingly, LaQuinta does not require deposits, fees or up charges on rooms with pets.

3. Red Roof Inn welcome pets at over 340 locations in 36 states. No additional charges. Read Red Roof's pet policy.

4. Best Western is the world's largest hotel chain and has over 1900 pet-friendly locations, 1000 of which are in the U.S. & Canada. With so many locations, it's a good bet there's one where you and your pet are traveling.

5. Candlewood Suites is where pets less than 80 lbs are always welcome. This pet friendly hotel chain may feel a lot like home for your pet, as larger accommodations for extended stays include a full kitchen and seating area. There is a fee for pets and vaccination records must be available. Read Candlewood Suites pet guidelines.

Selected OtherHotel Chains Accepting Pets

Families staying in one area for several days sometimes prefer pet friendly residential hotels with kitchens and living rooms in addition to bedrooms.

Suite hotels (and most moderately-priced hotels) usually charge cleaning fees of $100 or more. Pet friendly hotels say they perform a more thorough cleaning to remove pet hair and dander, and spruce up any nose prints doggie dearest left on the walls.

These fees may be worth the cost if you are staying for several days. Speak with the manager directly so you are clear on the finances.

Honorable Mentions (Total number of pet-friendly properties)

Econo-lodge Hotels (380)
Days Inn Hotels (most locations pet-friendly)
Comfort Inn (Over 550)
Holiday Inn (450)
Americas Best Value Inn (400)
Clarion Inn and Suites (60)
Comfort Suites (85)
The Intercontinental Hotels include InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express (some pets welcome), Candlewood Suites and Staybridge Suites. Prices vary between these brands. (1,600)
Quality Inn (300)
Rodeway Inns (80)
Travel Lodge (300)

Pet Travel Resources

Petside.com Travel Center
Petswelcome.com offers a fabulous techno-service that allows you to download pet-friendly hotels into your GPS so you can find the pet-friendly lodgings along your route as you drive. Hotel names, addresses, numbers and pet policies are included. This site also offers a route-based search capability - one that will show all the pet-friendly lodgings between your departure point and destination.
Dogfriendly.com is a complete source of information about pet travel.
Pettravel.com maintains a directory of pet-friendly hotels searchable by city, state, and country.
Petsonthego.com offers a travel magazine for dogs, guide books on pet-friendly travel, and an website that pinpoints pet-friendly hotels, B&B's, inns, resorts and private rentals around the country.
Fido Friendly Magazine is the print magazine dedicated to the travel lifestyle of mans' best friend. Order through FidoFriendly.com.
Just in case you're in the mood to splurge, see our 10 Pet Friendly Luxury Hotels and Resorts.

Petside Team

Petside is run by pet lovers just like you, and is here to help you be the best pet parents you…

Filed Under: Budgeting, Health & Home, News & Blogs, Travel, Pet Travel Guide
Tags: Cats, Dogs, pet budget, pet friendly, pet friendly hotels, Pet Travel Resources, pets and hotels, travel

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Comments (14)

Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 10-08-2012 02:51am

Maybe you should check and see if they accept pets before you check in, or if they do, ask for a room away from where they allow the pets in the rooms. Like myself, I travel with my dogs going to home or for Christmas with my brother and I stay 2 night to get to my brothers.

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 07-27-2012 07:34pm

There are plenty of hotels that don't allow dogs. If it is that much of an issue for you, heck the website before hand. It tells you plainly if it does/doesn't allow pets. That's all on you for not researching ahead of time or not asking to be moved to another room.

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Ann Mowery (Unverified)

Added 01-06-2012 06:30pm

I will completely agree that there are irresponsible pet owners that dont deserve a pet, let alone take them on a trip.
I have paid for many a "quiet night's sleep" and was kept awake as well. NONE of those were by pets. They were by rude, disrespectful people. Mostly by spoiled kids that run and jump and scream while their parents sit and do NOTHING,or by apparently deaf people who fall asleep watching TV at the loudest possible level.
Responsible pet owners will agree with me in the fact that I research what hotels will accept me and my pet, if you are so offended then perhaps you should do a little research and plan to stay at the thousands that do not allow pets.

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Mike Concordia (Unverified)

Added 03-10-2011 01:18pm

I have to share this email that I sent to the LaQuinta hotel chain. it is about unsanitary conditions. I'm sure dog lovers will take issue , however being a dog owner for many of my 70 years, I would never let this happen with my dogs, I have more respect for my fellow travelers.If you you need to travel with your pet get a motor home. Hear is my email to LaQuinta; Our recent stay at the Jupiter LaQuinta was enough to convince my wife and I never to stay there again. 1) Your Pet friendly program is an disgrace to clean living travelers. We saw large dogs crap outside the hotel and their owners not clean up their mess, leaving the outside of the hotel a pig sty , the dogs then prance inside the hotel and go to the rooms with dog dirt on their paws. I have to believe that the dogs jump onto the beds. The very bed that some unknowing traveler will sleep in. 2) The hotel is dirty ,dust on the lobby tables filthy carpets show the lack of unclean attitude of the hotel management. We will never stay there again, and will warn others of this hotel. I told the desk clerk about this and was informed that LaQuinta wants the income from dog owners. Well they won't get any more income from us. Disgusted with LaQuinta, Mike & Marge Concordia Rewards # W2062913 P.S. We have stayed here a few years ago and didn't experience this. This time we had booked another room for our friends and were embarrassed that we did. LaQuinta allows dogs in any room available , not just certain rooms. We got rid of the smokers .....dogs are even worse. Beware of pet friendly hotels, it's the new health dilemma. Do you think that these dogs , many very large ,don't urinate in the rooms and have accidents like pooping on the carpets? One person had 2 large dogs in their room. Think about it. I think that all hotels should rethink this "Pet Friendly" policy. We will not stay at these hotels again. Thanks for the list.

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Anonymous (Unverified)

Added 12-01-2011 09:43pm

Thats just plain persnickety.

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Heather (Unverified)

Added 02-25-2011 12:49pm

This is how Delta advertises their pet travel: "Pet Travel from Delta for happy healthy, jet-set pets" BUT this is what happened to me: On 1/22/11 we were having our newest family member, a kitten we named Snickers shipped to us from Utah. We paid for her to be in a climate controlled cargo & even paid an extra $70 for an expedited service called Delta Dash which should have meant she was the first thing off or on the plane. When we got to the airport, we waited, her flight came in at 8:40, they didn't bring her out to us until 9:30. (50 minutes after the plane landed) She was cold, pale, limp & unresponsive & had blood coming from her nose & mouth. My family rushed her to the emergency vet, but on the drive, she passed. The vet pronounced her DOA, she died from extreme hypothermia, she froze to death. Apparently, what we thought was a warm cargo bin, wasn't. When a plane lands, climate control is lost & she didn't stand a chance for 50 minutes in their cargo hold. If for any reason there is a holdup on the tarmac, our animals are trapped, unable to escape the extreme cold or extreme heat in the summer. Our family is devastated & Delta's response has been disgusting. They valued her life at 50 cents per pound if you can even believe that. Life to them is worth no more then 50 cents a pound -- DISTURBING! BUYER BEWARE!

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Pam (Unverified)

Added 02-02-2010 04:45pm

There's always one in the crowd, my husband and I are traveling from Mississippi to Mich and we have 3 dogs and 5 cats, this is not a joke, kinda wish it were. Are any hotels going to take us?