There is a meaningful difference between a hotel that tolerates pets and a hotel that welcomes them. Most hotels that allow dogs do so with a pet fee, a weight restriction, a list of prohibited areas, and the unspoken message that your companion is a liability to be managed rather than a guest to be celebrated. A small number of luxury hotels have made a genuine business decision in the opposite direction — investing in pet amenities, training staff in dog-forward hospitality, removing fees and weight limits, and competing for the loyalty of travelers who refuse to leave their dogs behind. These are the hotels worth knowing about.
In This Guide
- What to Look For in a Pet-Friendly Luxury Hotel
- Kimpton Hotels: The Gold Standard
- Loews Hotels: Loves Pets Program
- Rosewood Hotels
- Fairmont Hotels
- Auberge Resorts Collection
- 1 Hotels
- Standout Individual Properties
- Travel Tips for Luxury Pet Stays
- FAQs
What to Look For in a Pet-Friendly Luxury Hotel
Not all pet-friendly policies are equal. When evaluating a luxury hotel for a dog-inclusive stay, four criteria matter most:
Fee structure. The clearest signal of a hotel's actual attitude toward pets is whether it charges a pet fee — and how large that fee is. Hotels that charge $150 per night in pet fees are not truly pet-welcoming; they are monetizing a tolerance. The genuinely pet-forward brands — Kimpton foremost among them — have made a deliberate decision to waive pet fees entirely, recognizing that pet-traveling guests are loyal, high-value, and underserved by the industry's default hostility.
Weight and breed restrictions. Many hotels that advertise as "pet-friendly" maintain weight limits (typically 25–50 lbs) that exclude large and medium-large breeds, or breed restrictions that exclude common dogs without meaningful safety justification. The brands that have made a genuine commitment to pet travel do not restrict by weight or breed.
Pet amenities. A hotel that genuinely invests in pet hospitality provides a pet amenity on arrival — typically a branded welcome kit including a bed, food and water bowls, treats, and a waste bag supply — and has considered the pet guest's experience with the same intentionality applied to the human guest's experience. Some properties go further: Loews hotels provide a dedicated pet menu and Kimpton properties often have in-room treats and local dog treat recommendations curated by the property team.
On-property access. A truly pet-welcoming hotel allows dogs in lobbies, lounges, and outdoor areas — not merely in the room. The difference between a hotel that allows your dog in the room and one that welcomes your dog in the lobby, terrace, and dining areas is the difference between tolerating a pet and hosting one.
Kimpton Hotels: The Gold Standard for Pet-Friendly Luxury
Kimpton has been the gold standard for pet-friendly luxury hospitality since the brand was founded in San Francisco in 1981 with an explicit commitment that pets are family and should be treated accordingly. The policy has never wavered: no pet fees, no size restrictions, no breed restrictions. Every Kimpton property welcomes dogs (and cats) of any size, any breed, at no additional charge — a policy that has earned Kimpton a ferociously loyal following among pet-traveling guests who have experienced the contrast with the industry's default approach.
Every Kimpton property provides a pet bed, food and water bowls, and a welcome amenity for the dog. The front desk keeps pet treats at the check-in desk. Lobbies are pet-accessible. Staff are trained to interact with and acknowledge the pet guest, not merely tolerate its presence.
Kimpton La Peer Hotel — West Hollywood, CA
The boutique design hotel in the heart of West Hollywood's Design District — 105 rooms, a rooftop pool with Sunset Strip views, and the full Kimpton pet welcome program. West Hollywood's walkable streets and proximity to Runyon Canyon (dog-friendly trail system) make this one of the best urban Kimpton pet stays available. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Kimpton Gray Hotel — Chicago
In a restored 1910 Classical Revival building in Chicago's Loop — steps from the Chicago Riverwalk, which is one of the best urban dog-walking environments in the US — the Gray Hotel brings Kimpton's no-fee, no-restriction pet policy to a stunning heritage building. The Loop location puts Grant Park and the lakefront paths within walking distance. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Kimpton Rowan Palm Springs — California
The Kimpton in Palm Springs — rooftop pool with San Jacinto mountain views, a location walkable to the entire Palm Canyon Drive strip, and the Sonoran Desert's dog-friendly hiking trails a short drive away. Palm Springs' dry, mild winters make this one of the finest cold-weather retreats for dogs and their owners in the American West. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Kimpton EPIC Miami
On the Miami Riverwalk in downtown Brickell — with bay views, a two-level pool deck, and immediate access to the Brickell City Centre and waterfront walks. Miami's year-round warmth makes this an ideal cold-weather pet escape, and Brickell's increasingly walkable waterfront provides the outdoor space that larger dogs particularly appreciate. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Kimpton Armory Hotel — Bozeman, Montana
In a converted 1941 National Guard Armory in downtown Bozeman — gateway to Yellowstone, Glacier, and the best dog-friendly trail systems in the Northern Rockies — the Armory is the ideal basecamp for outdoor travelers with dogs. The proximity to world-class dog-friendly hiking, Hyalite Reservoir, and Gallatin National Forest makes this the most compelling pet-inclusive adventure hotel in the Kimpton portfolio. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Loews Hotels: The Loves Pets Program
Loews Hotels launched its "Loews Loves Pets" program in 1999 — one of the first major hotel chains to formalize a pet-inclusive hospitality philosophy — and has maintained a genuine commitment to the standard it set. Loews allows pets of all sizes with no breed restrictions, provides in-room pet amenity kits on arrival, maintains a dedicated in-room pet menu (including dog-appropriate meal options), and offers pet-sitting and dog-walking referrals through the concierge at most properties. The pet fee structure varies by property but is typically lower than the industry standard for comparable hotels.
Loews Coral Gables Hotel — Miami
In the Mediterranean Revival architecture of Coral Gables — Coconut Grove and Brickell adjacent, with the Venetian Pool and Miracle Mile walkable — the Loews Coral Gables brings the Loves Pets program to one of Miami's most livable and walkable neighborhoods. The outdoor pool terrace and Coral Gables' tree-lined residential streets provide an unusually comfortable urban environment for larger dogs. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Loews Regency New York — Park Avenue
The classic Park Avenue address — 379 Park Avenue on the Upper East Side, two blocks from Central Park — brings the Loews Loves Pets program to the world's most famous urban dog-walking environment. Central Park's 843 acres include designated off-leash dog hours (6–9 AM and 9 PM–1 AM) across most of the park's lawns, making a stay at the Loews Regency one of the most dog-positive urban luxury hotel experiences in the world. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Rosewood Hotels
Rosewood hotels welcome pets at most properties, with the brand's characteristic attention to detail applied to the pet arrival experience. Properties typically provide a customized pet amenity box (bed, bowls, treats, toy, branded bandana), in-room pet menu, and designated pet relief areas. Weight limits and fees vary by property — the Rosewood standard is more generous than most luxury chains but less uniformly permissive than Kimpton.
Rosewood Sand Hill — Menlo Park, CA
On 16 acres of California oak woodland in Menlo Park — the quietest and most resort-like property in the Silicon Valley luxury hotel market — Rosewood Sand Hill's pet program takes advantage of the property's outdoor scale in a way that urban Rosewood properties cannot. Dogs are walked on the hotel's own trails through the oak woodland; the pet welcome kit is among the most considered in the brand. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek — Dallas
The grande dame of Dallas luxury — a 1925 cotton magnate's mansion in Turtle Creek's residential neighborhood — welcomes dogs with the Rosewood pet program and the advantage of Turtle Creek Park's dog-friendly trails directly adjacent to the property. The neighborhood's mature elm canopy and the creek itself create a genuinely bucolic urban dog environment. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Fairmont Hotels
Fairmont is notable in the luxury pet space for a specific reason beyond its pet-welcome policies: most Fairmont properties maintain their own resident dogs — typically golden retrievers or Labradors — who serve as property ambassadors, greet arriving guests in the lobby, and are available for afternoon walks with guests. The program, called "Fairmont Ambassadors" at some properties, reflects a genuine institutional commitment to dog culture that goes beyond a policy and into the brand's identity.
Fairmont Scottsdale Princess — Arizona
The Scottsdale Princess — 750 acres of Sonoran Desert resort with seven pools, multiple golf courses, and the TPC Stadium Course — welcomes pets with Fairmont's standard pet program and the desert landscape's morning and evening hiking access. The resident Ambassador dog program at the Scottsdale Princess is one of the most celebrated in the brand. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa — California
In the Wine Country town of Sonoma — vineyards, lavender fields, and the Sonoran mountain trails of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park surrounding the property — the Sonoma Mission Inn brings Fairmont's pet program to one of California's finest dog-travel destinations. Many Sonoma Valley wineries are dog-friendly on their grounds, making a stay here the anchor for a wine-country circuit that includes your dog. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Auberge Resorts Collection
Auberge's portfolio of intimate, destination-specific luxury resorts tends toward outdoor settings — wine country, mountain retreats, coastal escapes — that are inherently suited to dog travel. Most Auberge properties welcome pets with fees and weight considerations that vary by location, but the brand's outdoor orientation and typically low-density layouts (private cabins, cottages, and villas) make the logistics of pet travel significantly more comfortable than at urban tower hotels.
Solage, Calistoga — Napa Valley, CA
In the geothermal spa town of Calistoga at the northern end of Napa Valley — mud baths, natural hot springs, and the wine country landscape surrounding the property — Solage's cottage-based layout, with individual unit entrances and private patio gardens, creates the most dog-comfortable configuration in the Auberge portfolio. The Solage pet program includes a welcome amenity; the Calistoga morning air and the property's tree-lined paths constitute an excellent dog environment. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Hotel Jerome — Aspen, Colorado
The 1889 landmark hotel at the center of Aspen — a building that has anchored the town's social life through every era of its evolution from silver mining camp to ski resort — welcomes pets in the Auberge tradition, with Aspen's trail system (Independence Pass, Maroon Bells, the Rio Grande Trail along the Roaring Fork) providing some of the finest dog hiking in the American West outside of summer fire restrictions. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
1 Hotels
1 Hotels — the sustainability-focused luxury brand — has embedded pet-welcoming into its biophilic design philosophy: a brand that celebrates nature indoors and out has a natural alignment with the presence of animals. 1 Hotels properties welcome pets with no breed restrictions, provide organic pet treat welcome kits, and in many cases have on-site outdoor spaces specifically designed for pet use.
1 Hotel San Francisco
On the Embarcadero waterfront — with the Bay Bridge directly overhead, the Ferry Building adjacent, and the Embarcadero promenade providing some of the city's best dog-walking — 1 Hotel San Francisco brings the brand's nature-forward aesthetic and pet-inclusive philosophy to San Francisco's most dramatic waterfront address. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
1 Hotel South Beach — Miami Beach
The reclaimed-wood-and-living-wall flagship of the 1 Hotels brand — directly on Collins Avenue with direct beach access, rooftop pool, and the brand's organic pet welcome program. Miami Beach's morning beach walks (dogs permitted before 9 AM and after 5 PM on designated stretches) and the nearby South Pointe Dog Park make 1 Hotel South Beach one of the best pet-inclusive Miami Beach options at the luxury level. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Standout Individual Properties
Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco — Tuscany, Italy
The Tuscan wine estate in the Val d'Orcia UNESCO landscape — 4,200 acres of Brunello vineyards, cypress groves, and medieval borgo — is one of the world's great dog travel destinations: estate walking trails through the vineyards, truffle-hunting experiences available with dogs, the bocce courts and estate roads traversable on morning walks. Rosewood's pet program here includes the estate's own dogs as companions; the scale and beauty of the property mean your dog can genuinely run in one of Europe's most extraordinary landscapes. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Rosewood Miramar Beach — Montecito, CA
On a private beach in Montecito — the Santa Barbara enclave that is perhaps the most dog-welcoming affluent community in California — Rosewood Miramar's pet program includes beach access (dogs permitted on Miramar Beach at designated hours), estate grounds walking, and the full Rosewood pet amenity program. The Montecito village, with its dog-friendly boutiques and coffee shops, extends the pet-positive environment beyond the hotel grounds. Preferred partner perks through WhataHotel!
Travel Tips for Luxury Pet Stays
Call ahead, always. Even at brands with strong pet policies, individual properties have specific variations — designated pet relief areas, lobby access hours, floor assignments for pet rooms, noise policies. A pre-arrival call to guest relations (not the general reservations line) ensures your specific needs are accommodated and your pet's arrival is anticipated rather than managed reactively.
Request ground floor or terrace rooms. Ground floor rooms with direct outdoor access eliminate the elevator logistics that make larger dogs particularly challenging in hotel environments. Many of the properties above can assign specific pet-friendly room types on request.
Pack the essentials. Even at hotels with excellent pet amenities, bring your dog's own food (dietary consistency matters during travel), a travel water bowl, and any anxiety aids (familiar blanket, supplement) that help your dog settle in unfamiliar spaces. Hotels provide amenities; the comfort objects are yours to bring.
Ask about dog-walking services. Properties like Loews, Rosewood, and Kimpton can typically arrange dog-walking through the concierge when you have spa or dinner commitments. Pre-arranging this service avoids the logistical conflict between your plans and your dog's schedule.
Browse the full pet-friendly luxury hotel collection at WhataHotel!