Best Western Pet Policy – NerdWallet

With more than 4,000 locations and 19 different brands, you won’t have far to go to find a Best Western hotel. However, for many travelers, finding a hotel with vacant rooms isn’t quite enough. For families with furry members, locating properties that are pet-friendly can be a struggle.

Happily, there are many Best Western hotels that allow pets to stay overnight. Let’s take a look at Best Western’s pet policy, any fees you’ll need to pay and how to find a pet-friendly Best Western.

Does Best Western allow pets? Travelers will be glad to know that there are plenty of pet-friendly Best Westerns all over the globe, with 1,200 in North America alone. A further 900 can be found in the rest of the world.

Best Western is not the most pet-friendly of the brands. Per our analysis, approximately one-third of Best Western properties welcome pets, and its average pet fee is $70 per night. This ends up costing about 20% of a typical room rate.

What’s more, there are many restrictions as to which kinds of pets you can bring. On its website, its states: “Other pet types such as cats, birds, monkeys, snakes or other animals are allowed at the discretion of each property and require prior approval.”

Although there are 2,100 pet-friendly Best Western properties, the policies for each vary. Each property sets its own rules, which means you’ll likely need to contact the hotel directly to ensure your pet is on your reservation.

Be aware that there will be size limits and a limit on the number of pets you can bring. For example, the SureStay by Best Western San Diego Pacific Beach allows up to two dogs per room. The hotel enforces a size limit of 80 pounds per animal. Cats can also be conditionally approved to stay.

Best Western charges fees for staying with your pet that vary by property. The aforementioned SureStay Hotel welcomes two pets up to 80 pounds for an additional fee of $25 per pet, per night. Both dogs and cats are allowed. It also charges a refundable $100 deposit for damage and cleaning.

Be aware that if your pet causes excessive damage to a Best Western, the deposit you’ve been charged may not be enough and you may be assessed additional fees.

Finding a pet-friendly Best Western hotel is really simple. You’ll first want to head to Best Western’s website, which will load with a search bar.

From here, you can input your location and stay dates. You’ll then be presented with an interactive map displaying results.

On the left hand side of the page you’ll see a filter section, which includes the ability to filter for pet-friendly properties.

Once selected, you’ll only be shown hotels that accept animals. Although there’s no box to tick during the checkout process to indicate that you’ll be bringing an animal, you will be able to view the property’s pet policy by scrolling down to the ‘Hotel Policies’ section on the checkout page.

Per the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a service animal is: “A dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability.” Those who have service animals and are not frequent travelers may be unfamiliar with the ADA’s policy for hotel stays.

According to the ADA, those who travel with a service dog must be allowed the same access to facilities as those traveling without. This means that they’re able to stay in a pet friendly hotel or a non-pet-friendly hotel without issue.

Beyond this, fees that would generally be assessed for bringing a pet must be waived for those traveling with service animals.

Are Best Westerns pet friendly? Yes, but not always. Before you book, take a look at Best Western’s website to ensure that the property you’re visiting will also welcome your pets. Roughly 30% of Best Westerns will offer it as an option.

Expect costs to vary, from $25 per night per animal to up to $45, on average. If staying with your pet is important, consider an IHG property, which nabbed first place in NerdWallet’s annual analysis on the most pet-friendly hotels.