Hotel Chains With No Pet Fee: Three That Publish It Brand-Wide, and Why Most Cannot

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The verdict

1. Kimpton is the only chain here whose own page removes every variable at once — no fee, no deposit, no weight limit, no breed limit, and no cap on how many animals you bring. If your dog is large, or there are two of them, start there and compare Kimpton and rival rates for your dates before you assume a budget chain is cheaper all-in.
2. Motel 6 is the budget answer: pets stay free, two per room, at Motel 6 locations. The published exception is Studio 6, where the policy states a $10.00 per day pet fee capped at $100.00 per stay.
3. Red Roof is the best-documented middle ground — first pet free, $15 per night for a second, capped at $105 per pet on stays of seven nights or more — and the only chain here that publishes a limit on what an individual property may add at check-in.

The honest answer first

At most hotel chains, the pet fee is not set by the chain. It is set by the property. That is the single most important thing to know before you search for a "no pet fee hotel chain," and it is why most big-brand pet pages cannot give you a single number at all.

Here is what that looks like in practice. Hilton Garden Inn Los Angeles Airport publishes its own pet policy on its own Hilton page: "Pets allowed. $75 non-refundable fee. $75(1-4n),$125(5+n) 2petsMax,dog/cat only." The same page lists a maximum pet weight of 50 lbs. None of that comes from Hilton Honors; it comes from that hotel, and another Hilton Garden Inn can publish something different.

So a chain qualifies here only if the chain itself publishes the pet term, brand-wide, on its own policy page. Three did. Two more publish a chain-level number with a property-level escape hatch, covered at the end, because those are the ones most likely to surprise you at check-in.

1. Kimpton: no fee, no deposit, no limits

Kimpton's pet page is the shortest document in this comparison and the most complete. It states that "we invite you to bring your furry, feathery or scaly family member — no matter their size, weight, or breed, all at no extra charge," and adds that if your pet fits through the door, they will welcome them in. The bullets underneath remove the remaining questions: "No additional charge for pets, no deposit required" and "No limit on number of pets allowed."

That combination is rare. Most "pet-friendly" policies are really three policies — a fee, a weight cap and a count cap — and a traveller with an 80-pound dog or two cats usually trips at least one. Kimpton removes all three at the brand level, which is why it tops the list even though its rates sit well above the budget chains below. The same page lists plush pet-bed loaners, bowls and mats, a concierge list of nearby pet-friendly parks and groomers, and door hangers alerting staff that an animal is in the room.

Best for: large dogs, multiple pets, and anyone who wants the question settled at the brand level rather than the front desk.

2. Motel 6: free at Motel 6, priced at Studio 6

Motel 6's reservation policies page carries the brand-level line "service animals and well-behaved pets always stay free" and states a "Pet limit of 2 pets per room."

Read the parenthesis in the same sentence, because it is the whole caveat: "Studio 6 locations require a $10.00 per day pet fee to a maximum of $100.00 per stay." Studio 6 is the extended-stay sibling brand, the one you are likelier to book for a long drive or a relocation, and it is not free. The page also notes that some state and local municipalities forbid pets other than service animals, so even the free policy has a legal carve-out.

The operational rules matter too: pets must be declared at check-in, leashed outside the room, and never left unattended. Housekeeping will not service a room with a loose unattended pet, and the page says failing to accommodate that may mean being asked to vacate.

Best for: a one-dog road trip where the goal is a $0 line on the folio.

3. Red Roof: free first pet, and a published ceiling

Red Roof's pet policy is the most detailed of the three, and the most useful. Red Roof Inn and Red Roof PLUS+ locations welcome up to two domestic pets per room, "not to exceed 80 pounds per pet." The fees: "The first pet stays free of charge. There is a $15 per night charge for the second pet." And the ceiling that matters on a long drive: "The fee for additional pets may not exceed $105 per pet for guests staying 7+ nights."

An 80-pound cap is unusually generous among budget chains, and it is published rather than left to the desk.

Two caveats sit on the same page. The first is a brand carve-out: "Policies vary by location at HomeTowne Studios by Red Roof and The Red Collection hotels." If your exit off the interstate has a HomeTowne Studios rather than a Red Roof Inn, the free-pet headline does not travel with the logo.

The second is unusual. Red Roof's FAQ states that "The property may not require a pet deposit or charge additional pet fees, including cleaning fees, at check-in." In context — directly under the answer confirming guests are responsible for pet damage — it reads as a limit on what the individual property may add, not as a hedge. That is the opposite of how most chains handle it, and the reason Red Roof's number is more trustworthy than a comparable headline elsewhere. The page also exempts a guest travelling with an assistance animal plus one pet from the additional fee, and names a small number of locations that cannot accept pets at all.

Best for: a mid-to-large dog on a multi-night drive, where the 80-pound cap and the seven-night ceiling both do real work.

The two that publish a number and then hand it back

La Quinta by Wyndham states on its own pet page: "An optional pet fee may be charged at check-in ($25 per night for a max of $75 per room per stay)." Note the word "optional." The chain publishes a ceiling and leaves the decision to the property — more transparent than saying nothing, and still a number you cannot rely on until you call. Authorised service animals are exempt.

Extended Stay America publishes an actual fee rather than an optional one: "There will be up to a $25 (+ tax) per day non-refundable cleaning fee for the first six (6) nights per pet," dropping to a fee not exceeding $15 per day thereafter, with no per-stay cap. It uses a dimension limit rather than a weight limit — "pets can be no longer than 36 inches and no taller than 36 inches" — with two pets per suite and larger animals needing a property manager's approval. For a tall dog, that is a stricter gate than an 80-pound cap.

The long-stay economics of that trade-off are in our Red Roof versus Extended Stay America breakdown for a ten-night work trip and our read on whether Extended Stay America beats a short-term rental for a month.

How to check before you book

Four questions settle almost every case, and all four are about the property, not the brand:

• Per night, per stay, or per pet? A $25 nightly fee and a $75 per-stay cap are different products past night three.
• Is there a long-stay cap? Red Roof caps at $105 per additional pet past seven nights; Extended Stay America explicitly does not.
• Weight limit or size limit? Extended Stay America uses 36 inches both ways; Red Roof uses 80 pounds; Kimpton uses neither.
• Does the sub-brand share the policy? Studio 6 charges where Motel 6 does not; HomeTowne Studios varies where Red Roof Inn does not.

The wider lesson is the one that governs resort fees and parking charges in our breakdown of what a hotel night really costs: the advertised rate and the folio are different numbers, and the gap is where the chain pushes decisions down to the property. The same pattern runs through our late-checkout shortlist and our pet-friendly budget chain ranking.

Once you have a chain in mind, compare pet-friendly rates for your dates, then phone the hotel to confirm the fee, the weight or size limit, and how many animals it takes.

FAQ

Which hotel chains have no pet fee?

Kimpton publishes no pet fee, no deposit and no limit on the number, size, weight or breed of pets. Motel 6 states that well-behaved pets always stay free with a limit of two per room, though Studio 6 locations charge $10.00 per day up to $100.00 per stay. Red Roof lets the first pet stay free at Red Roof Inn and Red Roof PLUS+ locations, with $15 per night for a second pet.

Do hotel pet fees vary by location?

Yes, at most chains, and that is the central problem with searching for a no-pet-fee brand. Hilton Garden Inn Los Angeles Airport, for example, publishes its own $75 non-refundable pet fee and a 50 lb maximum on its Hilton page. The chain-level brands that do publish a single brand-wide rule are the exception rather than the norm.

Is there a weight limit for dogs at pet-friendly hotels?

It depends on the chain. Red Roof publishes 80 pounds per pet, up to two pets per room. Extended Stay America publishes no weight limit but caps pets at 36 inches long and 36 inches tall, with larger animals needing a property manager's approval. Kimpton publishes no size, weight or breed restriction at all.

Are pet fees refundable?

Generally not. Extended Stay America calls its charge a non-refundable cleaning fee, and La Quinta states that any pet fee charged is non-refundable. Red Roof's policy differs in structure: it states the property may not require a pet deposit or charge additional pet fees at check-in, while confirming guests remain responsible for damage a pet causes.

Do service animals count as pets at hotels?

No. Red Roof states that assistance animals are not pets, that pet policies do not apply to them, and that a guest travelling with an assistance animal plus one pet is not charged the additional fee. Motel 6 states service animals are always welcome at no charge, and La Quinta states authorised service animals are not subject to a pet fee.