When we took our dogs with us on our road trip to the United States, we were worried that our hotel choices would be unremarkable. It turns out that finding pet-friendly places was incredibly easy, and we were able to stay in some outstanding accommodations. Here is a list of where we slept and what our thoughts were on our lodgings.

Super 8 Motel – Swift Current, SK, Canada

Our rating : 3/5
Google rating : 3.3/5
Stay again : no

This was not the greatest start to our trip. Our hotel room was dark, dingy, and smelled terribly like smoke. However, the hotel did have a continental breakfast, was located on the outskirts of town, and was next to several empty fields, which was perfect for walking Holly and Truman. Overall, it looked better on paper than in person.

Best Western Plus Clocktower Inn – Billings, MT

Our rating : 3.5/5
Google rating : 3.7/5
Stay again : no

The Clocktower Inn was physically much more appealing than the Super 8 Motel. It had a nice layout, a designated pee area for dogs, and a fantastic bakery just around the corner. The rooms were comfortable with colossal beds and tiny, but nice, bathrooms. In my opinion, this hotel should not be dog-friendly. To begin, it is located on Interstate 90 in the middle of the city. Walking your furry friends is a difficult task. Secondly, they put us on the second floor. With no elevator and a staircase that wasn’t completely closed off, travelling up and down the stairs with a senior, stubby-legged canine was impossible. We therefore had to carry her up and down with every trip. This got annoying considering she is 50 lbs. Additionally, the rooms are quite small in themselves. I would not stay here again with pets, and advise other pet owners to do the same.

Sleep Inn & Suites – Douglas, WY

Our rating : 4.5/5
Google rating : 4.2/5
Stay again : yes

This was our first decent hotel so far on our trip. Hallelujah. Situated more on the edge of the city, it is still conveniently near major food chains and gas stations. It is also right next to a residential area and a few small but beautiful parks. Our walks were quiet and enjoyable, and we felt more like residents than tourists. The hotel also offered huge and spacious rooms, and overall was very clean. The added bonus of a gym, pool, and continental breakfast made this one of the best hotels that we stayed in on our vacation. I would certainly choose this chain again.

The Hotel Denver – Glenwood Springs, CO

Our rating : 5/5
Google rating : 4.7/5
Stay again : yes

Praises aside for our previous hotel, The Hotel Denver is by far the most unique and finest accommodations that Geoffrey and I have ever been lucky enough to stay in. I don’t know what kind of travel gods we rubbed the right way, but for some reason, we were given a corner suite with views of Glenwood Springs and the mountains. It was the most picturesque views of our collective trip. The hotel was just to die for. The furniture alone in the halls were all antique pieces. Our room, with its exposed heating ducts and brick walls, was incredible. It was bigger than our first apartment. It had a seating area, office, walk-in closet, bedroom, wall-mount TV, and massive bathroom. The linens were handmade and exquisite, and the overall feel was that of pure class. We were also overlooking the river, railroad tracks, bridge, and hot springs. The hotel also had the trendiest, two-storey restaurant and brewpub which streamed movies on a brick wall. Although it was in the heart of the downtown area, it was such a pedestrian town that our walks were still enjoyable and equally adventurous. It still baffles me that the hotel was pet-friendly. 

Best Western Turquoise Inn & Suites – Cortez, CO

Our rating : 2/5
Google rating : 4.1/5
Stay again : no

How the hell is this rated 4.1/5 on Google? Granted, the rooms were spacious and there was a designated pee area for the dogs. However, I personally couldn’t see past the fact that we had an ant infestation in the bathroom, the linens and towels were incredibly old and worn, and the general feel of the building was that it was in desperate need of an upgrade. Also, they listed that there was a fitness centre. Big lie! How can they get away with that? The fact that again, there was no place to walk our dogs left a sour taste in our mouths. And it wasn’t the pizza that we ordered for supper.

Hotel Monaco Salt Lake City, A Kimpton Hotel – Salt Lake City, UT

Our rating: 4/5
Google rating : 4.1/5
Stay again : no

This hotel was stunning. It is an old building that was tastefully converted to have all the modern-day amenities. There was a gym, a gorgeous (pet-friendly) restaurant, huge lobby, the list goes on. Our room looked like it was suited for a palace, and we really were treated like royalty. It was our first time visiting Salt Lake City, and I wouldn’t have wanted to stay in any other hotel than this one. Yet, would we stay there again? Probably not. The fact that it was right downtown and only had valet parking were two major turnoffs for us, with dogs. Holly and Truman were terrified of the people and the streetcars, and the residents kept giving us glares for even having our dogs next to them and their formal attire. There was no grass in sight, and Holly kept pooping in the most awkward places. One was in front of the Hilton Hotel doors and their guests, and the other was in plain view of the morning news cast. If you are not travelling with dogs, you must stay here when visiting SLC. If you do have them, please think twice!

Residence Inn – Idaho Falls, ID

Our rating : 3/5
Google rating : 4/5
Stay again : no

Staying at the Residence Inn with pets makes you feel like you’ve been quarantined to a hospital ward with an infectious disease. The staff makes you use a back entrance rather than the main doors, keeps you away from other guest rooms that are pet-free, and makes you display a sign on your door informing others that you have dogs. It’s effing ridiculous. I even had a deranged mother come up to us with her baby saying, “ooh puppies, puppies,” and when 15 lb Truman growled at her, she turned around in a huff and started getting upset and mad. Normally quiet, I was fed up with the hotel and the guests, and I yelled after her, “oh, calm down!” It didn’t matter that they had a gym, the hotel itself was very well maintained, and included an incredible walking area outside. The treatment that we received alone was enough for me to have negative feelings towards the entire experience. However, if you like that sort of segregation with animals, be their guest!

Townhouse Inn – Havre, MT

Our rating : 0/5
Google rating : 3.7
Stay again : not in a million years

What a frightening experience this was. I literally do not know where to begin. Let’s start at the back entrance. This hotel is an extensive maze. Not at all labeled, we had to guess what back door led to our wing. When we tried it, it was locked and our key would not open it. I ended up sneaking in another way, and tried to find the door that Geoffrey and the dogs were waiting at. I was instantly hit with the suffocating smell of the pool, that was located about two feet away from the lobby and with no ventilation, and I felt incredibly dizzy and sick. After a few minutes of wandering around, I finally found our room, and to my surprise, Geoffrey was already waiting there. I still don’t understand how he got in or made it there before me. When we opened the door to our room, it took a few minutes for our eyes to adjust even with the lights on. It was that dark. The carpets were stained so badly with what must have been pee from other animals that it almost looked intentional. The brown recliner from the 1970’s was disgusting, as was our bed. The TV hung so crookedly on the wall that I thought it would come crashing down at any given moment. The bathroom was so disgusting that I didn’t dare have a bath or shower. The sink was incredibly rusted, the toiled was plugged before we had a chance to use it, and the tub had more hair in it than I knew what to do with. Additionally, each time that our neighbours took a shower, it sounded as if they were in our bathroom. Speaking of neighbours, you could hear every word that they were saying and from every direction in the room. Geoffrey swore that the people above us were rearranging the furniture.

Upon checking in, Geoff told me that they had free soup and cookies near the lobby. I said that I would go and grab some soup for the dogs, and he told me to grab him some sweets. I made my way back to the lobby, once again feeling sick from the smell of the pool. I reached the free soup, and went to go pour some in a coffee cup. There were no bowls, of course. One staff member peaked their head through the glass window and said, “it’s probably not ready” as it was bubbling in its pot.

“That’s ok,” I replied, “I’ll just heat it up in our room.” I looked up, and suddenly another staff member appeared, put her hand in the cookies, and began eating them one by one, all the while never taking her eyes off of me. It was the creepiest thing, ever.

The only ATM machine in the building was in the Casino. It was also broken. We ordered pizza and when they came to deliver it they said that they didn’t bring their card reader along, so Geoff and the delivery guy went in search of an ATM. They tried the one in the Casino, which of course didn’t work, so they both had to leave and drive to Pizza Hut just so we could pay them. Because the staff didn’t ask us how we would be paying in the first place, got our order wrong, and were rude when Geoff showed up, for a tip he wrote, “better service.” I think that our crappy hotel stays were making us crotchety!

The next morning, I decided not to risk my life with the continental breakfast. Never one to pass on a free meal, my husband tried it. He said that it was the worse tasting food that he had ever experienced. When a grown family of men got in a fight over the waffle-maker, the chef came out, haggard, and with a cigarette hanging from her mouth. That was when Geoff left, came back to the room, and told me that we were leaving.

It wasn’t over. After speeding away from the hotel, we made one last stop in the town to get gas. I stayed in the vehicle while Geoff filled our vehicle up. I was entertaining myself by watching one worker come out with a cup, dump it near the pump, go back inside, then come out and do it again. He must have done this at least five times. When Geoff returned to the vehicle, he said, “oh my God, did you see what he was doing?” I said that I assumed he was putting salt on the ground, even though there wasn’t really any snow. Geoff said that the gas pump was leaking, and that he was dropping saw dust to soak up the gas. How dangerous! Not only that, but Geoff’s shoes were soaked with gas, and about 20 minutes after leaving the town, he threw them out the window because the fumes were making us sick. I had also asked him to get me a cappuccino from the gas station. He did, but informed me that the machine had run out of water. I took a sip, and nearly puked. It was the sweetest and strongest tasting drink that I had ever tasted. Geoff asked what was wrong and I told him to take a sip. He did, then pulled over, and spit it out. I swear you can’t make this stuff up. Needless to say that we couldn’t wait to leave Havre.

<3

Emory

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