[REDCART]

Driving from NY, we usually shoot for Santee, SC the first night. This year, we'll have the pooch with us and we'll need to find a pet friendly motel. does anyone have any suggestions? Are there any major motel chains which always accept pets? Thanks in advance, George

[mac]

If you are a AAA member.....get their travel book (free) for the Carolinas. All the Hotel/motels are labeled as to whether they accept dogs. I have last years book here...haven't picked up my new one yet. Will be traveling with pooch on 1/29. Let's see in Santee, the following accept dogs....let them know when you make reservation, they usually give you a floor level room:

Baymont Inn & Suites 803-854-3221
Holiday Inn Santee ($20 fee) 803-854-9800
Howard Johnson Express Inn ($10 fee) 803-854-3870
Super 8 Motel ($6-10 fee) 803-854-3456

Have a safe trip.

[redwitch]

I used the AAA book coming from California and http://www.petswelcome.com. It has hotel chains and bed and breakfasts that welcome pets. Very good and I found it to be very accurate.

[REDCART]

Thank you both. Great suggestions. We belong to AAA and we usually get their latest travel books before setting out. We thought someone might have a personal favorite that they use regularly. Some motels charge a nominal fee of $5-$10 for a pet but that's OK. Our dog travels well in the car. Or maybe we should say, she sleeps well during the drive down. She lets us know when she needs a potty break--usually about the same time we need one!

Holiday Inn Express in Manning, SC charges an extra $20 for dogs but serves a great free breakfast. Really nice. Also Jameson Inns take pets. Have breakfast also. One at exit 95 in Smithfield NC. Had trouble in SC finding a place. All Holiday Inns there take them.

[travelstiles]

We drove from NY just a few weeks ago with 2 cats in a Mini Cooper - all four of us stayed at Comfort Inns along the way - they do charge varying amounts for pets but have very good breakfasts and friendly staff as well. Ask for the AAA, AARP or senior discount if applicable.
Good luck!

[gemorc]

Use Google. Type in pet friendly hotels and a number of websites will be displayed. Pick one and type in your city and state and presto. We used this on our way here from MI. We had two cats, no problem.

[REDCART]

I see that a lot of "pet friendly" hotels along the I-95 corridor say " dogs 25 lbs and under." When you stop at one of these and say you have a dog, do they want to see the dog, or do they take your word that she's under 25 lbs? I don't mind paying the extra $20 but our little girl is overweight by their standard.

George

[bluedog103]

This is a pretty old thread and I thought I'd see if anyone has any new advice. We'll be traveling from southern NY state in early November with two dogs, one about 12 lbs and one about 60 lbs. This is their first real trip so we're uncertain how they'll handle being in a car all day. They're fine around here but the longest trip they've been on is about 2 hours.
My wife and I usually try to stay somewhere around the N. Carolina-S. Carolina border when we travel alone. I'm hoping to make it a similar distance with the dogs so we'll need a pet friendly hotel along I-95 in that area. Any favorites? Any places we should avoid?

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by gryoung

I see that a lot of "pet friendly" hotels along the I-95 corridor say " dogs 25 lbs and under." When you stop at one of these and say you have a dog, do they want to see the dog, or do they take your word that she's under 25 lbs? I don't mind paying the extra $20 but our little girl is overweight by their standard. George

We never know where and when we'll be stopping. (Our commute to The Villages is 26 hours). We find the least expensive chains, Super 8, Budget, Comfort, etc., are the ones that usually allow pets without a charge.

I ask at the front desk "Is your motel pet friendly"? I don't volunteer pet information and they never ask the size of the pet(s).

And they're all happy to give us the standard CAA/AAA/AARP discount.

[getdul981]

We drive down from VA and usually stop over night at Port Wentworth, GA, just insaide GA state line on I-95. We haven't traveled with our girls yet, but wil be doing it soon. We usually stay at Hampton Inn at Port Wentworth and it is a pet friendly hotel. Just as info for anyone traveling south or north on I-95.

[GEORGE J]

Just stayed at Santee, SC last Tuesday eve. The Whitten Inn where we stayed was pet friendly and very clean. Good price. We used to live in Charleston, SC before The Villages, so we knew of the place.

[Avista]

Motel 6 accepts dogs without a fee. Of course, some of these are better than others.

[getdul981]

I forgot to mention, but the HI in Port Wentworth is almost new. Probably not more than 2 years old.

[FrankD]

I phoned La Quinta Inns and they told me that all their hotels from Chicago to TV are pet friendly without an extra fee.