Pet-Friendly in Name Only: Roch Dog Research Reveals Hotels Are Charging Pet Fees While Offering Nothing in Return

New research reveals the hotel industry's quiet cash grab from dog owners.

LONDON, April 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- New research by Roch Dog has revealed a growing gap between what hotels say about being pet-friendly and how they actually treat canine guests. Based on an analysis of 1000 pet-friendly hotels, their research finds that the vast majority of hotels charge dog owners significant pet fees, impose severe restrictions, while offering little to no amenities in return.

According to their research, more than 80 percent of pet-friendly hotels require an extra fee for dogs, with charges ranging from $50 per night to as high as $250 per stay.

Despite these fees, nearly one-third of those hotels provide no more than two core dog amenities, things like dog beds, water bowls, or treats. In many cases, hotels charge steep pet fees while offering nothing at all for dogs beyond the permission to enter the building.

"They say they're dog-friendly, but in reality, they're dog-tolerant," said Guise Bule, founder of Roch Dog. "I see far too many four and five star hotels who claim to be pet-friendly, but who use it as an excuse to charge extortionate pet fees without offering a single biscuit in return."

Some of the industry's biggest names are among the worst offenders. The Mandarin Oriental in New York charges a flat $250 for canine guests, and the same fee is levied at luxury resorts like Prince Waikiki in Honolulu and Belmond Miraflores Park in Lima, Peru, all of which offer little or nothing in exchange for the surcharge. One boutique hotel in Charlotte, The Ivey's, charges $150 for the first night and $50 for each additional, yet fails to provide even basic amenities.

This pattern was consistent across the dataset. While hotels promote themselves as pet-friendly, the reality for many travelers is that a high pet fee often buys nothing more than the right for their dog to sleep on the floor. Only 18% of hotels in the survey let dogs stay for free.

"Hotels throw around 'pet-friendly' as a marketing buzzword, but the moment you arrive with a dog, it's a different story," said Guise Bule, founder of Roch Dog. "You're hit with a steep fee, obnoxious restrictions, and offered nothing in return. The problem exists because the traditional hotel certification bodies like Forbes Travel and AAA completely ignore dog owners and fail to ask hotels about their pet programs when they assess and certify these hotels." He went on to say "Ignoring millions of dog-owning guests is not just an oversight, it's negligence."

Roch Dog, a dog-friendly hotel certification and ratings agency is now calling on the industry to match pet fees with real value. The organization ranks and reviews hotels with a comprehensive certification process that covers a hotel's services, amenities, facilities, policies, staff training, and access levels to gain an accurate picture of their dog friendly position. They then compare the hotel to thousands of other hotels using a data-driven approach to ensure fairness.

Roch Dog publicly publishes their ranking and reviews of pet-friendly hotels based on how well they treat canine guests, including a public "name and shame" list of D and F ranking hotels that charge premium pet fees while offering no amenities or services in return.

About Roch Dog
Roch Dog is the global certification body for dog-friendly hotels, providing trusted ratings and recognition for properties that go beyond the bare minimum. With a mission to certify, rank, and review every pet-friendly hotel on Earth, Roch Dog offers transparent standards, certified reviews, and canine-first travel insights for dog owners worldwide.

SOURCE Roch Dog