Going with the dogs: More travelers checking out hotels that allow pets

Packing would not be nearly as onerous if I could travel as lightly as my best friend: one scarf, a brush, a tennis ball, a Little Greenie edible toothbrush and a leash. Add five pouches of Little Champion meals to the fanny pack, and Cinnamon is ready to go.

I'm joining at least 32 million Americans who vacation with their pets, and am taking my dog on the road.

Cinnamon, a Lhasa apso who's a 12-pound bundle of fluff and energy, usually gets left behind. But a new policy by Starwood Hotels and Resorts means that Cinnamon is welcome at any Sheraton, Westin or W hotel in North America. She is raring to go. Of course, she'd be just as excited to drive to the 7-Eleven, but there is no doubt she's excited. At the sight of car keys, her whole body quivers in anticipation.

Starwood is joining an accelerating trend, but it's the first big chain to so broadly embrace the room-filling capacity of dogs. Most chains allow individual hotels to set pet policies. The major exception, Marriott, confines brand-wide acceptance to two of its smaller operations, Residence Inn and Towne Place Suites.

Yet, 14 percent of Americans travel with their dogs, according to estimates by the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), an organization of travel providers. Even so, before launching on an admittedly risky course, Starwood first commissioned its own market research.

The hotel chain discovered that the well-traveled dog is a major phenomenon. Nearly half of all dog owners questioned said they had taken their pets on overnight trips in the past year, according to the telephone survey by Lieberman Research Worldwide. What's more, 37 percent said they'd take their dogs on more trips if accommodations were more readily available, and 76 percent said they'd feel more loyalty to a brand that accepted dogs even if they weren't bringing their own.

Other studies, most notably by AAA, have found dogs to be the overwhelming choice of animal travel companions, composing nearly 80 percent of pets on trips (15 percent are cats; the remainder includes birds, fish, ferrets and rabbits).

Starwood was sold on the growing industry trend but did, however, set a per-dog weight limit of 40 pounds at Westin hotels and 80 pounds at Sheraton and W hotels.

Of course, roadside motels on the lower end of the lodgings food chain long have accepted dogs, as have individual hotels within chains. So have a handful of exclusive properties that cater to people accustomed to getting whatever they want, even if that means a white-gloved servant to remove the brown M&Ms from their candy dish.

But the latter category of lodging, besides being outrageously expensive, also tends to go to extremes in welcoming pets. The Hotel Lancaster in Paris, for example, charges at least $105 a night extra for a dog and provides a luxurious dog bed that you can later purchase for about $1,500 if it strikes your fancy. The dog-food menu at Raffles L'Ermitage Beverly Hills ranges from pâté de foie gras with micro-farmed chicken eggs ($25) to Osetra caviar with poached eggs ($98).

Some resorts even offer pricey canine aromatherapy, with scents like soothing jasmine and lavender de Provence.

Bringing your dog on vacation doesn't have to mean, however, that you have more money than you know how to spend. Sheraton and Westin hotels don't charge anything extra to include your dog, and they throw in dog beds, food and water bowls and a temporary ID tag with the hotel's phone number. W hotels tack on a $25-per-visit fee, which gets Fido a dog bed, duvet, plush robe (yes, for the dog), turn-down service with dog cookies and a toy. Individual hotels are choosing to offer services beyond the required minimum, including arranging walks or sitters. For example, all five W hotels in New York City provide, for a fee, a certified dog massage therapist to come by your room. W tends to be the most expensive of the Starwood brands that allow dogs; rates range from $250 to $450 a night, while our night at the Norfolk Sheraton in Virginia cost $130.

Special attention is paid to cleaning rooms designated for dogs, says Starwood spokesman Mark Ricci, in case there has been an "issue." Respect is paid to the allergy-prone: Special rooms are designated for pets and their owners, just as rooms are set aside for nonsmokers.

So why not take your dog? After all, who loves you more, and misses you most, when you are gone? Nearly 80 percent of dog owners surveyed by Starwood said when they return from a trip, their dogs are the most excited to see them, compared with 6 percent who said their spouses.

Just one caveat: Those who think their dog won't change the vacation experience are like first-time mothers who plan to learn French or write a novel during maternity leave.