Sonesta pet policy: Royal Sonesta, Red Lion, ES Suites, Simply Suites and more
Short answer: Sonesta’s brand pet program (PAWS) allows up to 2 pets per room or suite with no breed or weight restrictions, and says pet fees vary by location. Most Sonesta-name hotels we checked follow it; $75 per stay was the most common fee. But many hotels set their own rules, especially Red Lion, Signature Inn, Best Value Inn and MOD hotels: weight limits from 15 to 150 lb, 1-pet limits, and a few take no pets. Read the hotel’s own pet section before you book.
Official sources onlyEvery claim links to a Sonesta page or ADA.gov
Checked Nov 2, 2026We read 72 Sonesta hotel pages across 12 brands
No guessesAnything we couldn’t confirm says “Not stated — call property”
At a glance
Based on Sonesta’s own PAWS page and 72 official hotel pages, read Nov 2, 2026.
Brand policy: 2 pets, no weight limit
Sonesta PAWS program
“No breed or weight restrictions. Up to two pets are permitted per room or suite.” Most Royal Sonesta, Sonesta, Select, ES Suites and Simply Suites pages we read repeat this.
Many hotels set their own limits
Weight limits from 15 lb to 150 lb
Hotels we checked list limits like 35, 40, 50, 70 and 80 lb, and some allow only 1 pet. The hotel page is the one to trust.
Fees: set by each hotel
e.g. $75 per stay, or $10–$100 per pet, per night
“Pet fees vary by location.” Some hotels charge per stay, some per pet per night, and some add a refundable deposit.
Some hotels take no pets
Seen at Americas Best Value Inn and MOD
Four hotel pages we read say no pets (three Americas Best Value Inns and Hotel 11 in Calgary), even though the PAWS FAQ says all Sonesta hotels welcome dogs and cats.
Sonesta brand policy (PAWS)
Sonesta International Hotels (PAWS program)
2 pets, limits vary by hotel
Max pets / room
“Up to two pets are permitted per room or suite”
3+ dogs?
Not offered in the brand policy, and none of the hotels we checked allow more than 2. Not stated — call property
Weight limit
Brand: “no breed or weight restrictions.” Many hotels set one anyway (15–150 lb at hotels we checked)
Breed limits
None in the brand policy
Fee
“Pet fees vary by location.” Check the hotel’s page
Deposit
Not in the brand policy. Some hotels charge a refundable deposit ($50–$250 at hotels we checked)
Kinds of pets
“All Sonesta hotels welcome dogs and cats and most will also welcome small, domestic pets.” Some hotels are dogs only
Barking
Disruptive barking isn’t allowed. The hotel calls your cell on the first complaint; after two, you may need to make other arrangements for your pet
Leaving pets alone
Brand policy doesn’t say. Not stated — call property. (Signature Inn Billings says pets shouldn’t be left unattended)
Service animals
No fee for ADA service animals with registered guests
Emotional support animals
“Not service animals under the ADA”; they fall under the PAWS terms, so pet fees and limits apply
Sonesta runs 12 brands in the U.S. and Canada. The PAWS page is the only brand-level pet policy we found; most brand pages just link to it. What we saw on each brand’s hotel pages, Nov 2, 2026:
The Royal Sonesta & Sonesta Hotels & Resorts
Mostly 2 pets, no weight limit
Hotel pages
Most repeat the PAWS line (2 pets, no weight limit). Fees we saw: $50–$150 per stay (some per pet). Exceptions: Baltimore 50 lb each, LAX 35 lb each, Hilton Head 40 lb, Regency Miami Airport 1 dog up to 35 lb
Extras
Pet bed at these brands (PAWS page). Royal Sonesta adds Fable pet products
Sonesta ES Suites & Sonesta Simply Suites (extended stay)
Mostly 2 pets, no weight limit
Hotel pages
Most say 2 pets, no breed or weight restrictions, and “$75 fee applies for stays up to 7 nights; $150 for all longer stays.” Exceptions: Simply Suites Parsippany is dogs only, up to 80 lb; Simply Suites Houston Brookhollow takes 1 pet up to 70 lb; ES Suites San Antonio NW is dogs only
Extras
Bowls, mat, treats and a welcome letter; no pet bed listed (PAWS page)
The 6 we read all differ: 30 lb (Augusta), 50 lb each (Des Moines), 150 lb each (Indianapolis Airport), no weight limit (Junction City, La Porte, Houston Energy Corridor). Fees from $20 a night to $150 per pet, per stay
No pet-policy text, just a link to PAWS. The PAWS FAQ lists both Red Lion brands for its pet amenities (letter, treats, bowls, mat)
Hotel pages
Rules differ widely and many pages give only a fee. Examples: 2 pets up to 50 lb each at $15 per pet, per night (Junction City); $100 per pet, per night (St. George); 1 pet, minimum 15 lb, $100 non-refundable (La Pine)
Each hotel differs: 2 pets up to 75 lb (The Midtown Hotel, Boston); 1 pet up to 50 lb with a $250 refundable deposit (ACP Hotel Houston Westchase); not pet-friendly (Hotel 11, Calgary)
Sonesta’s brand policy is one of the most generous we’ve checked: no breed or weight restrictions. That’s why it sits next to Kimpton in our no-weight-limit guide. But the brand line isn’t a guarantee. Of the hotels we read, more than a dozen set their own weight limit, from 15 lb (Signature Inn Branson) to 150 lb each (Sonesta Essential Indianapolis Airport).
The Sonesta-name brands (Royal Sonesta, Sonesta Hotels & Resorts, Sonesta Select, ES Suites, Simply Suites) are the most likely to match the brand policy. Red Lion, Signature Inn, the Best Value Inns and MOD hotels are the least predictable. Read the pet section of the hotel’s own page, and call if it’s silent.
Traveling with 3 or more dogs?
Sonesta allows up to two pets per room or suite, and none of the 72 hotel pages we read offer more. For three or more dogs, see hotel chains that allow 3 or more dogs.
What 18 Sonesta hotels actually list
These are property-specific examples, quoted or closely paraphrased from each hotel’s official page on Nov 2, 2026. They are not brand rules, and they can change.
Two pets, no weight limit listed
The Royal Sonesta Boston, Cambridge MA (property-specific)
2 pets, no weight limit
Policy
“No breed or weight restrictions. Up to two pets are permitted per suite”
And one that takes no pets: Hotel 11, MOD A Sonesta Collection in Calgary says it “is not pet-friendly, and only service animals are allowed” (official page). Americas Best Value Inn Houston FM 529 says “Sorry, no pets allowed” (official page).
What the pet fee adds up to
Sonesta doesn’t publish a brand fee. The hotels we read use three patterns:
Flat per stay: $75 (most Select hotels, Royal Sonesta Boston), $150 (Redondo Beach, LAX)
Extended stay tiers: $75 for up to 7 nights, $150 for longer (most ES Suites and Simply Suites)
Per pet, per night: $10 (Simply Suites Houston Brookhollow) to $100 (Red Lion St. George)
Our arithmetic, before tax, for two dogs:
Sonesta ES Suites Orlando, 10 nights: $150 if the fee is per stay. The page doesn’t say whether it’s per pet; if it is, $300
Sonesta Essential Des Moines, 3 nights ($50 per pet, per night): $300
Red Lion St. George, 3 nights ($100 per pet, per night): $600
Sonesta Hilton Head, 5 nights ($100 a day, $300 cap): $300, if both dogs are 40 lb or less
Several hotels also take a refundable deposit: $50 (Houston Brookhollow), $125 (Regency Miami), $200 (Indianapolis Airport), $250 (ACP Houston Westchase). Ask before you book whether the fee is per pet or per room.
Where Sonesta’s own pages disagree
Read Nov 2, 2026. When pages conflict, the hotel’s own page is usually more specific, but confirm by phone.
“No weight restrictions” vs. hotel weight limits
The PAWS page says no weight restrictions, but many hotel pages set one (examples above). Sonesta LAX says both in back-to-back sentences: “no breed or weight restrictions” and “maximum of 35 lbs per pet.”
“Weight” vs. “height”
The PAWS page says “no breed or weight restrictions.” Sonesta’s pet-friendly hotels page says “no breed or height restrictions” and that hotels “typically” allow up to two pets. (PAWS · pet-friendly hotels page)
“All Sonesta hotels welcome dogs and cats” vs. no-pet hotels
The PAWS FAQ says all Sonesta hotels welcome dogs and cats. Hotel 11 (MOD, Calgary) and three Americas Best Value Inns (Houston FM 529, Porterville, Sheridan) say no pets. Simply Suites Parsippany, Regency Miami Airport and ES Suites San Antonio NW take dogs only, and Sonesta Essential Junction City doesn’t take cats.
Per stay or per pet?
Royal Sonesta Minneapolis Downtown’s pet section says “$100 fee per stay”; its FAQ says “USD 100 per pet, per stay.” Red Lion Inn & Suites Ontario lists pet rooms at “additional $15-30/night” in one spot and “additional $15/night” in another (official page).
Service animals and emotional support animals
Service animals: Sonesta’s PAWS page says there’s no fee for service animals as defined by the ADA that accompany registered guests. That matches federal law. ADA.gov says that if a business charges a pet fee or deposit, “it must waive the charge for service animals.” Under the ADA, a service animal is a dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. (ADA.gov: service animal requirements)
Emotional support animals: Sonesta says they “are not service animals under the ADA and will be subject to the terms of the PAWS program.” So plan on the hotel’s pet fee, pet limit and any weight limit applying. ADA.gov likewise says dogs whose sole function is comfort or emotional support don’t qualify as service animals.
Before you book
Open the hotel’s page on sonesta.com and find its pet section (“Pet Policy” tab or “Policies”). That’s where the fee and any weight limit are.
Don’t rely on “no weight restrictions” alone. Give the hotel each dog’s weight when you call.
Ask whether the fee is per pet or per room, and whether there’s a refundable deposit.
Check for dogs-only or no-pet hotels, especially at Red Lion, Best Value Inn, Signature Inn and MOD hotels.
Plan for barking rules. Two complaints can mean you’ll be asked to make other arrangements for your pet.
Using a service animal? No fee. Emotional support animals pay the pet fee under PAWS.
All read Nov 2, 2026, directly on Sonesta’s own websites (sonesta.com and the Hilton Head resort’s official site) and ADA.gov. No search-engine copies or third-party listings were used. These are plain links to official pages, not affiliate links.
Every value comes from the chain's own website, checked on the date shown. "Not stated — call property" means the official source doesn't say. Policies change and individual hotels can differ, so confirm with the hotel before you book.