Beware of 'pet-friendly' hotels — they often come with hidden costs.

When planning trips with pets, it's not just about booking flights, securing accommodations, and renting cars; you also have to consider what to do with your furry friend while traveling.

Should you look for a boarding facility for your dog or cat? Can a neighbor watch over your four-legged companion? Or will you take your pet along for the journey?

The last option might seem particularly attractive for road trips near home. You can skip the hassle of arranging care for your pet and enjoy the excitement of discovering a hotel that claims to be "dog-friendly" — especially if it means earning points in a popular loyalty program.

However, there’s a catch: these hotels may welcome your pet, but bringing them along is likely to strain your budget.

Last month, a prominent hotel brand (Homewood Suites, part of the Hilton Honors portfolio) revealed that all its locations in the U.S. and Canada are now welcoming pets. This announcement came alongside research indicating that nearly 23 million Americans welcomed furry companions into their homes over the past two years, with about two-thirds of pet owners wanting to travel with their pets.

The announcement accompanying this news notes that Homewood Suites is the third Hilton brand to reach this achievement, joining Home2 Suites and Canopy properties, which are already pet-friendly. All Embassy Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, and Tru properties across the U.S. and Canada are expected to follow suit by April of this year.

However, what's overlooked in the announcement is that bringing your pet incurs a fee.

For stays up to four nights, there is a one-time, nonrefundable fee of up to $75. For longer stays of five nights or more, this fee increases to $125. It's important to note that this charge includes access to online support through a new collaboration with Mars Petcare, which the statement details as follows:

"This service provides on-demand articles with tips on packing and settling in, along with chat options, both online and by phone, where Mars Petcare experts can assist with any pet-related questions during your trip."

We even tested this service with our English Pointer, Winston, at a location in Port St. Lucie, Florida, shortly after the announcement. Unfortunately, the service wasn't available yet, so we ended up paying the nightly pet fee ($50 at this site).

It's commendable to see a brand set a new standard by making all locations pet-friendly while seemingly adding extra value for guests.

However, at this specific Homewood Suites, the only pet-related amenities during our stay were a treat jar at the front desk and a dog waste bag dispenser conveniently placed just outside the back door.

We enjoyed our stay, but the $50 fee didn’t provide much in return.

Then there are places like The Ben (part of Marriott's Autograph Collection) in West Palm Beach, Florida. I booked a midweek getaway for my wife and me for an evening event in early February, and I felt a thrill seeing the "pet-friendly" label on their website. But then the harsh reality hit.

To bring your pet (up to 50 pounds), you'd need to pay a nonrefundable fee of $145 per stay.

The situation is even more frustrating at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa. This Bonita Springs location permits one dog weighing up to 50 pounds (or two dogs with a combined weight of no more than 75 pounds), yet it imposes a hefty fee of $175 per stay for up to six nights. Additionally, there's a $175 deep-cleaning charge for stays of a week or longer.

I get that pets can potentially cause damage to hotel rooms, but how can a property truly claim to be "friendly" to pets while charging such outrageous fees?

I could support a refundable deposit. In fact, charge me $500 just in case Winston has an accident on the carpet or decides to shred a pillow.

But if we check out and the room is still in perfect condition, refund it. This approach not only lets us enjoy a getaway with our pup but also increases the chances of us returning for another stay.

This isn’t to say that every so-called "pet-friendly" hotel provides no value in exchange for a pet fee. Guests at The Confidante Miami Beach (part of Hyatt's Unbound Collection) can enjoy "branded pet gear, local popsicles for pups ... [and] access to a luxurious bed from Paw.com throughout their stay" for a fee of $100 for stays of up to six nights.

However, there’s only one brand that genuinely embraces furry travelers: Kimpton Hotels, which operates under the IHG Rewards umbrella. Every Kimpton location is completely pet-friendly.

And this isn’t just for show.

Visit the brand’s website dedicated to their pet-friendly policies. There are no size or weight restrictions, and you won’t incur any fees (not even a deposit). The properties will even supply beds, bowls, complimentary waste bags, and a door hanger for your room to inform both guests and staff that your pet is inside.

Even the brand's renowned nightly wine hour is welcoming to pets.

This has led us to visit the Vero Beach Hotel & Spa repeatedly over the years. The staff there is truly exceptional whenever we come with Winston. He receives plenty of affection and an abundance of treats. In fact, on one occasion, a hotel staff member named Adam even took him for a brief walk when we arrived, overwhelmed with unloading the car and managing a restless toddler.

During our first major trip of the pandemic — a road trip to North Carolina in July 2020 — we deliberately booked the Kimpton in Savannah, Georgia (twice!), knowing it would be a genuinely pet-friendly stop on our way to and from our final destination.

In summary, Kimpton has raised the bar for what it means to be truly pet-friendly to an impressive height. Currently, no other mainstream brand has reached this level.

(That said, an honorable mention goes to La Quinta, part of Wyndham Rewards, although the devil is in the details. Certain locations have a weight limit, and an "optional pet fee may be charged at check-in," which can add up to $20 per night or a maximum of $40 per stay to your total.)

I commend Homewood Suites for its initiative to be more accommodating to guests traveling with pets, but even with the new services being introduced at all locations, it still falls significantly short of the benchmark set by Kimpton.

It's time for more hotels to take a page from Kimpton's book and provide genuinely pet-friendly accommodations for travelers — or, at the very least, move towards refundable deposits.