Club Wyndham doesn't allow pets. Only trained service animals are welcome at its resorts. Emotional support, therapy and companion animals aren't allowed either, and that applies at Club Wyndham resorts whether Wyndham manages them or not. WorldMark by Wyndham goes further, banning animals from resort property even inside a vehicle, except service animals. This comes from Club Wyndham's own resort pages and a WorldMark board update dated April 17, 2024.
That surprises a lot of people, because Wyndham's hotels are a different story. Many Days Inn, Super 8 and La Quinta hotels take dogs. Those are hotel brands run by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts. Club Wyndham and WorldMark are timeshare clubs run by a separate company, Travel + Leisure Co, with their own rules. Our Wyndham hotels pet policy guide covers the hotel side.
Most big timeshare brands are just as strict. The one major exception is Westgate, which takes small dogs. Below we go through the main brands and what each one says.
Timeshare pet rules compared
| Brand | Pets allowed? | Emotional support animals | Penalty we found |
|---|---|---|---|
| Club Wyndham | No, service animals only | Not allowed | Extra cleaning charge for an unauthorized pet |
| WorldMark by Wyndham | No, not even in a vehicle on property | Not allowed | Not stated in the update |
| Holiday Inn Club Vacations | No, except Orlando Breeze for members and owners | Not stated | $500 cleaning fee at Orange Lake |
| Marriott Vacation Club | No, service animals only at the resorts we checked | Not stated | $300 per pet at Crystal Shores, $500 at Marbella |
| Hilton Grand Vacations | Generally no, service animals only | Not stated | Not stated |
| Bluegreen | No at the resorts we checked | Not stated | $300 cleaning fee at two Myrtle Beach resorts |
| Westgate | Yes, up to 2 dogs, 60 lb combined | Treated as pets, fees apply | $150 for an unreported dog |
Club Wyndham: the details
Club Wyndham resort pages carry the same short policy. Service animals trained to work or perform tasks for a person with a disability are welcome. Animals whose only role is emotional support, therapy, comfort or companionship don't count as service animals and aren't allowed. The Club Wyndham Palm-Aire page in Florida is a typical example, and the same wording appears on resort pages from Colorado to California.
Club Wyndham's owner help page adds that owners are responsible for extra cleaning if an unauthorized pet is found in a suite, and may be charged for the time and services needed. It also says owners can ask a resort for kennel recommendations nearby. That is the official answer for an owner travelling with a dog. Board the dog close to the resort.
There is no list of pet friendly Club Wyndham resorts, because there aren't any under the current policy. That includes the popular road trip destinations where owners most often ask, such as the Smokies, Branson, Myrtle Beach and Orlando. The rule is the same across the club, so there is no need to check resort by resort for a pet friendly exception. If you see a listing on a rental site that says otherwise, check with the resort directly before you book.
WorldMark by Wyndham
WorldMark's rule is in Section D, Rule 10 of its club guidelines. It says no animals or pets may be brought onto any resort property, including in any type of vehicle, except service animals assisting people with disabilities. The April 2024 board update clarified the wording. It didn't change the rule. WorldMark said its guidelines had always barred pets and that trained service animals had always been allowed.
The vehicle part matters on a road trip. You can't leave a dog in the car in the resort car park while you check in, even for a short time. Apart from the rule, that is dangerous in warm weather, as our guide to how hot is too hot for a dog in a car explains.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations
Holiday Inn Club Vacations says its resorts don't allow pets, and only service animals are permitted. Its group travel page says so plainly. The exception is Orlando Breeze in Davenport, Florida, near Disney, where pets are allowed for members and owners only, with a $125 non refundable pet fee and a copy of vaccination records. Its big Orlando resort, Orange Lake, doesn't allow pets and lists a $500 pet cleaning fee for anyone who breaks the rule.
Don't confuse these resorts with Holiday Inn hotels, which belong to IHG and often do take pets. Our Holiday Inn pet policy guide covers those.
Marriott Vacation Club
We couldn't find one company wide policy for Marriott Vacation Club. The resort status pages we read all said the same thing: service animals that do work or tasks are welcome, family pets are not. Two listed penalties. At Marriott's Crystal Shores on Marco Island, a pet triggers a $300 per pet room recovery fee, and the guest has to move the animal to an outside boarding facility. Crystal Shores also warns that passing off a pet as a service animal can be a misdemeanour in some places. At Marriott's Marbella Beach Resort in Spain, the charge is $500 per pet.
That is a sharp contrast with Marriott hotels, where many brands take dogs for a fee, as our Marriott pet policy guide shows.
Hilton Grand Vacations
The Hilton Grand Vacations FAQ says pets are generally not allowed at its properties, and that registered service animals are always welcome. Its Daytona Beach offer page also says no pets. Hilton Grand Vacations has published travel articles about road trips with dogs, but those cover pet friendly places outside its resorts, not the resorts themselves. If you see a dog in one of those articles, it is staying somewhere else. Ask the resort directly if you are unsure about a specific property, since the FAQ says generally rather than never.
Bluegreen Vacations
Every Bluegreen resort page we found said no pets, from Las Vegas and New Orleans to Savannah, Wisconsin Dells and Daytona Beach. Two Myrtle Beach resorts, Harbour Lights and Bluegreen at TradeWinds, say pets aren't allowed unless they are registered service animals, and that a $300 cleaning fee will be billed if signs of a pet are found in the unit. Both suggest asking guest services about pet boarding nearby. Bluegreen is now part of Hilton Grand Vacations, so expect the two brands to stay aligned.
Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham
Margaritaville Vacation Club resorts sold through Club Wyndham follow the Club Wyndham rule, not the Margaritaville hotel rules. The Rio Mar resort page in Puerto Rico carries the same service animal only wording. That catches people out, because several Margaritaville hotels and resorts do take dogs, as our Margaritaville pet policy guide shows. If the booking comes through your Club Wyndham points, assume no pets.
Westgate: the timeshare that takes dogs
Westgate Resorts is the big exception. Most of its resorts take up to two dogs with a combined weight of 60 pounds, for a $150 fee per stay, and several also ask for a $150 refundable deposit. Cats aren't allowed, and 16 breeds are banned, including German Shepherds, Huskies and Great Danes. A few properties, including its VI Resorts, take no pets. Our Westgate Resorts pet policy guide has the full rules and the breed list.
Service animals versus support animals
Every brand here welcomes trained service animals, because the Americans with Disabilities Act requires it. The ADA covers places that serve the public, such as hotels and resorts, and it protects dogs that are individually trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability. The ADA service animal guidance says staff can ask only two questions: whether the dog is required because of a disability, and what task it has been trained to perform.
Emotional support animals aren't service animals under the ADA, so a resort can say no to them. That is exactly what Club Wyndham and WorldMark do. A letter from a therapist doesn't change that at a resort, even though it can matter for housing. Our guide to service dog hotel rights explains where the line falls.
What timeshare owners can do with a dog
If you own points with one of the no pet brands and want to travel with your dog, you have a few options:
- Board the dog near the resort. Club Wyndham and Bluegreen both suggest asking the resort for kennel recommendations. Book early in peak season.
- Use an exchange or a different stay. Some owners trade into a Westgate resort or book a separate pet friendly hotel for the nights the dog is with them.
- Leave the dog at home. A pet sitter who stays in your house is often the calmest option for the dog, especially for a week or more.
- Rent elsewhere. Many vacation rentals take dogs, though fees vary. Our Airbnb pet policy guide explains how those fees work.
Arriving with a service dog
You don't need to register a service dog with a timeshare resort, and staff can't ask for papers. Still, a quick call before you arrive helps. Tell the resort you are coming with a service dog so the front desk isn't surprised, ask where the nearest grass area is, and check whether housekeeping needs anything from you on cleaning days. The dog has to be under your control and housebroken. A resort can ask you to remove a service dog only if it is out of control and you don't correct it, or if it isn't housebroken. You may still be charged for any damage it causes.
Choosing a kennel near the resort
If boarding is the plan, a few questions make the choice easier. Ask what vaccinations the kennel requires, since most want rabies, distemper and Bordetella, often given at least a few days before the stay. Ask how often dogs go outside, whether your dog gets a private run, and whether you can visit or pick up early. Check how far it is from the resort, so you can see the dog during the day if you want to. In busy holiday areas such as Orlando, Myrtle Beach and the Smokies, kennels fill up in school holidays, so book as soon as your timeshare dates are fixed. Our guide to dog boarding has a fuller checklist.
Don't try to sneak a pet in
Penalties at these resorts run from a few hundred dollars to $500 per pet, and several resorts say the guest has to move the animal off site right away. On a holiday that can mean finding a kennel at night in a strange town. Misrepresenting a pet as a service animal can also break state law in some places, as Crystal Shores points out. It is far easier to plan around the rule than to get caught by it.
Why timeshares are stricter than hotels
The brands don't give a reason, but the set up explains a lot. A timeshare villa is shared by many owners across the year, and each of them pays maintenance fees for its upkeep. Pet hair, allergies, carpet stains and odours affect the next owner in a way that a hotel can absorb more easily with a deep clean between guests. Villas also have more soft furnishings than a hotel room, with sofas, rugs and full kitchens. Owners' associations set the rules, and they tend to vote for the cautious option. That is why the WorldMark rule came from a board decision rather than a marketing team, and why it is unlikely to loosen soon.
Hotels compete for pet owners because pet fees bring in money and dog owners book repeat stays. Timeshare clubs don't have the same pressure, since owners have already bought in. Westgate is the outlier, and it limits the risk with a small weight cap and a long breed list.
Before you book
If your dog is coming, start with the brand. If it's Club Wyndham, WorldMark, Hilton Grand Vacations, Bluegreen or Marriott Vacation Club, assume no. If it's Holiday Inn Club Vacations, only Orlando Breeze is a possibility, and only for owners and members. If it's Westgate, check your dog's weight and breed against its rules. And if you are a service dog handler, you are welcome at all of them.