Holiday Inn Pet Policy: Fees, Weight Limits and Other IHG Hotels (2026)

Holiday Inn does not have one pet policy. Each Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotel sets its own pet rules, and IHG shows them on each hotel's page on ihg.com. In the Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels we checked around Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth and Denver, fees ran from USD 20 to USD 100 per pet per night at hotels that bill nightly, and from USD 50 to USD 75 at hotels that charge once per stay, weight limits from 20 to 75 pounds, and some hotels took dogs only. Many charge by the night, which makes a long stay expensive. IHG's other brands differ again: Kimpton hotels charge nothing, and the extended stay brands, Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites, often charge a flat fee for a week or more.

This guide is built from the pet details on individual IHG hotel pages and IHG's city pet-friendly hotel lists on ihg.com, read in October 2026. The rules belong to each hotel and can change, so check the page for your exact hotel, or call, before you travel.

Holiday Inn pet policies we checked

The table shows what a sample of Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels publish on their own pages.

Is there a standard Holiday Inn pet policy?

No. Holiday Inn hotels are mostly franchised, and pet rules are set hotel by hotel. In our sample, no two hotels had quite the same policy. The closest thing to a pattern was a weight limit of around 50 pounds and a limit of one or two pets, but even that varied. Holiday Inn and Suites Chicago North Shore in Skokie, for example, allows one pet under 50 pounds for a USD 50 non-refundable fee, keeps pets to standard rooms, and asks guests staying 30 days or more for a USD 250 non-refundable deposit. It does not charge for service animals.

Per night versus per stay

The biggest difference between Holiday Inn hotels is how they charge. Many bill per pet, per night. Holiday Inn Express Niles charges USD 50 per pet per night, Holiday Inn Express Denver Central USD 25, Holiday Inn Express Lockport USD 35 and Holiday Inn Express Waxahachie USD 50. Others charge once. Holiday Inn Express Plano charges USD 75 per stay, and Holiday Inn McKinney USD 75 per stay with a 25 pound limit.

A few use a hybrid. Holiday Inn Bolingbrook charges USD 50 for the first three nights and USD 25 for each night after that. Holiday Inn Express Roselle charges USD 50 per pet per stay and then USD 50 per week after the first week. Holiday Inn Express Wheat Ridge lists a USD 250 charge plus USD 75 per night for pets up to 30 pounds. Holiday Inn Lakewood near Denver charges by size: USD 50 a day for dogs of 35 pounds and under, and USD 100 a day for larger dogs.

The amenity line on each ihg.com page shows this at a glance, for example "Pet-friendly (50 USD / night)" or "Pet-friendly (75 USD / stay)", but it does not always tell the whole story, so read the policy text under it as well. On a one night stop, a per-night hotel can be cheaper. On a week-long stay, it can cost several hundred dollars more than a per-stay hotel down the road.

Weight limits and number of pets

Fifty pounds was the most common limit we saw, at hotels including Holiday Inn Express Niles, Denver Central, Plano and Wylie. Others were lower: 20 pounds per pet at Holiday Inn Express Farmers Branch, 25 pounds at Holiday Inn Express Rolling Meadows, Duncanville and Mansfield, and 30 pounds at Wheat Ridge. Another Holiday Inn Express in Dallas allows up to 75 pounds but charges USD 50 a night and asks for vaccination records. Most allowed two pets, but Skokie, Rolling Meadows and Holiday Inn Express Denver Downtown allow one.

Dogs only at many Holiday Inns

Plenty of Holiday Inn hotels take dogs only. Holiday Inn Bolingbrook states that cats and other animals are not accepted, and Holiday Inn Express Rolling Meadows says no cats or other animals. Others, such as Holiday Inn Richardson and several Holiday Inn Express hotels in Dallas, accept dogs and cats. If you travel with a cat, look at the hotel's pet restriction line on ihg.com, which says whether it takes all pets, dogs only, or dogs and cats.

House rules to expect

Holiday Inn pet policies often add rules beyond the fee. Typical ones from the hotels we checked:

• Pets only in certain rooms, such as standard rooms, first floor rooms or a designated floor.
• No pets in the breakfast area, restaurant, pool, fitness center or lobby.
• Pets not left unattended in the room.
• A pet agreement signed at check-in.
• Up to date vaccination records on request.
• Extra cleaning or damage charges, like the USD 100 extra cleaning fee Holiday Inn Addison lists for accidents or damage.

Kimpton: the IHG exception

Kimpton, IHG's boutique brand, has the most generous pet policy of any chain we have checked. Its hotels, including Kimpton Gray Hotel in Chicago, Kimpton Pittman in Dallas and Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver, say they welcome pets of any size, weight or breed at no extra charge, and that if your pet fits through the door, it is welcome. Our guide to hotels with no pet fee covers Kimpton and other no-fee options.

Staybridge Suites and Candlewood Suites

IHG's two extended stay brands are the better choice for a move or a long stay. Many of their hotels charge a flat fee by length of stay rather than by the night. Staybridge Suites Denver Downtown accepts dogs or cats under 80 pounds in selected rooms for a one-time fee per pet of USD 75 for one to six nights or USD 150 for seven nights or more, and may ask for vaccination records. Staybridge Suites Dallas Market Center uses the same USD 75 and USD 150 tiers, with up to two pets and an 80 pound combined limit.

Candlewood Suites hotels in our Dallas-Fort Worth sample often followed the same USD 75 for one to six nights and USD 150 for seven or more pattern, with an 80 pound limit, at Candlewood Irving, Plano and Frisco. Others differed: Candlewood Suites Dallas Market Center charges USD 10 a night up to USD 150, Candlewood Farmers Branch USD 15 a night for dogs only, and Candlewood Hurst USD 50 a night up to USD 200 for one pet under 40 pounds.

Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo and InterContinental

The full service brands had their own spread. Crowne Plaza Chicago West Loop accepts one dog of any size for USD 75 per stay. Crowne Plaza Chicago O'Hare accepts dogs and cats up to 50 pounds for USD 100 per stay. Hotel Indigo hotels we checked charged USD 75 to USD 150 per stay, with limits of 40 to 50 pounds. InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile accepts dogs and cats under 40 pounds, two maximum, for USD 150, and asks that pets be kenneled when guests are out of the room.

How to check a Holiday Inn's pet policy

1. Open the hotel's page on ihg.com, or start from an IHG pet-friendly hotels page for your city, such as the Chicago pet-friendly hotels list.
2. Look for the amenity line, which shows the fee and whether it is per stay or per night.
3. Read the hotel's pet policy text and FAQ for weight, species and room limits.
4. Call the hotel, because the online booking flow usually has no place to say you are bringing a pet.
5. Tell the front desk at check-in and sign any pet agreement.

Our guide on how to find pet-friendly hotels covers these checks for other chains too.

Service animals at Holiday Inn

Service animals are not pets, and Holiday Inn hotels we checked, including Skokie, Vernon Hills and Cedar Hill, say they do not charge for them. Under the ADA service animal rules, a hotel must admit a trained service dog even if it does not accept pets, and staff can ask only two questions: whether the dog is needed because of a disability, and what task it is trained to do. Emotional support animals do not have the same protection in hotels. Our guide to service dog hotel rights explains more.

Choosing an IHG hotel for a road trip or move

For a single night on a road trip, a Holiday Inn Express charging USD 20 or USD 25 per night can be the cheapest option, as long as your dog fits the weight limit. For three nights or more, a per-stay hotel usually wins. For a week or longer during a move, a Staybridge or Candlewood with a USD 150 flat fee is usually cheapest. If the fee matters most, a Kimpton costs nothing. Our road trip with a dog guide covers planning stops, and our moving to another state with a dog guide covers the bigger plan.

Common mistakes with Holiday Inn pet stays

• Assuming the Holiday Inn you stayed at last year has the same rules as the next one.
• Missing a per-night fee and paying several hundred dollars on a long stay.
• Bringing a dog over a 20 or 25 pound limit.
• Bringing a cat to a dogs only hotel.
• Booking online without calling, then finding pet rooms are full.

A sample stay: seven nights with one 40 pound dog

Here is how the different fee styles play out for one 40 pound dog staying a week. At Holiday Inn Express Denver Central, USD 25 a night comes to USD 175. At Holiday Inn Express Niles, USD 50 a night comes to USD 350. At Holiday Inn Express Plano, the USD 75 per stay fee stays USD 75. At Holiday Inn Express Wylie, seven nights still falls in the USD 75 tier. At Staybridge Suites Denver Downtown, seven nights moves into the USD 150 tier, but you get a kitchen and more space. At a Kimpton, it costs nothing. The same week can cost anywhere from zero to USD 350 in pet fees, all within one hotel group.

Fees, deposits and damage charges

Most Holiday Inn pet fees are non-refundable cleaning charges. A few hotels also take a refundable deposit. Holiday Inn Express Duncanville, for example, charges USD 25 per pet per day plus a USD 100 refundable damage deposit, and a Hotel Indigo in Irving, Texas takes a USD 250 refundable deposit on top of a USD 75 fee, returned after the room is inspected. Either way, real damage is billed separately, so keep your pet off the furniture, crate it when you are out, and report any accident to the front desk yourself.

Questions to ask the hotel

• Is the pet fee per night, per stay or per pet, and does it change after a week?
• What is the weight limit, and is it per pet or combined?
• Do you accept cats, or dogs only?
• Are pet rooms limited, and is one held for my dates?
• Can my dog stay in the room alone if crated?
• Where is the nearest pet relief area?

Before you book

The Holiday Inn name tells you very little about pets. Each hotel's ihg.com page does, and it is worth reading closely: the fee line, the pet restriction line and the free text policy together give you the real rule. Call to confirm, tell the hotel about your pet, and pick the fee style that fits the length of your stay.

Frequently asked questions