Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Boston

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Boston Common off lead

The Common runs an off-lead programme from 6am to 11pm, except during special events. It works through approved areas marked by signs, not one fenced park, and those areas move. Dogs must be vaccinated, licensed, wearing an ID tag and on a lead when entering and leaving the area, with a maximum of three dogs per adult. We haven't confirmed the rule for the Public Garden next door, so treat it as an on-lead walk and read the signs.

Beaches

On state-run (DCR) coastal beaches and the designated swimming areas of inland beaches, dogs are prohibited from 1 May to 15 September unless otherwise posted. That covers the sand at Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach in South Boston. A separate ban from 1 April to 15 September applies only to coastal beaches designated as priority shorebird nesting habitat. The rule is about the sand and swimming areas, so the Castle Island loop path is a year-round walk and the beach itself opens to dogs from 16 September to 30 April. Dogs are not allowed on the Boston Harbor Islands at any time.

Leaving the dog in the room

Plan on not doing it. XV Beacon, The Lenox, The Whitney, The Newbury, The Langham, the InterContinental, Seaport Hotel, The Dagny and the Four Seasons all say a dog can't be left alone. The Eliot allows it if the dog is crated. XV Beacon, The Whitney and the InterContinental arrange dog sitting through the concierge, and The Lenox may be able to if you ask ahead.

Restaurants and patios

This is Boston's weak point. Seaport Hotel, The Langham and The Dagny state that dogs aren't in their restaurants, and none of the other hotels on the list publishes a rule either way. We haven't confirmed the local rule on dogs on restaurant patios, so ask the restaurant before you sit down. XV Beacon gets round it with a Doggone Menu on in-room dining.

Weight limits

No limit at The Eliot, XV Beacon, The Newbury, Raffles, The Godfrey and the Kimpton Marlowe. Hotel AKA Boston Common takes dogs up to 75 lbs (about 34 kg) each. The Lenox, The Whitney, The Langham and Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor stop at 50 lbs (about 22.7 kg), and the Hyatt adds a combined limit of 75 lbs for two. The Four Seasons, the InterContinental, Omni Parker House and Seaport Hotel stop at 25 lbs (about 11.3 kg).

Fees

Free at the Kimpton Marlowe and The Godfrey. USD 50 a stay at Hotel AKA Boston Common, USD 75 at The Lenox and The Charles, USD 85 at XV Beacon, USD 100 at The Langham, Seaport Hotel and Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor, USD 125 at The Whitney and both Omnis, USD 150 at The Newbury, Raffles, the InterContinental and Hotel Commonwealth. The Dagny charges USD 50 per pet per night and Boston Harbor Hotel USD 100 per pet per day, so a long stay with two dogs adds up fast. The Eliot lists no fee, and the Four Seasons and The Colonnade don't publish one, so ask all three when you book.

Two dogs

The Newbury, The Lenox, The Whitney, The Langham, Hotel AKA Boston Common, The Dagny, Boston Harbor Hotel and Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor all take two. Omni Parker House takes two small pets up to 25 lbs each. The Kimpton Marlowe sets no cap on numbers. The Four Seasons, the InterContinental and Hotel Commonwealth take one, and Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport takes one unless you agree more with the hotel in advance.

Getting there

Amtrak takes dogs and cats up to 20 lbs combined weight of pet and carrier, in a carrier no bigger than 19 x 14 x 10.5 inches, on trips of up to seven hours on most routes, one pet per customer. Pets are allowed in Acela Business Class and not in Acela First Class, and the fee varies by route and shows at booking. A dog over 20 lbs can't come by train. We haven't confirmed the MBTA rule for dogs on the T or where the pet relief areas are at Logan, so check both before you rely on them.

Best walks

Boston Common for the off-lead areas, then through the Public Garden and on to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, a long tree-lined strip of grass and path that runs through Back Bay to The Eliot's door. The Charles River Esplanade is state parkland where dogs stay on a lead of no more than ten feet, reached by footbridge from Beacon Hill. On the water, the Harborwalk runs past Rowes Wharf and along Fort Point Channel to Fan Pier, with the Rose Kennedy Greenway just inland. Further out there are the Back Bay Fens, the Southwest Corridor Park behind The Colonnade, which hands out two mapped dog-walking routes of 2.74 and 2.42 miles, and the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, free and open sunrise to sunset with dogs on a lead at all times. In Cambridge, JFK Memorial Park leads straight onto the Charles River paths, and North Point Park is close to the Kimpton Marlowe. The Castle Island loop in South Boston is a year-round path walk.

When to go

The date that changes a dog trip here is the beach rule. From 1 May to 15 September dogs are off the sand at Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach, so if a run on the beach matters, come between 16 September and 30 April. The Common's off-lead programme runs all year from 6am to 11pm, apart from special events, and the Castle Island loop path, the Harborwalk and the Arnold Arboretum are open to dogs in every month. We haven't checked summer heat or winter conditions closely enough to advise on them, so look at the forecast for your dates and pack for it.