Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in New Orleans

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Streetcars, buses and ferries

RTA lets pets ride only if they're carried in a small container that fits on your lap. That covers the whole network, the streetcars included, and it rules out any dog too big for a lap carrier. Service animals ride as normal. If you're counting on the Algiers ferry, confirm the rule with RTA first.

City Park

Dogs must be on a lead and with you at all times in the park. The exception is NOLA City Bark, a 4.6-acre permit-only dog park. A visitor can buy a two-week temporary permit for USD 25, and the dog must be at least six months old, spayed or neutered, heartworm-negative and current on rabies, DHLPP and Bordetella, with proof. It's open Wednesday to Monday from 5:30am to 9pm and Tuesday from 3 to 9pm, with no children under 8.

Audubon Park

Dogs must be securely leashed and with their owner at all times. The park is open daily from 5am to 10pm, as is Audubon Riverview Park. The park rules mention no off-lead area.

Jackson Square and the riverfront

We haven't been able to confirm the rule for dogs in Jackson Square, in the French Market or in Crescent Park, so we won't state one. Read the signs at each gate and check the official page before you plan a morning around any of them.

Dogs at the table

No hotel on this list publishes a yes for its restaurant or bar. Kimpton Fontenot is the only one with a written position, and it's that dogs aren't in the dining areas, though they are welcome at the evening wine reception. We haven't confirmed the city's rule on dogs in restaurant courtyards and patios, so ask each place.

Weight limits

No limit at Kimpton Fontenot, Virgin Hotels or Hotel Monteleone. Le Méridien and The Westin take one dog up to 40 lbs (18.1 kg). The Eliza Jane takes two dogs up to 40 lbs each. Drury Plaza takes two pets with a combined weight of 80 lbs (36.3 kg). The Windsor Court, NOPSI, Bourbon Orleans, The Pontchartrain and Dew Drop Inn publish no limit, so ask.

Fees

Free at Kimpton Fontenot. Per stay it's USD 75 at The Pontchartrain, USD 100 at Virgin, NOPSI and Bourbon Orleans, and USD 150 at The Windsor Court and The Eliza Jane, where extra fees may apply. USD 250 per pet at Dew Drop Inn. Nightly it's USD 50 at The Westin and Drury Plaza, and USD 50 at Le Méridien up to a USD 150 cap. For Hotel Monteleone we hold USD 25 a night plus a USD 100 cleaning charge and a USD 100 deposit, which the hotel doesn't publish itself, so confirm it when you book.

Flying in

Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport has a pet relief area after security near Shake Shack. There's a second one outside on Level 1, between the short-term parking garage and the terminal: leave by door 5 and turn right.

Best walks

Lafayette Square is the patch of green for the Central Business District hotels, and it's where Kimpton Fontenot sends its guests for the daily walk. From the French Quarter hotels, Congo Square and Louis Armstrong Park are the nearest green spaces, though check the signs at the gate before you go in. Audubon Park, uptown, is the big leashed walk and is open from 5am to 10pm. City Park is on-lead throughout, with NOLA City Bark as the off-lead option for anyone who buys the two-week permit. In the Garden District the walking is on quiet residential streets off St. Charles Avenue.

When to go

We haven't confirmed any official guidance on summer heat, hurricane season or Mardi Gras for dogs, so we won't pick months for you. What is fixed is the daily timetable. Audubon Park opens at 5am and NOLA City Bark at 5:30am on every day but Tuesday, which makes an early walk easy at any time of year. If crowds worry your dog, the Warehouse District and the Garden District are quieter bases than the French Quarter.