Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Washington DC

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Museums and memorials

The Smithsonian's visitor rules prohibit dogs and other animals other than service animals, and emotional support, therapy and comfort dogs don't count. That covers every Smithsonian museum and the Zoo. The National Park Service says pets are excluded from most memorials, so the lawns and paths between them are where people walk dogs. Plan indoor sights around a sitter or a hotel that lets the dog stay in the room.

Leaving your dog in the room

Not allowed at the Four Seasons, the Fairmont, The Dupont Circle Hotel or Capitol Hill Hotel. The Jefferson needs you in the room, with the dog leashed or crated, when housekeeping comes. Most other hotels here publish no rule, so ask by name before you book museum tickets. The Four Seasons concierge can arrange dog walking, and The Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle and Melrose keep details of local sitters.

Eating with your dog

Treat indoor dining as a no. The Four Seasons, Rosewood, The Jefferson, Melrose and Riggs all keep dogs out of their restaurants and bars. The Dupont Circle Hotel welcomes dogs on its outdoor patio and offers in-room dining with your dog. For patios elsewhere in the city, ask before you sit down. We haven't confirmed a citywide patio rule.

Weight limits

25 lbs (about 11.3 kg) at The Hay-Adams and 40 lbs (about 18.1 kg) at The Willard. 50 lbs (about 22.7 kg) at Rosewood, Park Hyatt, The Jefferson, The Dupont Circle Hotel, The Ven, Viceroy, Hotel Zena and Archer. 60 lbs at Pendry, 75 lbs at Canopy The Wharf, Melrose and The Darcy, 80 lbs at the Fairmont and Morrison House. No limit at the Four Seasons, Kimpton George, Eaton DC, both Royal Sonesta hotels, Lyle and Riggs. Hotel Washington says breed and weight restrictions apply without naming them.

Fees

Free at the Four Seasons, Kimpton George, Eaton DC, The Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle, the Fairmont and The Darcy. USD 50 at The Jefferson and Canopy The Wharf, and USD 50 per pet at Viceroy and Hotel Zena. USD 75 at Melrose, Morrison House and The Royal Sonesta Capitol Hill. USD 100 at Lyle, Riggs, The Ven, The Dupont Circle Hotel and, as a minimum, Rosewood. USD 150 at Pendry, Archer, The Morrow and, per pet, Capitol Hill Hotel. Hotel Washington charges USD 100 for cleaning plus USD 35 a day.

Fees to confirm

Park Hyatt and The Hay-Adams don't publish a fee, and The Hay-Adams asks you to contact the hotel before completing a reservation. Confirm the figures at the Waldorf Astoria (USD 250 per pet per stay) and the Conrad (USD 75 per room per stay) with the hotel when booking. At The Willard, ask whether the USD 200 is the whole charge or whether a deposit sits on top. Ask The Morrow whether its USD 150 is per pet and Canopy The Wharf whether its USD 50 is per stay or per night.

Getting there

Amtrak takes dogs and cats only in a carrier, with a 20 lb limit for pet and carrier combined, on trips up to seven hours on most routes, one pet per customer, in Coach and Acela Business Class. In practice that rules out anything bigger than a small dog arriving by train at Union Station. Reagan National has pet relief areas before security beside both Metrorail station entrances and after security in Terminal 1 near Gates A1 to A9 and in Terminal 2 near Gates E46 to E59. Dulles has four, two outside the terminal and two in the concourses.

Metro and buses

We haven't been able to confirm the current pet rule for Metrorail or Metrobus, so we're not publishing one. Check with WMATA before you rely on it. The safer plan is to choose a hotel you can walk from, which is easy in Georgetown, Dupont Circle, Downtown and Capitol Hill.

Best walks

The C&O Canal towpath from Georgetown, which starts behind the Four Seasons and outside Rosewood, on a lead no longer than six feet and with bagged waste carried out because the park is trash free. The Rock Creek Park trail, about five minutes from the West End hotels and three from The Royal Sonesta Dupont Circle over the P Street bridge, also six feet of lead at most, with DC fines of up to USD 300 for a dog off the lead outside a designated dog park. Georgetown Waterfront Park on the Potomac. The lawns and paths of the National Mall between the memorials, with Lafayette Square, the Ellipse and Pershing Park for the Downtown hotels. The Wharf promenade along the Washington Channel. For off-lead time, the city dog parks: Francis at 25th and M Streets NW, 26th and I in Foggy Bottom, S Street at 17th and S in Dupont, Shaw at 11th Street and Rhode Island Avenue NW, Swampoodle at 3rd and L Streets NE in NoMa, Lansburgh near the Wharf and Kingsman on Capitol Hill. In Alexandria, King Street runs down to the Potomac waterfront and Founders Park, where the Mount Vernon Trail follows the river.

When to go

None of these hotels publishes seasonal dog terms, so the fees and limits above hold all year. What changes is how much of the city you can use. With the museums closed to dogs and indoor dining off the table, a DC trip with a dog is an outdoor trip, built on the Mall, the towpath, Rock Creek and patios, so pick dates when you'd both be happy outside for most of the day. We haven't confirmed summer heat guidance for the city, so check the forecast before you commit to long midday walks, and carry water on the C&O Canal towpath, which the park itself advises.