Road Trip "Route 66" with your dogs at Drury Hotels and La Quinta Inns

Many people are hesitant to take road trips that include their dogs because there are so many hotels and motels along the way that do not take pets or if they do, charge high one time fees for pets or restrict number and size of pets. Surprisingly, there are many more hotels and motels that take pets and have reasonable cost or no cost policies than most people think.  So, before you decide not to take the dog, do some checking regarding “pet friendly” lodging availability along the route.  And, with the recent fires and forced evacuations of Texas residents with pets, the need to find temporary lodging that is pet friendly has become very important for more than just casual travel.

There are a number of good sources on the internet for finding pet friendly lodgings along your route.  One we have used is the relatively new travel arrangements aggregator site KAYAK (www.kayak.com).  Just filter by “pet friendly” and it will give you lists of hotels and motels along your route that are pet friendly.  However, the quality of the lodgings and locations along the route may not be consistent with your expectations, making selecting lodgings a “roll of the dice”.

Two good quality chains that we have found are Drury Hotels (www.Druryhotels.com) and La Quinta Inns (www.lq.com).   Both are long established brands with moderate priced, good quality lodgings that cater to families and pets, usually without extra charge.  In a Labor Day trip to Chicago and back (with our two dogs) we used both chains along “Route 66” to break the 2400 mile roundtrip into manageable segments.  We were very pleased again with the quality and location of the properties, the helpfulness and proficiencies of the staffs and the size and amenities of the rooms.  Rates will vary by location, season and day of the week.  Internet specials are available along with affinity discounts like AAA, ARP and others.

In Joplin Missouri on both legs of the trip, we stayed at the La Quinta Inns and Suites on South Rangeline Road just minutes off of I-44.  The rate for a very nice queen room was $80.99 and it included a nice breakfast with lots of choices each morning.  We would note that that the devastating tornado that struck Joplin a few months back passed within blocks of this property. We took a short drive into the area of destruction and can attest that the devastation was beyond what you could appreciate from the news coverage.  But the spirit of the Joplin community and the many people we met at the hotel who were involved in reconstruction was high and very optimistic in putting it all back together over time. 

We stayed another night in Springfield Illinois at the Drury Inns and Suites on South Dirksen Parkway just minutes off I-55.  Again, the accommodations were very nice and the personnel were helpful and available at all times.  The room was a queen again with a rate of $114.99.

At Drury Hotels, the room rate includes a hot prepared breakfast to order (limited menu but more than adequate) and an afternoon “Kickback” at 5:30 each day which includes a wide assortment of hot foods and cold beverages.  The food offering has many items just right for the kids along with plenty to satisfy the adults.  And, the cold beverages include “adult” items as well.  

La Quinta Inns are based out of Dallas Texas and include both La Quinta Inns and La Quinta Inns and Suites.  Drury Hotels is based out of St. Louis and includes Drury Hotels, Drury Inns, Drury Inns and Suites and Pear Tree Inns. We would add that Drury Hotels has been a J.D. Power and Associates winner of “Highest in Guest Satisfaction Among Mid-Scale Limited Service Hotel Chains” now six years in a row.  La Quinta has a broad geographical reach with over 800 hotels in the US, Canada and Mexico. Drury Hotels is family owned with over 130 properties in 20 states mainly situated in the Midwest, Southwest and Southeast US.

As you make road travel plans, give serious thought to bringing the dogs with you to not only save the boarding costs (we saved $460 in boarding this trip) but also to include them in the family vacation or trip as well.  Check out both La Quinta Inns and Drury Hotels.  You will save money and have a nice stay.  And, your dogs will thank you too.