Our First Experience At Pet-Friendly La Quinta Inns & Suites

Our pet-friendly budget hotel of choice has been Red Roof Inn for a while now, but I had also heard of La Quinta hotels being pet-friendly and not charging for our furry friends.

We hadn’t yet had the chance to test the latter until recently when Buzz and Mommy were tired and done being in the car, rain clouds were rolling in and it started getting dark.

We were passing through the Nashville, TN area and didn’t see any Red Roof Inn signs along I-40, but guess what we DID see…that’s right, a sign for a La Quinta hotel.

I had a few exits to make the decision of whether or not to go for the La Quinta or continue down the highway in hopes of seeing a Red Roof Inn sign sooner or later.

Well, I ended up opting for the La Quinta Inn & Suites in 37090 Lebanon, TN, located at 140 Dixie Avenue and right down the street from Lebanon’s Premium Outlet Shopping Center, instead of a challenging night on the road. 

Happy, Bright, Inviting Colors in La Quinta Lobby

The first thing Buzz & I noticed when stepping into the lobby were inviting, happy colors. Different hues of green, yellow, and blue combined with a few bright pops of orange and red really DID make us want to spend the night here. Seeing the tripadvisor 2015 Winner Certificate of Excellence sealed the deal.

Our Beautiful, Comfortable Hotel Room at La Quinta

The bedroom color scheme was right up my alley, too. It was a chic black & white pattern set against a turquoise feature wall which created a minimalistic, yet relaxing atmosphere. 

Our first floor room came with two queen size beds, but we really only used one. I love sleeping with several pillows, so I grabbed two from the second bed and added them to the three I already had on my bed of choice.

Buzz stretched out against my legs and was soon snoring away while I still watched some HGTV on the 32 inch flat screen TV the room came with. By the way – both pillows and the mattress were super comfortable. Not too hard and not too soft, just right.

The flooring was a combination of carpet in the bedroom area and tile in the entrance/closet/bathroom area. Perfect for Buzz’s raw food dinner and breakfast. The only (very acceptable!) downside was the slippery surface which caused Buzz’s food dish to end up in the bathroom 😉

We also had a three drawer dresser, a mini fridge, microwave, in-room coffee maker, alarm clock, desk area, and a very decent closet space behind sliding doors holding an ironing board and iron. The bathroom door facing the bedroom also featured a full length mirror. 

The bathroom itself felt spa-like and came with plenty of towels, a hair dryer, Pantene shampoo, conditioner, body lotion, and two massage soap bars. The shower featured a wall-mounted massage shower head with excellent water pressure and instant hot water.

Outdoor Space at the La Quinta Hotel

The exterior of the hotel was dog-friendly enough and featured a doggie poop station. Unfortunately, some of the grassy areas in the parking lot did not allow dogs (I forgot to take a picture of the signs saying so) and there were way too many poop landmines in my opinion. I just don’t understand why people can’t pick up after their dogs, especially when there’s a doggie poop station close by. 

We did walk by an exterior pool, but obviously it wasn’t pool season quite yet. I looked it up and read that it’s open from Memorial Day Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.

Any Cons?

Dogs can’t be left alone in your room and aren’t allowed in the breakfast area. This came as no surprise as I believe it’s part of the standard pet policy in all dog-friendly hotels. It just makes it a little tricky when you’re traveling alone and have to figure out how to get breakfast since Fido can’t tag along.

I ended up putting Buzz in the car (it was within sight from the lobby which is where breakfast was being served) while I got coffee for the road and had a quick breakfast at a table consisting of a muffin.

The price tag of our room was the only drawback and the biggest difference to our previous stays at Red Roof Inns. We payed a total of $122.07 ($105 for our room, the rest were city, county, and state sale taxes). We never paid more than $80 at Red Roof Inns for a single room.

A minor annoyance was the lack of power outlets between the two beds which meant that I couldn’t charge my phone while it was sitting on the nightstand. #FirstWorldProblems

I also had a bit of a hard time staying asleep as there was another dog just a few rooms down from us who kept barking. and barking. and barking. Made me wonder if he (or she) was left alone in the room. 

Bottom Line – Recommended

We’re glad we tried something new and stepped outside of our comfort zone into the unknown. That’s how we grow, right?! Either way, we do recommend this La Quinta location and applaud their truly pet-friendly policy.

The chain allows two dogs per room and doesn’t seem to have a size limit or breed restrictions. We saw an Irish Wolfhound during our stay (extra large dog breed), large & medium bully breeds, as well as small pups. #DogLovers

Just  a nerdy annotation – the Wolfhound was walked on a Halti, just like Buzz (it’s a head collar with a padded noseband, similar to a Gentle Leader). #Cool

Although Buzz & I checked in late around 7:30 pm, we were promptly helped by a friendly receptionist and were able to get to our room within just about 10 minutes. We could have checked in as early as 3 pm. Check out is at 12 pm, but since we wanted to get back on the road early, we left around 8 am.

By the way, La Quinta offers a 12% military discount and also doesn’t charge for kids 18 and under as long as they stay in their parents’ room.