Pet-friendly hotel suites for a PCS family of five: what the pages say and what to ask

Orders are in, the family is moving and the dog or cat is coming too. Two adults and three children already need a room that sleeps five (see PCS first week in a hotel with a family of five), and the pet adds its own questions.

This page covers the hotel side only. It gives no fee amounts, weights or reimbursement figures, because they change by hotel and by date and the hotel page or your own office is the place to confirm them.

This page is general information compiled from public pages. It is not legal, financial or travel-entitlement advice, and the site has no affiliation with any military service or agency. Rules change: check the current DTMO page and ask your own finance or pay office.

Each row restates the “pet policy” text on the hotel's IHG page as we read it; the last-but-one column is the largest published room maximum on our own hotel page, not a statement that the pet text applies to that room. Amounts and weights are on the hotel's page and are deliberately not copied here. “Not in the text” means that point is not in the text we read, not that the hotel has no rule.

The Staybridge Anaheim row leaves out one line of that hotel's text because it conflicts with the rest of the same text; ask that hotel which animals it accepts. Fee cut-offs for a longer stay differ by hotel, so check the hotel's page for the night count.

On IHG's room selection page for the Nov 10-11, 2026 search (1 room, 2 adults and 3 children, read October 16, 2026), the Staybridge Chicago-Oakbrook Terrace page showed 4 suites. One card is named “2 Double 1 Bedroom Suite Pet Friendly”. Its published details:

• Maximum occupancy on the card: 5.
• Size: 425 sqft.
• Kitchen: Full Kitchen on the card.
• Beds: 2 Double Beds; room elements: Single Sofa Bed.
• Layout: 1 Bedroom with Living and Kitchen Area.
• Label on the card: “Pet Friendly”.

A second card, “2 Double 1 Bedroom Suite”, lists the same size, beds, kitchen and layout without the “Pet Friendly” label. The page does not say what the label changes. The hotel's pet text (see the table) names a weight limit, a per-pet non-refundable fee that is higher for stays of seven or more nights, non-aggressive breeds and a limit of two pets per room. Whether the other 3 suites accept pets, and whether a pet counts toward the card's occupancy of 5: not on the page. IHG's hotel page also carried a full-property renovation announcement when read, and we could not tell which rooms it affects. See the Oakbrook Terrace page. This is a one-bedroom suite with a sofa bed, not a two-bedroom suite (see where the fifth person sleeps).

Two sources: the hotel's IHG Army Hotels page (read October 17, 2026) and the IHG Army Hotels domestic and service animal policy (marked “Updated June 2025”, read October 18, 2026). The policy matches the hotel page on the points both state. Dollar amounts and weights are left out on purpose.

• The hotel page shows a pet-friendly badge, a non-refundable per-pet fee, an extra nightly fee that starts on the eighth night, a limit of two pets per room and a weight limit.
• The policy says a valid credit card must be on file and a Pet Agreement signed at check-in.
• “Only dogs and cats are allowed in hotel rooms and in accordance with the Installation's Regulations.”
• “Domestic animals must always be placed in a crate or pet carrier when the guest leaves the guest room.”
• The policy names breeds deemed aggressive or dangerous that may not be brought in; read the list on the policy page.
• On noise: after two disruptive complaints the guest is asked to make other arrangements for the pet.
• “Service animals are working animals, not pets,” and the pet guidelines do not apply to them. “If your animal is an Emotional Support or Comfort Animal, this Pet Policy applies.”
• If extensive cleaning or repair is needed, additional fees may be charged.

The IHG Army Hotels FAQ says to tell the reservations agent before arrival if you are traveling with pets. Room types and occupancy at Fort Carson: not read. Whether other installation hotels follow the same policy: not read. See also Fort Carson installation-hotel page (page marked modified March 18, 2022) for the on-post lodging caveat discussed in the PCS first-week page.

For these hotels we did not find pet text in the records we hold, so we state nothing about their pet rules. That is a gap in our reading, not a statement that they refuse pets. Ask the hotel in writing.

In the booking steps we read for The Bayard on October 17, 2026 (category, rate, summary and details), pets were not shown; the terms document was not opened. Marriott's pet-friendly page (read October 18, 2026) says: “Pet policies vary by hotel, even within the same Marriott Bonvoy brand.”

Not stated on the DTMO Temporary Lodging Expenses page we read (dated December 2, 2024), which does not mention pets. See how to read a TLE hotel bill.

A different DTMO page, the DTMO Pet Transportation Allowance FAQ (dated November 26, 2024; read October 18, 2026), is about the pet transportation allowance, which is not TLE. Points on it, quoted as written:

• “Can I be reimbursed the hotel pet fees using this allowance? Yes, hotel pet fees are a valid expense to be reimbursed.”
• “The JTR defines a household pet as a cat or dog.”
• “the allowance may only be used for one household pet per PCS order. Any additional pets will need to be shipped at your expense.”
• “You must provide itemized receipts for pet expenses and a non-availability letter from the office processing the transportation request if Government transportation is not available.”
• The page says the policy is effective January 1, 2024, and the basis is whether the effective date of the orders is on or after that date.

That page does not say whether pet fees also count toward TLE hotel costs: not on the page. Rules change: check the current DTMO page and ask your finance or pay office.

1. Which exact room takes pets. The pet text on a hotel page is a hotel-level statement; ask for the room name in writing.
2. Which animals. The texts above name dogs, cats or “pets” differently.
3. The fee, whether it is per pet or per stay, and what changes with a longer stay.
4. Limits on number and size of pets, and breed rules.
5. Whether pets count toward the room's occupancy. Not stated on any page we read.
6. Housekeeping and leaving the pet alone in the room. One hotel text says pets must be secured for housekeeping and the Fort Carson policy says a crate or carrier when you leave the room; others say nothing we read.
7. An itemized pet-fee line on the bill, so your own office can see it (see how to read a TLE hotel bill).

• Pet text, 12 IHG hotels: the “pet policy” text on each hotel's IHG page, read October 16, 2026 (dates in the table's last column).
• Oakbrook Terrace card: IHG room selection page, Nov 10-11, 2026 search, read October 16, 2026.
• Fort Carson: the hotel's IHG Army Hotels page (read October 17, 2026), the IHG Army Hotels domestic and service animal policy and IHG Army Hotels FAQ (read October 18, 2026).
• TLE and pet allowance: the DTMO Temporary Lodging Expenses FAQ (dated December 2, 2024) and the DTMO Pet Transportation Allowance FAQ (dated November 26, 2024).
• Marriott pet-policy sentence: Marriott's pet-friendly page, read October 18, 2026.
• Not read: pet text for the hotels in the “not read” table; the Holiday Inn Express Las Vegas E Tropicana pet answer (heading only); the full Joint Travel Regulations.

The questions to ask are ours, not an official list.

• PCS hotel date changes and cancellations