Top 10 pet-friendly hotels

More and more vacationers are bringing along pets during their getaways. These 10 pet-friendly hotels will make Fido feel right at home.

Ready for a vacation? Odds are your pet is coming along.

In a new study on pets from travel site TripAdvisor, half of respondents (49 percent) said their furry friends will be a travel companion in the next year. More than half of those (56 percent) will bring their pet to the hotel.

While nearly three-quarters of respondents say they have little trouble finding pet-friendly places to stay, TripAdvisor has highlighted the 10 most popular…

1. The Reynolds Mansion (Asheville, North Carolina)

This bed and breakfast, with mountain views, was built in 1847. It has “survived a civil war, poverty and decline, horrible neglect, and two major restorations.” There are three buildings to stay in, but dogs are only welcome in two: the carriage house and the cottage retreat. But not in the mansion proper – that’s where two English bulldogs, Rhett and Scarlett, live. They’re sort of mansion mascots. But all the rooms are beautiful.

• Pet fee: $25 a night
• Average nightly rate: $155-plus

2. Stony Point Bed & Breakfast (Tyrone, Pennsylvania)

“The entire house is a recycled freight train,” the website says. Its framework is built out of wooden freight cars by craftsmen who also built parts of the Pennsylvania Railroad. (Yeah, the Monopoly property.)

• Pet fee: $25
• Average nightly rate: $81-plus

3. Phineas Swann Bed and Breakfast Inn (Montgomery Center, Vermont)

Not only do dogs stay free in six suites outside the main inn, but all this is included:

Wi-Fi Internet access everywhere on our property, an all-you-can-eat gourmet breakfast, full cable TV with HBO and Showtime, all day coffee, tea, soft drinks, snacks, cookies, brownies, free telephone service anywhere in the US and Canada, free DVD “rentals” for you to enjoy in your room, and use of our outdoor Hot Tub.

A TripAdvisor reviewer added, “They really thought of everything, including pampering our beloved Corgis with homemade dog biscuits with their names on them, bedding, and toys.” But that was presumably part of the $550 “Deluxe Dog Spa Package,” which also includes dog walks by the staff every three hours, bed-sleeping permission, plus a separate plush dog bed, Animal Planet running on the TV while you’re away from the pet, and “no pesky surcharges.”

• Pet fee: none!
• Average nightly rate: $121-plus

4. Applewood Manor Inn Bed & Breakfast (Asheville, North Carolina)

Is there something about pets and North Carolina? The Applewood is only three miles from the first hotel on this list and four miles from the sixth. It’s also very close to the Biltmore Estate and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Pets are allowed to stay in a particular suite, the Cortland Cottage, which has a “heart-shaped champagne bubble tub surrounded by mirrors,” wet bar, and fridge.

• Pet fee: $10-35 a night
• Average nightly rate: $145-plus

5. At Journey’s End Bed and Breakfast (St. Augustine, Florida)

Visitors (up to four) can bring pets into the Key West Suite of this late-1800s Victorian house. The room has a private veranda overlooking a garden and is in a quiet location within walking distance of historic attractions, including the Castillo de San Marcos, the Bridge of Lions, and Lightner Museum.

• Pet fee: $50 a night
• Average nightly rate: $129-plus

6. Biltmore Village Inn (Asheville, North Carolina)

This restored 1892 Queen Anne Victorian boasts it is the “only B&B in Asheville that truly has mountain views from our wrap-around porch.” It sits on a hill overlooking Biltmore Village and the Swannanoa River valley. Pets are welcome in either the Honeymoon or Carolina Cottages. The former has two fireplaces and a two-person whirlpool tub. The latter has a whirlpool for one but two bedrooms, with a king-sized bed and a single-sized European antique bed, as well as antique French furniture.

• Pet fee: $25 a night
• Average nightly rate: $220-plus

7. The Ruby of Crested Butte – A Luxury B&B (Crested Butte, Colorado)

The pet fee here is a voluntary one – donated to a local animal shelter. But it gets you comfy dog beds and blankets and homemade dog treats. There are additional paid services, including pet-sitting, pet hikes/walks, doggie spa treatments, and custom portraits.

• Pet fee: $10 a night
• Average nightly rate: $199-plus

8. Cliffside Inn (Newport, Rhode Island)

Smaller dogs (under 30 pounds) are welcome at the Seaview Cottage. There are three nautically themed suites, with skylights, fireplaces, whirlpool tubs, and antique furniture. The Inn is adjacent to Cliff Walk, a 3.5-mile, dog-friendly pathway overlooking the ocean.

• Pet fee: $50 a night
• Average nightly rate: $395-plus

9. Roughley Manor (Twentynine Palms, California)

A 1928 B&B close to Joshua Tree National Park, with four pet-friendly rooms available at no extra fee. The site covers 25 acres and features great horned owls and a large rose garden.

• Pet fee: none!
• Average nightly rate: $135-plus

10. Eureka Sunset (Eureka Springs, Arkansas)

These cabins in a wooded area of the Ozark Mountains are pet-friendly. They have decks with treetop views, Jacuzzis, and full kitchens. And despite the rustic setting, it’s still pretty close to the city.

• Pet fee: $25
• Average nightly rate: $85-plus

Why are half of the top six pet hotels in Asheville, North Carolina? No clue. But according to Wikipedia, Asheville’s honors also include being the “Happiest City for Women,” the “New Freak Capital of the U.S.,” a “New Age Mecca,” and among the “Best Places to Reinvent Your Life” and “10 Most Beautiful Places in America.” Perhaps a high rate of pet ownership contributes to all of the above…

Brandon Ballenger is a writer for Money Talks News, a consumer/personal finance TV news feature that airs in about 80 cities as well as around the Web. This column first appeared in Money Talks News.