Pet-Friendly Hotels Near Universal Orlando: 10 Picks and Fees

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The pet-friendly hotels near Universal Orlando split into two groups: four of Universal’s own hotels, all run by Loews, which take up to two cats or dogs for a flat $150 per stay, and a ring of off-site hotels on Major Boulevard, Universal Boulevard and Sand Lake Road whose pet fees run from a one-time $75 to $50 a night. We compare ten on fees, size limits and distances to Universal and Epic Universe.

Some hotels count weight per pet and others combined, a few take dogs only, and the hotel’s own page and its Booking.com house rules don’t always agree. Pets other than service animals can’t go into the parks, so you also need a plan for park days.

For Disney’s dog-friendly resorts, see our guide to pet-friendly hotels in Orlando near Disney and Universal.

Quick answer: To stay on-site with a dog or cat, book Loews Royal Pacific Resort: a flat $150 pet fee per stay, a 0.6-mile walk to CityWalk and free Universal Express Unlimited. Off-site, Residence Inn Near Universal and the DoubleTree at the Entrance to Universal charge the lowest one-time fee ($75 per stay). Drury Inn & Suites has the highest published weight cap off-site (80 pounds, combined for two pets) but charges $50 a night. Closest to Epic Universe: Castle Hotel, about 2.6 road miles away.

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How we chose these pet-friendly hotels near Universal

• Published pet policy: each of the ten posts its pet fee and limits on its own, its brand’s or Universal’s site. We compared each one with the hotel’s Booking.com house rules in October 2026 and flag any differences.
• Location: within about 3 road miles of Universal’s main parking garages or a short walk from CityWalk. Road distances are our own rounded OpenStreetMap (OSRM) routes.
• Transport and extras: park shuttles, parking charges and free breakfast as each hotel lists them.

We haven’t stayed at these hotels and don’t score them. For brand pages that block automated access (Hilton, Hyatt, IHG, Marriott) we used archived copies from April to July 2026. Pet policies change often, so confirm yours when you book.

Pet-friendly hotels near Universal Orlando compared

Hotel	Pet fee	Pet limits	To Universal / Epic
Loews Royal Pacific	$150 per stay	2 cats or dogs	0.6 mi walk / 4 mi
Hard Rock Hotel	$150 per stay	2; one agreement says 50 lb	0.5 mi walk / 4.5 mi
Loews Portofino Bay	$150 per stay	2 cats or dogs	0.8 mi walk / 5 mi
Loews Sapphire Falls	$150 per stay	2 cats or dogs	0.5–0.8 mi walk / 4.5 mi
DoubleTree Universal	$75 per stay	60 lb max	0.9 mi walk / 4 mi
Hyatt Place Universal	$100 or $200 per stay	2 dogs, 75 lb combined	1 mi walk / 4 mi
Holiday Inn Express	$75 or $125 per stay	2 pets, 75 lb	1.2 mi walk / 4.7 mi
Residence Inn Universal	$75 per stay	2 pets, 40 or 75 lb	1.2–1.7 mi drive / 4.5–5 mi
Drury Inn & Suites	$50 per night	2 pets, 80 lb combined	2.3 mi drive / 3.8 mi
Castle Hotel	$150 + $50 per stay	2 dogs, 40 lb	2.7 mi drive / 2.6 mi

Walks are to CityWalk; drives are to the toll plazas of Universal’s garages and Epic Universe’s lot (return trips can run up to a mile longer). Fees are plus tax, as listed at last check.

Universal’s four pet-friendly hotels: the shared rules

Universal’s hotel FAQ names exactly four hotels that allow pets for an additional fee: Loews Sapphire Falls Resort, Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel and Loews Portofino Bay Hotel. Each hotel’s Information & Policies section on Universal’s site, checked in October 2026, gives the same terms:

• A $150 fee per stay for up to two pets per room, in a pet-friendly room category. If you book a regular room, you’ll be reassigned to a pet room on arrival.
• Proof of up-to-date vaccinations and current records from a licensed veterinarian.
• Dogs are walked in designated areas and aren’t allowed at the pools, lounges or restaurants. If your pet causes complaints, you may be asked to board it at an outside facility.
• Club level rooms are excluded (stated on the Royal Pacific, Hard Rock and Portofino Bay pages).

Loews says it is cat- and dog-friendly, and pets get a tag, bowl and treat at check-in. The pet agreements Universal links for all four hotels ask you to supervise your pet, charge a $10-per-hour “time out” fee if an unattended pet has to be removed from the room, and point you to the concierge’s list of outside pet sitters (they still show an older $100 fee). Hard Rock has a second version: the Unleashed agreement on Loews’ own Hard Rock page sets a 50-pound limit and says pets can’t be left unattended in the room. Confirm both points with the hotel.

None of Universal’s other hotels takes pets, including all three Epic Universe hotels. The Universal Helios Grand Hotel page says so outright. On Booking.com, the three Express hotels list pets as “allowed on request” and Sapphire Falls as “allowed”; all four require you to be 21 to check in. Overnight self-parking at these four was $36 plus tax per night (valet $45) on Universal’s pages.

Booking on Booking.com? Universal’s and Loews’ terms tie the free Express Unlimited at Royal Pacific, Hard Rock and Portofino Bay to registered guests for the length of the stay, with no direct-booking condition, and the Royal Pacific and Hard Rock listings on Booking.com repeat those terms, and your room key is the pass. Mobile check-in, which also loads the pass into the Universal app, is only for reservations made directly with Loews, so plan to check in at the front desk and confirm the benefit there.

More pet-friendly hotels near Universal and Epic Universe

Also worth a look:

• Rosen Inn Closest to Universal: up to two dogs at $15 per dog per night with prior approval and proof of vaccinations; a $50 deposit if you pay cash. Dogs must be crated when left in the room. Parking is $10 a night (capped at $50) and the free shuttle includes Epic Universe. See our Rosen Inn guide.
• Sonesta ES Suites Orlando – International Drive: two pets per suite with no breed or weight restrictions per Sonesta, for $75 for up to seven nights or $150 for longer stays. Booking.com says a maximum of two dogs and lists a $250 refundable damage deposit. It’s about 3 road miles from Epic Universe, and a $17-plus-tax resort fee covers parking and a Disney and Universal shuttle.
• Element Orlando Universal Blvd.: one pet up to 30 pounds at $50 a night, capped at $150 (Marriott, May 2026), about 3 road miles from Epic Universe, with free breakfast.
• Homewood Suites and Home2 Suites near Universal: two dogs or cats up to 75 pounds for $75 for one to four nights or $125 for five or more (Hilton, at last check), with free breakfast and parking.
• La Quinta Orlando Universal area: Booking.com’s fine print allows two cats or dogs of up to 75 pounds each for $25 a night per room, capped at $75 per stay. Confirm the terms with the hotel.

For more hotels around the park, see our best hotels near Universal Studios Orlando and our guide to hotels near Epic Universe.

Where your pet stays on park days

Universal’s park policies say animals that don’t meet the definition of a service animal aren’t allowed in the parks. None of the Universal pages we checked mentions a kennel, and planner sites have reported the old garage kennel closed since 2021, so don’t count on one. Your options:

• A hotel-arranged sitter: the Loews hotels keep a list of local pet-sitting services, which you book and pay for yourself.
• Short park sessions: from Hard Rock, Royal Pacific or the DoubleTree you can walk back at midday, which suits hotels that ask you not to leave pets alone.
• Daycare or boarding: Best Friends Pet Hotel at Walt Disney World (2510 Bonnet Creek Parkway, near Disney Springs) offers dog and cat boarding and dog daycare. It opens an hour before Disney’s parks and closes an hour after, and pets must be current on required vaccinations at least 48 hours before check-in. Its $25 round-trip pet van serves only four select Disney resort locations, so from Universal you’ll need a car.

Florida heat and your pet

The National Weather Service warns that pets left in parked vehicles die from hyperthermia every year, even on mild days in the 70s, and advises moving strenuous activity to the coolest time of day and drinking plenty of water. Walk your dog early and late and carry water; our Orlando weather by month guide shows how hot and humid each month gets.

How to choose a pet-friendly hotel near Universal

• Price the whole stay: for five nights with one pet, Loews costs $150, the DoubleTree and Residence Inn $75, Hyatt Place $100, Holiday Inn Express $125 under IHG’s terms, and Drury $250 plus tax.
• Read the weight rule: Drury’s 80 pounds and Hyatt Place’s 75 are combined totals. Holiday Inn Express’s 75 is per pet, the DoubleTree lists a 60-pound maximum, Castle Hotel caps each dog at 40 pounds, and the Loews pages give no weight limit.
• Check cats and dogs: Hyatt Place and Castle Hotel take dogs only; Loews and Drury take both, as does Holiday Inn Express per IHG (Universal’s page says dogs only).
• Plan park days first: if you can’t leave your pet alone, pick a walkable hotel or line up a sitter.
• Watch the booking channel: Hilton Honors, Marriott Bonvoy, World of Hyatt and IHG One Rewards perks apply only to bookings made with the brand, not on Booking.com. Rates vary by season, availability and how far ahead you book.

Frequently asked questions

Which Universal Orlando hotels allow pets?

Four: Loews Royal Pacific Resort, Hard Rock Hotel, Loews Portofino Bay Hotel and Loews Sapphire Falls Resort. Each takes up to two pets in a pet-friendly room for a $150 fee per stay, with proof of vaccinations, and Club level rooms are excluded where stated. None of Universal’s other hotels, including the three at Epic Universe, accepts pets other than service animals.

Is there a pet-friendly hotel near Epic Universe?

Not on Epic’s own doorstep: Helios Grand and the other Epic hotels don’t allow pets. The closest pet-friendly options we found are Castle Hotel on Universal Boulevard, about 2.6 road miles from Epic’s parking toll plaza, and Sonesta ES Suites and Element on International Drive and Universal Boulevard, about 3 miles away. Drury, Holiday Inn Express and Rosen Inn Closest to Universal list free shuttles that include Epic.

Can I bring my dog into Universal Studios?

No. Universal’s park policies allow trained service animals only; animals that don’t meet the definition of a service animal aren’t permitted in the parks, and service animals can’t wear costumes. Pets also aren’t allowed in the pool, lounge and restaurant areas of the pet-friendly Universal hotels, so plan a sitter, daycare or short park sessions with breaks back at your room.

Is there a kennel at Universal Orlando?

Universal doesn’t advertise one. None of the Universal pages we checked mentions a kennel, and planner sites have reported the former parking-garage kennel closed since 2021. If you stay at a Loews hotel, the concierge can share a list of local pet sitters. Best Friends Pet Hotel near Disney Springs offers boarding and daycare if you have a car. Call Universal before your trip in case this changes.

Can I leave my dog alone in the hotel room near Universal?

It depends on the hotel. Hard Rock’s Unleashed agreement on Loews’ site says pets can’t be left unattended. The Loews agreements on Universal’s site ask you to supervise pets and charge $10 an hour if an unattended pet has to be removed. Rosen Inns require a crate when your dog is alone in the room. Ask your hotel before a park day and leave a phone number at the front desk.

Which hotel near Universal has the cheapest pet fee?

For short stays, Rosen Inn Closest to Universal charges $15 per dog per night, and La Quinta’s Booking.com terms cap the fee at $75. For a week, the DoubleTree and Residence Inn charge a flat $75 per stay. Universal’s own pet-friendly hotels cost $150 per stay, while Drury’s $50 nightly fee is the most expensive over five nights or more. Fees are plus tax and can change.

Bottom line

If you want to stay on-site with a pet, Loews Royal Pacific Resort gives you a flat $150 fee, free Express Unlimited and a short walk to the parks. Off-site, the DoubleTree and Residence Inn charge the least for a longer stay, Drury allows a single dog of up to 80 pounds, and Castle Hotel is the closest pet-friendly base to Epic Universe. Confirm the fee and weight limit with your hotel and line up park-day care before you go.

Check your dates for Loews Royal Pacific Resort on Booking.com

Sources checked in October 2026: Universal Orlando hotel FAQs, Loews Royal Pacific Resort (Universal, Information & Policies), Drury Inn & Suites near Universal Orlando Resort, Rosen Inn dog policy, National Weather Service: children, pets and vehicles.