We have a 115 lb Rhodesian Ridgeback that we travel with within California (and once to Arizona/Utah) quite frequently. We always make sure that we either have permission or can get permission for such a large dog. Because of my Ambassador status and perhaps also because of the long history of our dog’s travels with no issues whatsoever, we have been allowed to stay at many hotels that otherwise have limits on pet weights, too.

Pet fees have always been a factor for those traveling with pets. It does seem that they’ve been a bit higher, but that seems just as true outside of Marriott as it is within the Marriott portfolio.

Many hotels only place pets in certain rooms or certain wings or sections of the hotels. That’s not unusual. Other hotels allow pets in restricted areas. Some hotels don’t allow pets in almost any public spaces. It varies wildly by property.

As for size, I think it would be obvious that any size dog can bite, any size dog can pee, any size dog can bark and create a disturbance. IME smaller dogs bark far more than larger dogs—that’s their defense mechanism due to their smaller size, after all. Fortunately, Rhodesians rarely bark at all unless playing or getting surprised (knock on the door). Size is more an issue when a bigger dog can seem threatening or make another guest uncomfortable (but even a small dog can sometimes make some people uncomfortable, as everyone likely knows). In our case, we are very careful to never enter a space or elevator without first checking with the occupants or persons there that they are OK with bringing our dog.

We’ve never had any issue ever with our dog. But another large dog at the StR San Francisco reacted poorly to seeing our dog and created quite a scene before the owner apologized and departed as quickly as possible. Everyone felt the whole episode was handled very well, thankfully.