Check out these eight green and pet-friendly hotels near NYC that successfully cater to the needs of people, pooches, and the planet.
1. Seaport Boston | Boston, MA | seaportboston.com | 1 Seaport Lane | 800.440.3318
Located in the old Wool District of the early 1900s, this hotel comes with great dog walks along the Boston Harbor and a serious commitment to sustainability. You might not always be able to see the effort, but you know it’s there: annually recycling 201 tons of material, purchasing a year’s worth of renewable energy credits, offering complimentary parking to guests with “green” cars—plus the Seaport boast’s the first hotel charging station in Boston. After checking in with your pooch, who will receive a free toy and warm welcome, make a reservation at on-site restaurant Aura, a participant in Boston Restaurant Week and a delicious eco option for dining out. Executive Chef Richard Rayment sources herbs, edible flowers, sages, mints, peppers and more from the plaza level garden and keeps close ties with many local farms like Volante in Needham in order to maintain a seasonal menu with locally grown ingredients.
How to get there: Consult oM’s guide to renting Hybrids in NYC. Once in Boston, you can travel freely with your pet as the T does allow dogs on board. The Silver Line T station is located adjacent to the hotel.
2. Hotel Palomar | Philadelphia, PA | hotelpalomar-philadelphia.com | 117 South 17th St. | 888.725.1778
In the heart of City Center near Rittenhouse Square, this Kimpton property offers guests not only a prime location, wine hours, and a pet-friendly policy, but a LEED Gold Certification too. The hotel’s Very Important Pet plan embraces furry (and feathery!) overnighters for free and even provides them with a dog bed, food and water bowls, poop bags, a dog leash and caregiver services upon request. No two Kimpton chains look alike and their message, “Changing the world one hotel at a time,” is sure to deliver a satisfying night’s sleep.
How to get there: Amtrak doesn’t allow non-service pets on board, so you will need to take New Jersey Transit (small pets in carriers are allowed) to Trenton, and change to SEPTA, which will bring you to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. From there, it is a $6 cab ride to the Palomar.
3. Hilton Convention Center | Baltimore, MD | hilton.com | 401 West Pratt St. | 443.573.8700
What this hotel lacks in an aesthetically pleasing facade it makes up for with a 32,000-square-foot living green roof—the largest in the city. Stretching beyond the size of the Baltimore Ravens football field, the roof is a haven for birds and other wildlife, while also creating greater energy efficiency. For a $50 nonrefundable fee, pets up to 75 pounds are welcome at the Hilton and are offered beds and bowls. The public patio just off the hotel lounge does look out at Camden Yards, but baseball fans may want to book the 10-acre south-side suites, which have a private terrace and winning views of Oriole Park. For ideas on things to do with your pet, visit baltimore.org/pets. The Dogwood and Woodberry Kitchen are two superb (and sustainable) food spots worth visiting.
How to get there: Consult oM’s Transportation Guide to Baltimore and oM’s guide to renting Hybrids in NYC. The hotel is near the Camden Station. Small pets confined to carriers are permitted on Maryland Transit trains.
4. Inn by the Sea | Cape Elizabeth, ME. | innbythesea.com | 40 Bowery Beach Road | 800.888.4287
This seaside oasis represents everything that’s good about an eco-conscious hotel. And the fact that it loves four-legged creatures makes it all more worth the trip north to this quiet coast in Maine. Rauni Kew, pulic relations and green programs director (and sometime sustainable tourism lecturer), has made the inn’s motto “Preserve, Protect and Inspire” a passion not a job. Up here, right on Crescent Beach, guests can bond with their brood and the environment, and leave with a greater appreciation for the pristine ecosystem. (Don’t miss an opportunity to accompany Chef Mitchell Kaldrovich on his ingredient scavenger hunt.) Consider booking the Incredible Pets Package (from $303) that includes items like a personalized LL Bean dog bed, a 30-minute in-room doggie massage, and Maine-made toy. Or the Maine Mud Package (from $355), which offers garden or spa suite accommodations, mudslide cocktails, and two pairs of LL Bean Signature boots.
How to get there: Consult oM’s Boston Transportation Guide and oM’s guide to renting Hybrids in NYC. The Amtrak Downeaster runs from Boston’s South Station to Portland (2 hours, $24 each way). From the train station in Portland, a cab into Cape Elizabeth’s town takes approximately 30 minutes and costs around $30.
5. Hotel Madera | Washington D.C. | hotelmadera.com | 1310 New Hampshire Ave., N.W. | 202.296.7600
This Dupont Circle-based Kimpton hotel opens its eco doors to pets under 200 pounds free of charge. Tail waggers will receive treats, feeding bowls, a mat, bottled water, a bed, and pick-up bags. Owners will be provided with a list of local area pet services and nearby dog-friendly parks. Recycling 60% of its waste, using only environmental cleaning products and energy efficient light bulbs, in-room Aveda products, and serving organic and fair trade coffee are just a few of the hotel’s green initiatives. If you must drive, hybrid car parking is free.
How to get there: Consult oM’s Public transportation Guide to DC and oM’s guide to renting Hybrids in NYC. Small dogs in carriers are allowed on Washington Metropolitan Area Transportation Authority buses and trains.
6. Golden Arrow Resort | Lake Placid, NY | golden-arrow.com | 2559 Main St. | 800.582.5540
Upon arriving at the “greenest resort in Lake Placid” you will be handed an “It’s Easy Being Green” gift bag—assuming you’ve traveled by bus, biked, or driven a hybrid vehicle. After checking in, drop your luggage and stand on your balcony overlooking the lake. Completely fill your lungs with the fresh verdant air of Adirondack Park. The Audubon Society rewarded Golden Arrow with a five leaf status, the only resort in the U.S. to have received such a high rating. And for each pet that visits Golden Arrow, 10% is donated annually to the local Humane Society. A $50 fee per pet is required.
How to get there: Bus Service is offered by Adirondack Trailways between New York City and Lake Placid, however dogs are not yet allowed on board. Consult oM’s guide to renting Hybrids in NYC. If you should visit without your pet, the bus drops you off at the Olympic Center. From the bus stop, walk north on Main St/Mirror Lake Drive and you will arrive at the resort within three minutes. Call 800.225.6815 for bus schedules and routes.
7. Lamb and Lion Inn | Barnstable, MA | lambandlioninn.com | 2504 Main St. (Route 6A)
If you and your pet are looking for a little luxurious seclusion and a lot of Cape Cod charm, put this 1740s inn on your hotel hit list. When the weather is warm, take your hound and homemade breakfast to go and explore the property’s beautiful four acres or relax by the solar-heated pool instead. Ali and Tom, innkeepers and puppy parents, don’t bamboozle their guests about being environmentally-conscious but they do make it accessible to dip your toe in an ecological movement with free culinary and agricultural tours and a Pedal Rather Than Settle adventure.
How to get there: You will need to consult oM’s guide to renting Hybrids in NYC. If you should leave your pet behind when visiting Lamb and Lion, several Amtrak trains depart New York’s Pennsylvania Station in the morning and early afternoon, and reach Providence, RI in time for you to transfer to a Peter Pan/Bonanza Bus from Providence to Hyannis MA on Cape Cod. The car-free voyage should roughly take from 4 to 6 hours. Visit the Amtrak and Peter Pan Bus sites for specific schedules, or New England Travel Planner for more details about the area and how to get around without a car. You can take a 15-minute taxi from the Hyannis bus station to the Lamb and Lion inn. If you’re interested in going for a joy ride, pets are allowed on the Hy-Line Cruises Ferry.
8. c/o The Maidstone | Long Island, NY | themaidstone.com | 207 Main St. | 631.324.5006
The Scandinavians know how to make sustainability look, feel, and taste sexy. This East Hampton hotel gives you a lot of bang for your buck ($255 in the winter up to $545 in the summer) with its free let’s-be-a-carbon-neutral-operation spirit, fabulous amenities, and slow food restaurant The Living Room. Guests have access to Vintage Kronan bikes, lawn games, complimentary yoga in the Budha garden, beach passes, and enriching events like ‘La Bella Vita’ on Friday, March 25th, when organic and biodynamic wines will be celebrated alongside a four-course meal, all for $95. If you love vino, consider signing up for the ongoing East End Private Wine Tour. Here in the East Hamptons, being eco-conscious is the classy thing to do and this cosmopolitan-meets-bohemian property does it well with policies like 100% organic cotton linens, low-flush toilets, an on-site Natura water filtration system, and composting and donating organic waste to local farmers. There is a dog fee of $25, but pets are given the royal treatment, including being offered a pooch menu with vegetarian dishes.
How to get there: Consult oM’s public transportation guide to the Hamptons. Crated pets (or dog in a bag) are allowed on board LIRR trains. The train station is located on Railroad Ave. When you exit the train make a left and then a right onto Newtown Lane. This is one of the main streets in East Hampton and will bring you to Main St. (Montauk Hwy 27). Make a right onto Main St. and head West. c/o The Maidstone will be on your right directly across from Town Pond. (About a 20 minute walk or call a taxi: Carl’s Taxi, 631.907.0077)
For more ideas on pet-friendly getaways near NYC, read offManhattan’s Have Dog, Will Travel
Photos: Courtesy of La Mariposa and respective hotels
The co-founder and editor-at-large at offMetro, Lauren is a sustainable travel specialist and freelance journalist with frequent bylines in National Geographic, Bicycling Magazine and Shape. Follow Lauren’s adventures at @laurenmati.
Sarah Knapp is a Brooklyn based entrepreneur whose love for the outdoors and community building led her to the October 2013 creation of OutdoorFest. She has a BA in History, is a Wilderness First Responder and a NY state hiking, camp and boating guide. Her proudest achievement to date is reading the Aeneid in Latin. 
Allison was one of our first top writers and Chief Editor but is no longer working with offMetro. Allison is a native New Yorker, who has lived in Rome, Tuscany, Melbourne, Toronto and Los Angeles. She frequently contributed travel pieces to Family Travel Forum, using her own children as guinea pigs as they travel the globe. She never missed a chance to sample local delicacies, as her love for travel goes hand-in-hand with her love for food and wine. 
Josh Laskin is a freelance travel writer and photographer based in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. When he is not at work or on the road, you can find him in the mountains snowboarding, climbing, hiking, fly fishing, mountain biking, and eating bagel bites.
Annie is a travel writer, environmentalist, and surfer based in Venice, CA. She heads up our West Coast team, keeps our grammatical errors in check, and makes sure our California writers always have a plan for their next adventure. Follow Annie’s travels @annelisemcb.
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Kate E. O’Hara is a New York based freelance writer and photographer who loves all things food—especially the people who make it and market it. Her writing aims to capture the essence of the food experience; the stories that go well beyond a plate of ingredients. In addition to her love of food, Kate is also known to have a hankering for red wine and craft beer. You can also find Kate on Instagram