ESA Hotel Laws You Should Know

Emotional support animals (ESAs) are increasing in popularity, as there are numerous studies that prove their therapeutic benefits. These animals simply exist and provide companionship, which can have a positive impact on their owners’ mood and well-being. The routine required for caring for an emotional support animal, depending on the type of ESA, also gives the owner a sense of purpose in life, giving them a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Since emotional support animals are there because of a mental or emotional disability, there are laws in place that protect them. Many know of housing protections that allow them to live in no-pet housing as long as the owner has a valid ESA letter, but what about hotels? In this article, we will cover ESA hotel laws that you should know before booking your next accommodation.

Read to the end to learn all about the ESA hotel laws, how these laws compare to service animal hotel laws, and more.

What Is an Emotional Support Animal?

An emotional support animal is an animal that is prescribed to an individual with a mental or emotional disability by a licensed mental health professional, such as a therapist, psychologist, or psychiatrist. These animals are considered part of an individual’s treatment plan. Because of this, they are considered much more than just pets; they are support animals that ease the symptoms of a mental or emotional disability.

The federal law, knowing how important they are for their owners, gives emotional support animals housing protections. They are considered reasonable accommodations, meaning that a tenant with an ESA letter (the document written by a mental health professional recommending an emotional support animal) can use their letter to request accommodation for their animal.

One common misconception about this is that emotional support animals require more than just this letter from a mental health professional. However, this isn’t true; an emotional support animal only needs an ESA letter to be valid. They don’t need additional documentation, like an ESA certification, though having one can be helpful in housing situations where the landlord is skeptical. Nonetheless, an ESA letter is all you need for the legal benefits.

ESA Hotel Laws

When it comes to the ESA hotel laws, emotional support animals don’t have the same protections that they have for housing. Hotels aren’t covered by the same federal laws that allow emotional support animals to live in no-pet housing.

If you want to have your emotional support animal on your next trip, you will need to look for a hotel that allows pets. However, depending on your destination, you may be able to find hotels that make an exception for emotional support animals, so it can be worth checking in with the hotel before coming to a conclusion that they automatically don’t allow ESAs.

Service Animal Hotel Laws

In contrast, service animals, which are also common among people with mental and emotional disabilities (psychiatric service dogs, for example, can perform tasks directly related to their disability), have broader rights. Unlike emotional support animals, service animals have public access rights that enable them to be with their handler pretty much anywhere their handler is allowed to enter; this includes hotels.

Thanks to this protection, someone staying at a hotel doesn’t have a legal obligation to disclose that they are coming with a service animal, unlike flying, where you need to inform the airline ahead of time. If you have an emotional support dog, consider having them trained to be your service animal if their trainability allows it.

Additionally, there’s no law that limits individuals to either an emotional support animal or a service animal, so you can have both as part of your treatment.

ESA Hotel Laws: A Quick Summary

Emotional support animal (ESA) hotel laws are straightforward; while an emotional support animal has housing protections under federal law, they don’t get the same privileges when it comes to hotels.

Therefore, ESA hotel laws, as far as legal protections for these animals go, are pretty much nonexistent. You must find a pet-friendly hotel or another that allows emotional support animals. With many hotels increasingly becoming more and more accepting of animals, it shouldn’t be difficult to find an ESA hotel, especially if you’re visiting a major city.