A Pawfect Hotel Stay in Greenville. (#yeahTHATgreenville)

 We’re fresh off a trip to Greenville, South Carolina (#yeahTHATgreenville) with Moxie in tow. I’ll have more about the WHY we were in Greenville soon enough, but I have to jump in and share about our fabulously dog friendly hotel.

Moxie has traveled with us since she joined our family seven months ago, but in that time, all of our travel has involved staying with family. Or friends. Or framily, if you will. Suffice it to say, I was a wee bit nervous about staying in a hotel with an incredibly energetic pup. I had, however, read that Greenville was very pup friendly, so we crossed our fingers and hoped for the best. I also did a lot of Googling and that always helps.

  A quick search showed a few hotels right in the heart of downtown Greenville that allow pups to join along, and sitting at the top of the list was Aloft Greenville Downtown. A brand spankin’ new property that is not simply dog friendly, but rather, dog obsessed. And while most hotels charge additional fees to bring fido along, Aloft’s attitude is that your pets are family too, and therefore, no extra charges (for dogs up to 40 lbs.)
 The vibe at Aloft is totally modern. Cool. Hip. All the things a family from the suburbs in Ohio is not, and therefore, a logically perfect fit 😉

Check-in was a breeze and our room on the seventh floor was fantastic. Our room overlooked the pool (located outdoor on the sixth floor) along with a small dog run. High five to the geniuses that came up with that idea as is was super convenient to run Moxie down for a potty break before bedtime without having to leave the hotel or try and force her to use potty pads!

I’ll admit, I kind of REALLY like staying in newer properties. And Aloft Greenville did not disappoint. The room was plenty spacious for the four of us, and incredibly clean. The bathroom area was well thought out and as you can see, the shower was plenty big enough to get a workout in as well.

 I don’t have a ton of photographs from the property and allow me to explain why: 1. This is not a compensated (in any way) review. After researching the various properties in town, we decided to give Aloft a try, and then handed over our very own dollars for our stay. 2. We had a kid with pneumonia on our hands. Mayhem’s doc gave us the go ahead (actually encouraged us) to keep our travel plans noting that it would be good for her to get out, and stay as active as her body could handle. Which we did. But there was also a tremendous amount of time spent trying to help her get her coughing fits under control. And pulling the camera out to “get the shots” took a backseat. 3. Most of the hours we spent at the hotel were not during daylight hours. We spent a LOT of time outdoors, exploring the city and by the time we were back at the hotel, we were ALL exhausted.

  That being said, we had a fantastic stay! And I did learn a few valuable tips about traveling with Moxie along the way. First, finding a hotel that is dog obsessed set us up for success. Moxie got more attention than we did LOTS of attention from staff and other hotel guests alike. Second, she’s out of her environment too, so give her some time to adjust. She was definitely a bit more anxious on the first night and when some other guests came through the halls (chatting loudly around 1am) she jumped up and and barked (only once and not loudly). A few moments later, when the air conditioning kicked on in the room, I realized the fan would drown out the noise and I set the fan to stay on high (and not kick back off) so that she wouldn’t be disturbed anymore. And finally, making sure she gets PLENTY of exercise and activity is the key to making her pass out, no matter where she is. The second night, she was so tired from all of the walking and playing we had done, she couldn’t have stayed awake if she tried.

 I cannot share enough positive thoughts about our stay in Greenville, and particularly, Aloft Greenville Downtown. Moxie gives it four paws up, and we’re already looking forward to our next visit.