Sleep Inn & Suites Defuniak Springs - Crestview — Hotel in Crestview

Don’t come here if you have pets. “Pet-friendly” is just a buzzword to them.

We had an incredibly frustrating and disappointing experience at this hotel, and I feel obligated to warn other pet owners. If you're traveling with animals, do yourself a favor and book somewhere else. This place falsely advertises itself as pet-friendly, but the reality is quite the opposite.

We chose this hotel because it had a designated pet-friendly section and accepted dogs. We even paid extra for the pet fee and deposit, assuming that meant they were truly prepared to accommodate guests with pets.

After checking in, we left the room briefly to grab dinner — and we get a phone call from the hotel saying our dogs were barking at people passing in the hallway. First of all, that’s a completely normal dog reaction in a new environment with people walking by their door. They weren’t left alone all day, they weren’t destroying the room, and it wasn’t even quiet hours. This happened around 6pm, when most hotels are still buzzing with activity. It wasn’t excessive or prolonged barking, just typical pet behavior in an unfamiliar place.

When we returned, we tried to calmly explain the situation to the front desk, but instead we were met with threats from Mary, the staff member working that evening. Rather than offering any kind of understanding or problem-solving, she immediately jumped to threatening to call a kennel and have our dogs removed. Seriously? For a couple of barks at 6 in the evening?

We were stunned. We paid extra to bring our dogs, followed hotel rules, booked a pet-designated room, and were still treated like we were being irresponsible and disruptive guests. If your hotel is going to advertise as pet-friendly, then be prepared to handle normal, non-aggressive, short-lived pet behavior without threatening your guests.

This whole experience made us feel unwelcome and anxious for the rest of our stay. It was clear the staff had no real training or desire to accommodate pet owners — they just want the pet fee and deposit without actually tolerating pets.

There are plenty of places that are genuinely pet-friendly. This is not...

The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating to everything we needed. It was a welcoming atmosphere for our pets, The room was clean and comfortable. Had shampoo conditioner soap and a hair dryer even makeup removal cloths. The shower was amazing because you could stay in there as long as you wanted with no shortage of hot water! Housekeeping would leave whatever we needed outside of our door at our request and was not invasive to our room when do not disturb was posted. The parking lot was patroled to make sure only registered guests were in it and the location is right across from a waffle house, a gas station and a McDonald's. There is a great place to walk your dog on the property and a little fenced in area across the street at the truck stop There is even a grill for you to cook out on under a gazebo with the sitting area. There is also a pool . we did not try the pool which also had a Hoyer lift for handicapped individuals. The bed was very comfortable with plenty of pillows. I was pleased to discover that the windows would open to let in fresh air and the air conditioner was controlled by thermostat on the wall there was a mini fridge and microwave in the room and Ice nearby in addition to a mini coffee maker with plenty of supplies to make coffee in your room. Also, coffee was available in the lobby 24 hours a day along with the sitting area with a TV . Free breakfast also was available with a waffle maker Bagels various types of bread eggs and sausage sometimes links sometimes patties as well as cereal , fruit and a selection of fruit juices and yogurts. The only con would be that it was noisy and the air conditioners on the third floor make a bit of noise also recommend a room with two double beds instead of one king since it takes up so much space and I am waiting for final bill to be reconciled since we made some changes during our stay . Other than that or stay was perfect. We would definitely stay...

The staff was extremely friendly and accommodating to everything we needed. It was a welcoming atmosphere for our pets, The room was clean and comfortable. Had shampoo conditioner soap and a hair dryer even makeup removal cloths. The shower was amazing because you could stay in there as long as you wanted with no shortage of hot water! Housekeeping would leave whatever we needed outside of our door at our request and was not invasive to our room when do not disturb was posted. The parking lot was patroled to make sure only registered guests were in it and the location is right across from a waffle house, a gas station and a McDonald's. There is a great place to walk your dog on the property and a little fenced in area across the street at the truck stop There is even a grill for you to cook out on under a gazebo with the sitting area. There is also a pool . we did not try the pool which also had a Hoyer lift for handicapped individuals. The bed was very comfortable with plenty of pillows. I was pleased to discover that the windows would open to let in fresh air and the air conditioner was controlled by thermostat on the wall there was a mini fridge and microwave in the room and Ice nearby in addition to a mini coffee maker with plenty of supplies to make coffee in your room. Also, coffee was available in the lobby 24 hours a day along with the sitting area with a TV . Free breakfast also was available with a waffle maker Bagels various types of bread eggs and sausage sometimes links sometimes patties as well as cereal , fruit and a selection of fruit juices and yogurts. The only con would be that it was noisy and the air conditioners on the third floor make a bit of noise also recommend a room with two double beds instead of one king since it takes up so much space other than that or stay was perfect. We would definitely stay...