Toronto, Ontario
The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto
Cats and dogs to 13.6 kg per room, two maximum, on a $150 non-refundable fee plus a $150–450 cleaning charge set by room type — and the hotel runs two separate patios, LANO's small one at the front and EPOCH's large one at the back. It publishes nothing about leaving a dog alone, so confirm that directly.
What to Know
The Ritz-Carlton publishes most of the policy a reader needs — cats and dogs, two per room, a $150 CAD non-refundable pet fee per stay and a cleaning fee of $150–450 CAD per stay set by room type — but it lists the two charges separately and never says whether they stack, so a single night could be $150 or it could be $600 before tax; get the total in writing at booking rather than at checkout. The 13.6 kg (30 lb) allowance is a per-room ceiling for dogs in general, not a small-dog provision: it is the room that sets the cleaning fee, not the dog, and nothing published scales to a five-pound animal — no small-dog bedding, no in-room relief option, no reduced fee. The gap that matters most is the one the hotel says nothing about at all: whether a dog may be left alone in the room, which — with the spa, pool, fitness centre and all three indoor dining rooms realistically closed to a pet dog — is the fact that decides how a day here is planned.
Quick Facts
- Property type
- Urban luxury hotel
- Address
- 181 Wellington Street West, Toronto, ON M5V 3G7
- Review status
- On the Inspection List
- Policy status
- To be verified
- Best for
- City stays with a small dog
- Dog size focus
- Small dogs (under 15 lb)
- Last updated
- August 3, 2026
- Disclosure status
- Independent — no partnership in place.
Official Pet Policy
We never invent policies. Unknown details are marked “To be verified.”
- Pet fee
- $150 CAD non-refundable pet fee per stay, plus a cleaning fee of $150–450 CAD per stay "based on room type." Both are per stay, not per night. The hotel lists the two charges separately and does not say whether they stack — read one way a single night costs $150, read the other, up to $600 before tax. Get the all-in figure in writing at booking. (Hotel website, August 3, 2026 — not confirmed with the hotel.)
- Weight limit
- 13.6 kg (about 30 lb) per room, not per pet — the hotel's wording is "Cats & dogs only 13.6 kg/room," so two animals share one ceiling. Ample for a very small dog, and a general-dog ceiling rather than a small-dog provision. (Hotel website, August 3, 2026 — not confirmed with the hotel.)
- Number of dogs
- Up to 2 pets per room, sharing the single 13.6 kg per-room allowance. (Hotel website, August 3, 2026.)
- Breed restrictions
- None stated. The policy restricts species — cats and dogs only — and names no breed. Separately, the hotel states that "Service Animals are welcome without a fee or documentation." (Hotel website, August 3, 2026 — not confirmed with the hotel.)
- Can dogs be left alone?
- Not stated — and this is the largest gap in the hotel's published policy. Nothing on its pages addresses unattended pets, an in-room sitter, or daycare, so there is no answer here to rely on in either direction. Confirm directly before booking: with the spa, pool, fitness centre and all three indoor dining rooms realistically closed to a pet dog, this is the fact that decides how a day here is planned.
- Dog amenities
- Not stated. The hotel publishes no dog bed, bowl, treat or turndown amenity, and none should be assumed. Worth asking specifically whether anything provided is scaled to a very small dog — a standard hotel dog bed is furniture to a five-pound one.
- Dining / patio access
- Unusual for a downtown hotel: two separate outdoor terraces, and they are not interchangeable. LANO, the Italian café and wine bar off the lobby, has a small patio at the front on Wellington Street; EPOCH Bar + Kitchen Terrace has a much larger one at the back, facing Simcoe Park — 88 outdoor seats against 61 indoors. Cheerio was welcomed on both on personal visits before this guide was founded, which is first-hand recall rather than stated policy: neither venue publishes anything about dogs, so name the venue you want and have the welcome confirmed for your seating. Indoors is closed to pet dogs at all three restaurants on the law rather than on preference — Ontario opens indoor eating areas to dogs only at premises preparing nothing but low-risk food, and LANO, EPOCH and TOCA (mezzanine, Italian, full kitchen) are all well outside that. Service animals are covered by separate rules. 24-hour in-room dining is the option that needs nobody's permission.
- Restricted areas
- Not published — the hotel states no area restrictions at all beyond the policy itself. Treat the spa (Spa My Blend by Clarins), the indoor pool, the fitness centre and all three indoor dining rooms as closed to a pet dog until told otherwise: the dining rooms on Ontario law, the rest by ordinary convention rather than any rule we have read. Lobby, corridor, bar and lounge access is unconfirmed, as is anything about the valet and porte-cochère. Whether a dog may be left alone in the room is also unstated.
- Source / date verified
- The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto official website — pet policy and hotel information, read August 3, 2026 (first read August 2, 2026; unchanged on re-check). No contact has been made with the hotel: nothing here has been confirmed with a person, which is why the policy status remains "To be verified."
On the inspection list
A full small-dog review of this property is planned. Join the newsletter to be notified when Cheerio's verdict is published.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto allow dogs, and is there a weight limit?
Yes — cats and dogs, up to two per room, with a limit of 13.6 kg (about 30 lb) that the hotel states per room rather than per pet, so two animals share the one allowance. Comfortable for a very small dog. Separately, the hotel states that service animals are welcome without a fee or documentation. These figures come from the hotel's own website, read 3 August 2026, and haven't been confirmed with a person.
What is The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto's pet fee — per night or per stay?
Per stay, on both counts — but there are two charges and the hotel doesn't say whether they stack. It lists a non-refundable pet fee of $150 CAD per stay, and separately a cleaning fee of $150–450 CAD per stay "based on room type." Read one way that's $150 for a night; read the other, up to $600 before tax. Ask for the all-in figure in writing when you book.
Can I leave my dog alone in the room at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto?
The hotel hasn't stated this, and it's the most important thing it hasn't stated. Nothing on its pages addresses unattended pets, an in-room sitter, or daycare — so there's no answer here to rely on, in either direction. Confirm it directly before booking, because with the spa, pool, gym and all three indoor dining rooms realistically closed to a pet dog, the answer shapes the whole day.
Where exactly can my dog go at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto?
The hotel publishes no access map at all, so most of this is unconfirmed. What we can say: the property has two separate outdoor terraces — LANO's small one at the front and EPOCH's much larger one at the back — and Cheerio was welcomed on both on personal visits before this guide was founded, which is first-hand recall rather than stated policy. All three indoor restaurants, including TOCA, are closed to pet dogs under Ontario law. Treat the spa, pool and fitness centre as excluded, and ask about the lobby and lounges, which the hotel doesn't address.
Where does my dog relieve itself at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto?
The hotel publishes no relief area, and we haven't walked the route. Simcoe Park sits immediately south of the building — established by the orientation of EPOCH's terrace, not by anything the hotel says about dogs — but whether its grass is usable and permitted, and how long the trip takes from a guest floor in a downtown tower, are both unverified. Ask the concierge for the actual route and allow more time than a low-rise hotel would need.
What do I do with my dog during dinner, the spa, or time out at The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto?
This is the property's open question. The dog-excluded hours are real — the spa, pool, fitness centre and all three indoor dining rooms are realistically closed to a pet dog — but the hotel neither says whether a dog may be left in the room nor names a sitter or daycare. The two options it does offer are the patios, where you can eat together outdoors in warm months, and 24-hour in-room dining. Anything beyond that needs arranging yourself, in advance.
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