Pet friendly

For a ski trip with a dog, I would look in France first: 48 of the 66 dog-friendly ski hotels on SnowHotels are in four French areas, Massif des Brasses and Les Sept Laux (14 each), Cauterets (11) and Lelex-Crozet (9). The 66, spread over 16 resorts, average 8.86 from 25,733 reviews. The catch is that many sit in valley towns such as Bonneville, Crolles or Saint-Claude, so you drive up each morning and the dog's walks happen in the valley. In the Massif des Brasses, only Les Roches 1500 is at the foot of the slopes: it stands on the Sommand plateau at about 1,420 m, on the Col de la Ramaz road, with an outdoor spa of Nordic bath and sauna (8.8 from 432 reviews). The other 13 need a drive. For Les Habères, the 4 star chalet is five minutes by taxi (10 from 19 reviews); for Hirmentaz, Hotel de l'Union, nine minutes away, has ski storage (9.0 from 160 reviews), and Le Jorat is five minutes from the Brasses station. At Les Sept Laux, the holiday village is the one to pick if you want the lift on foot: VVF Les 7 Laux is a two-minute walk from the Prapoutel Patte d'Oie lift junction (8.6 from 432 reviews). In the Jura, Bois Joly is six minutes' walk from the Fierney gondola at Crozet, while Jiva Hill Resort offers pet-friendly rooms with a full spa (9.2 from 1,003 reviews). Camping Les 7 Laux, ten minutes' walk from Les Ayes, suits a dog that needs a garden more than a lobby. In Cauterets, Hôtel Le Lys stands opposite the cable cars in the village centre (8.4 from 433 reviews). The resort's own summer guide lists leashed dogs as accepted on the Lys gondola; no rule for the ski season appears in what it publishes, so in winter plan the dog's outings along the village streets rather than up the mountain. The Grand Hôtel de France, dating from 1903, Hôtel Le Montaigu and Hôtel Les Templiers, with some rooms facing the medieval church, also take dogs. North America is where the dog rides the lift. In Telluride, the free gondola to Mountain Village has paw-marked cabins, and dogs ride on a leash or in a carrier; the Mountain Village Nordic trails are named by the tourist office as a winter outing with your dog. The Hotel Telluride takes dogs and has a spa and hot tub (8.9 from 306 reviews). In Whistler, Aava Whistler Hotel takes up to two dogs per room with no size limit, and Whistler Village Inn & Suites also accepts pets. Hakuba has five dog-friendly addresses. Hakuba Ryujin is a hot-spring hotel with a communal bathhouse and saunas (8.6 from 433 reviews), Kizuna Lodge is a four-minute walk from Hummingbird Onsen, and Starry Residence Suite has ski-in, ski-out apartments; Hakuba Panorama Hotel and Hakuba Inn Bloom complete the list. In Austria, two adults-only houses take dogs, SEIN Boutique Suites in Gosau (9.9 from 152 reviews) and Hotel Post in Bad Gastein. Elsewhere in the US, the choice is motels and chains: Motel 6 in Mammoth Lakes and Quality Inn & Suites in Steamboat Springs. My verdict: with a dog and keen skiers, Telluride is the easiest, because the gondola carries the dog and the Nordic trails start in Mountain Village. In France, choose Les Roches 1500, VVF Les 7 Laux or Bois Joly for the lift on foot. I would avoid the valley hotels around Bonneville and Crolles if one of you plans to ski all day and the other to walk the dog, since you will be split by a drive.