Starwood Pet Travel Reviews 

I had a wonderful experience arranging Galvin’s journey back to Singapore. Communication was consistently prompt, effective, and incredibly detailed, so I always knew exactly what to expect at each stage.

The team was also very flexible when my plans changed and I needed to leave Galvin with a friend before his departure. They adapted seamlessly and made the entire process—including all the paperwork—feel remarkably effortless.

Most importantly, I received live updates on Galvin’s condition throughout the journey. Knowing how he was doing in real time gave me tremendous peace of mind during what could otherwise have been a very stressful experience. I’m truly grateful for the care, professionalism, and reassurance they provided from beginning to end.

The level of communication and responsiveness was fantastic. We weren’t the only ones who were impressed. Our USDA veterinarian said the Starwood team was the best pet concierge service he had ever dealt with and the he would recommend them to all his clients considering international travel.

Moving from NC to Hawaii was already stressful, trying to figure out all the logistics for moving our cat was downright crippling. Hawaii’s strict pet rules were a mountain of logistic paperwork to navigate and trying to understand flights were confusing at best. Starwood, and specifically my point of contact Piper, were instrumental in keeping my sanity during all of it. It was expensive, but I’m grateful for everything they did to help coordinate one of the biggest challenges to our move.

The service was super competent and excellent. The process of escorting our cats to another country was complex and tedious, but Starwood guided us effortlessly along, everything clicked, and the cats arrived safely. We particularly appreciated the excellent communication throughout!

The Starwood Pet Travel team was attentive and helpful with our move and made moving our two dog to New Zealand from the U.S. so much easier.

I recommend Starwood Pet Travel. Sage was our direct point of contact. She was responsive and helpful throughout our journey of Kylo Ren’s (Goldendoodle) moving from the US to New Zealand. When Kylo’s flight had to be changed from Qatar Airlines to Air New Zealand close to the departure day, she and the team called us and explained all until we understood. Their service is excellent. We are on a road trip from Auckland to Central Otago now. Kylo is happy wherever we go. I am so happy, too, on our decision. Thank you Sage and Starwood Team.

Moving cats to Australia from the US is a long, complicated and expensive undertaking.
The team at Starwood looked after me and my kitties so well - from the initial discussions with Ross, and then with my pet coordinator Sage, who was fabulous throughout; always super responsive to all my questions and proactive in sharing updates on what was to come next. The portal was also easy to use.
I always felt supported and that my two cats were going to be in safe and caring hands.
I would definitely recommend their services.

We can’t thank Starwood enough for helping us bring our golden retriever Cali home from the US to the UK. Moving countries is stressful enough, but relocating a much-loved member of the family comes with a whole new level of worry — and Cassidy made the entire process feel easy, calm and completely manageable.

From the endless questions to all the little details that needed coordinating, Cassidy was incredibly knowledgeable, responsive and genuinely cared about making sure Cali’s journey was as smooth and comfortable as possible. It was clear she understood that Cali wasn’t just a pet, she was part of our family.

Seeing Cali arrive safely back with us was such a special moment, and we honestly couldn’t have done it without Cassidy and the Starwood team. A huge thank you for making such an emotional reunion possible — we’ll be forever grateful! 🐾

Couldn’t be happier with Starwood Pet Travel! Sage supported us from day one and was always quick, kind, and thorough in her communication. She and her team made the entire process easy, coordinated perfectly with our vet, and gave us real peace of mind that Howl was treated well. When our flight changed last minute, they were right there helping us through it. Truly exceptional service.

We really appreciated the expertise that Starwood has in pet relocation and at a price we could afford. We relocated our dog from the US to Portugal during a time of many EU changes and our Pet Travel Coordinator Cassidy was well ahead of new information and what it meant for our dog's trip. We received great information and communication with every step of the process!

Starwood is a wonderful company for moving your pets. They are conscientious and caring. They keep in contact with the owners and partner with very caring people who take excellent care of your pet. I would recommend them for any pet travels. They are fantastic!

Our vet said that Starwood was awesome, and she was so right! When we decided to move back to the UK from St. Louis so my husband could be with his family, we knew that we were going to need help getting our two cats over, especially since one is extremely shy and timid in unfamiliar situations and the other isn't a fan of car travel. We found Starwood after some searching and were incredibly impressed with their proposal and introduction phone call. Sarah, Cassidy and everyone else we worked with to get our girls across the pond were wonderful. They communicated with us every step of the way during the prep period and then used Care Tags to keep us updated during their travel from Chicago to Worthing via Heathrow. Given my husband and I were in two different countries at the time, having Starwood to support us was a relief and worth every penny.

Starwood Pet Travel was an absolute pleasure to work with. They transported our two boxers from VA to Italy. Our Pet Travel Coordinator, Cassidy, was always super responsive, and she actually handled a lot of the paperwork and scheduling, which took a lot off of our plates.

Starwood coordinated every aspect of our pets’ travel, from departure to vaccination certificates to ensuring that we got the correct travel crates to transport from the destination airport to our residence. Even when the EU changed one of its policies 2 weeks before our travel, she was there to ensure that the process ran smoothly.

If you are concerned about the cost, rest assured that it is worth the peace of mind that is offered knowing that Starwood has everything covered.

Starwood Pet Travel is a great Pet Shipping Co.
From picking my Daisy up at my house and get her all the way over to Thailand. Then Drive her another 6 hours to her final destination.
She is a Senior Dog with some health issues and I was worried for her long trip overseas.
But this Company managed the whole journey perfectly.
And took great care of my Daisy. Thank you so much.

If you want pain and confusion choose Starwood. If you want stressed animals choose Starwood.
Before I paid I was repeatedly told that a direct JFK → Lisbon flight was possible and would be explored. That mattered in my decision making, because why would I choose a layover option that would create more physical and mental stress for my cats? Why would I choose more cargo handling, more confinement, a 5 hr layover for no reason, and more cabin-pressure changes?
Especially since there are multiple direct flights a day from NYC to Lisbon (6 hrs total)-where the 2 cats and I were moving.
Only AFTER payment did it become clear that a Lufthansa flight-an unnecessarily prolonged journey—two extra hours of flying, a five-hour layover in Frankfurt, and then an additional three-hour flight back to Portugal. Was always the intended plan. Was the only plan. The owner said it was for “safety” and only when I contacted customer service was I shown it would be breach of contract if I don’t go through Germany. That I was powerless in this “premium” pet relocation service to provide the kindest trip for my cats. This was only the beginning.
I spoke to the owner and customer care because I could not get ahold of my coordinator Gemma by phone after her initial promises. My emails seemed to not be read or responded to.
* my name was repeatedly misspelled,
* incorrect links were sent,
* documents had to be resent multiple times,
* important information was buried in fragmented emails and fine print,
* the portal had glitches
* and getting clear answers was nearly impossible.
And this disturbed me: I later learned that my coordinator Gemma was away for approximately two months while OTHER staff members continued to communicate with me using HER name and email signature.
Excuse me? That’s not professional or premium and possibly not ethical.

But this is not the worst of it.
What happened next was so painful that I think any pet owner would be horrified.
I arrived alone in Portugal after an exhausting international move believing my cats were arriving on the expected schedule. I had been told (after much fighting my premium cat service for it-which is really how you want to spend your time when you are moving internationally) that the cats were on my flight. I arrived, opened my GPS tracker and saw they had been LEFT BEHIND n New York City.
I should have been concerned when Jeary came to pick them up and didn’t understand why they were going to a holding center instead of the airport. I should have been concerned when I got no photos and couldn’t get on the portal. But an extra day in an undisclosed location? And I thought a layover would be stressful for them. Where was this place they were? Why were they not with me?

And NO ONE was answering the phone.
The US office was closed for the holiday, but I had been told that the UK office would absolutely answer the phone if anything happened. THEY DID NOT. I left emails. I waited forever by the carrossel for good WIFI being so worried and waiting for Starwood to call me back. Nothing.

The explanation was another offhand comment from Gemma the coordinator three days before the flight about a POSSIBLE airline strike. Not that they were changing the cats flight, but if there was a strike THEN the cats flights would change. Of course, I said. If there’s no plane - they can’t get on it. But I knew there was no strike. Why? Because I called the airline. Did Starwood call the airline, no, they could not be bothered. Did they clarify with me that I understood that the cats would not be flying and arriving with me, that they would be kept somewhere I was not told about, for a whole extra day? No (I could’ve let a friend take care of them as opposed to being stressed somewhere they don’t know in a crate.) Did anyone communicate:
“Your cats are not arriving with you.”
“Your cats will be held.” or even better “this is where your cats will be held, this is how they will be taken care of in this facility”
“Your cats may arrive days later.”.

Did I sign anything that I understood and approved they were being held somewhere in a crate for an extra day and what flight they were on? No 100% no. But again Starwood gets you with the flyaway comments and the fine print while it’s the 2 days before you are moving your life internationally. No kindness. No consideration. No follow up. No photos of the cats. Nothing that was promised. Their carrier boxes smelled like piss and poop when they arrived. For what? There was no strike. I knew this days before the flight. But Starwood didn’t care. From beginning to end. The only person who treated me kindly was Ryan Bole throughout this whole process. I hope she finds a better paying job with better people.

If you love your animals stay away from this company. Dear god for the sake of your own peace of mind stay away from Starwood.

Starwood Pet Travel provides detailed options and pricing for various levels of service. General information and instructions were clear and customer support by staff (Rosie) was excellent. There were no hidden fees or surprises in the process of relocating our dog and two cats from the US to France.

After a few initial problems, Cassidy was assigned to help us move our two cats from Philadelphia to England. We ran into some paperwork problems and she was super responsive and helpful in making sure they were solved promptly. This really lessened the stress of the experience for me, as one of the cats was elderly and the other extremely timid,

I cannot recommend Starwood Pet Travel highly enough for transporting my miniature Schnauzers from the US to Scotland. From start to finish, the experience was handled with professionalism, care, and genuine compassion for both pets and owners.

In particular, my agent Cassidy Ryan was exceptional. When unexpected challenges arose due to issues with the original vet surgery, requiring a mid‑process switch to a partner vet, Cassidy navigated the situation calmly and efficiently. What could have been a highly stressful setback was managed seamlessly, with clear communication, practical solutions, and unwavering attention to detail throughout. Cassidy’s dedication and expertise gave me complete confidence that my dogs were in the very best hands.

The only small callout is that the approved tracking system was ultimately rejected by the partner airline and therefore not used, which meant I was unable to track the dogs during transit as anticipated. That said, this was handled transparently and professionally, and Cassidy promptly arranged a refund for the unused service.

Overall, Starwood Pet Travel delivered an outstanding service during a complex international relocation, and Cassidy Ryan went above and beyond to ensure a positive outcome. I would not hesitate to recommend Starwood to anyone looking for a trusted, knowledgeable partner for international pet transport

Shipping pets to New Zealand has extra challenges and Starwood was across all of the special vet protocols, timings, quarantine and paperwork hoops to jump through. It was very important to us to be able to trust them with all of this. It gave us confidence that what looked daunting and insurmountable at the beginning, could actually be achieved! Also super important to have regular and personal comms. Their portal is also very useful. The comms after we dropped the pets off, to them reaching quarantine, were very comforting - that is a very stressful time and it was so great to receive photos of the cats and dog looking fairly comfortable and relaxed.

We recently relocated to New Zealand, from New Hampshire USA. Moving around the world is hard enough but planning the transport of, not one but, two very large dogs is a challenge. From the beginning to the very end, Starwood Pet Travel guided our every move. We worked with Sage, who was friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and a quick responder. All details were handled down to the finest point and the transport went forward smoothly.

It was hard to be away from Fergus and Silas for so long but the quarantine facility provided frequent updates and photos, which helped us feel connected to the boys. Our reunion was happy, the dogs looked great!

Since our reunion, Fergus and Silas have not left our side. As senior dogs, we were worried about their flight and time spent in quarantine, but Fergus and Silas seem rejuvenated. Coming from New Hampshire, where the weather is not as pleasant, they are loving the temperate climate. We are taking them on long walks, through lush parks and sandy beaches. Fergus and Silas have never walked so much before in their whole lives!

Thank you Sage, and Starwood Travel, for guiding us through this experience and providing such attentive care to our canine family members. They are SO HAPPY to be with us. We are looking forward to our future here together!