Traveling with a puppy - hotel stay?

My husband and I have to travel four hours away on Thursday to an appointment at Duke University. We made a reservation with the La Quinta for that night, and we plan on driving home on Friday morning.

We had a dog sitter lined up, but she is pregnant and currently having contractions. My sister also said she can do it, but she recently had ACL surgery and I’m worried that she won’t be able to keep up with a 4 month old puppy – picking her up to put her in the crate, cleaning up if she accidentally pees in the house, keeping the food and water bowls full, etc.

The La Quinta is pet friendly, so we are considering taking the puppy with us on the trip. The problem is that our appointment is at 1PM, before check-in. I can’t leave her in the car for 3 hours worth of testing while we’re at the hospital. Also, we’re worried about her crying in the crate inside the room and having other people staying there complain about us. I’ve never stayed at a hotel that allowed pets before, so I’m not sure how this works.

Any advice would be great. We’re out of our element here – first puppy! The cat is so much easier…