Earnings Per Share - Reconciliation of Numerators and Denominators Used for Computation of Basic and Diluted (Loss) Earnings Per Share (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Thousands, $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2017	Sep. 30, 2017	Jun. 30, 2017	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Numerator:
Net income (loss) attributable to La Quinta Holdings’ stockholders	$ 121,175	$ 12,415	$ 16,786	$ 1,589	$ (28)	$ 22,666	$ 14,849	$ (38,775)	$ 151,965	$ (1,288)	$ 26,365
Denominator:
Weighted average number of shares outstanding, basic									116,030	118,114	128,272
Weighted average number of shares outstanding, diluted									116,682	118,114	129,172
Basic earnings (loss) per share	$ 1.04	$ 0.11	$ 0.14	$ 0.01		$ 0.20	$ 0.13	$ (0.31)	$ 1.31	$ (0.01)	$ 0.21
Diluted earnings (loss) per share	$ 1.03	$ 0.11	$ 0.14	$ 0.01		$ 0.20	$ 0.13	$ (0.31)	$ 1.30	$ (0.01)	$ 0.20