You Can’t Invite Hotel Visitors to Move to Your Island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and We’re All Bummed About It

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Players Discover a Heartbreaking Hotel Limitation

Dreams of turning a perfect vacation into a permanent stay have been dashed for many Animal Crossing: New Horizons fans. The highly-anticipated 3.0 update introduced a charming hotel feature, but players are discovering a frustrating catch that’s leaving their islands feeling a little emptier than hoped.

How the Hotel Feature Actually Works

The new hotel, unlocked as part of the 3.0 update, allows players to design rooms and host a rotating cast of visiting animal villagers. With eight rooms that can be occupied simultaneously, it’s an incredible way to meet a wide variety of characters from the game’s roster of over 400. These guests will explore your island, participate in activities, and even share unique dialogue. However, this interaction is strictly temporary.

Unlike other methods of inviting villagers, the hotel operates under a firm “no permanent stays” policy. This has become a significant point of discussion and disappointment within the Animal Crossing community, especially when compared to other recruitment systems.

Why Can’t Hotel Visitors Move In?

This limitation feels particularly confusing because Animal Crossing: New Horizons offers several other ways to add animals to your island that do allow for permanent residence:

• Campsite Invitations: Visitors to your campsite can be persuaded to move in, often after completing a small task.
• Island Expedition Encounters: Using a Nook Miles Ticket, you can invite villagers you meet on mystery islands.
• Villager “Adoption”: If a friend has a villager moving out, you can visit their island and invite that animal to yours.

The hotel system deliberately breaks from this pattern. Guests are there for a short holiday only, and the game provides no option to ask them to stay, even if you have an empty housing plot. This is especially poignant when former residents of your island check in, expressing how much they miss living there, yet still cannot be convinced to return for good.

Making the Most of the Hotel Experience

Despite this limitation, the hotel remains a valuable addition for several reasons:

• Villager Scouting: It’s a perfect, zero-cost way to “test drive” villagers you’ve never met before. You can learn their personalities and styles.
• Design Showcase: It provides a new creative outlet for designing unique themed rooms without impacting your island’s main homes.
• Island Vibrancy: Having temporary guests roaming around adds life and variety to your daily island routine.

Think of the hotel as your personal villager catalog. Once you’ve met a character there and decided you love them, you can actively seek them out through {{INTERNAL_LINK:campsite guide}} or mystery island tours, prepared with the knowledge that they’re a dreamie worth the effort.

Final Thoughts on the 3.0 Update’s Social Dynamic

While the inability to recruit from the hotel is a missed opportunity for many, it underscores the update’s focus on transient social experiences and design. The feature encourages continuous engagement by offering a constantly changing cast of characters without permanently altering your island’s core resident list. For players deep into the late-game hunt for specific villagers, it’s a bittersweet tool—incredibly useful for discovery, yet ultimately a tease. The community’s reaction highlights just how passionate players are about curating their perfect island paradise, one villager at a time. For more tips on managing your island’s population, check out our {{INTERNAL_LINK:villager move-in guide}}.