Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Hotel Feature Sparks Mixed Reactions

The latest 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons introduces a major new element: the hotel feature, allowing players to create guest rooms for tourists and shop at the hotel’s souvenir store. What took many players by surprise was the tourists actually showing up. I’ll admit, I dove headfirst into decorating those hotel rooms, barely considering the consequences. Sure, it felt great crafting cozy spaces, but reality hit when I realized visitors would wander around my island, and suddenly, I wasn’t ready to share my dreamy decor.

Initially, when I spotted a peculiar bug-eyed monkey roaming my carefully curated island, I felt a bit invaded. But then it dawned on me—I invited that chaos by opening up a hotel. Now it’s like, “Hey, more villagers!” and I’m embracing the madness, but not everyone shares my enthusiasm.

Some players have voiced their frustrations about the influx of tourists. One Redditor lamented, “I hate the tourists walking around feature. My island is fully decorated and already laggy as it is. Now, with the hotel and the tourists strolling, it feels even more crowded.” It’s crucial to point out that engaging with the hotel is entirely optional. Once you deck out your first hotel room, guests start appearing, and there doesn’t seem to be a way to toggle their visits on or off.

One Halloween-themed islander shared their woes: “I’m already sick of the randos walking around. Sure, some have outfits that fit my spooky vibe, but it still feels off. It’s disheartening after putting so much effort into choosing my residents.”

Although some are keen on the idea of having visitors, they wish for more control over which villagers come. Unfortunately, the game doesn’t offer a way to choose who checks into your hotel. This means you might end up with familiar villagers you worked hard to evict. One Redditor hoped for more influence: “When the trailer dropped, I thought we’d have the option to invite specific villagers; that felt reasonable given we control almost everything else about our islands.”

On the flip side, there are many who warmly welcome the hotel concept. “Honestly, I’m surprised to see so much backlash. I love that more villagers can interact with my island,” remarked a Reddit user whose post garnered over 3,000 upvotes. “It makes me feel like my hard work isn’t in vain since they appreciate it.”

Another player championed the feature: “I don’t see why people are upset. It’s great to have different villagers around—same ones get boring fast. The daily variety is just what the game needed.”

There are also heartfelt moments being shared with visitors who were once residents. One player noted tearfully seeing their original villager make a comeback: “It made me cry when Peanut visited again; she remembered living there.” Another player chimed in, appreciating that returning villagers still recall past friendships: “It’s a nice touch,” they said, contrasting it with former neighbors in the Happy Home Paradise DLC, who often forget you entirely.

For me, that reminiscing aspect of the new hotel feature is the highlight. I often hesitate to part ways with villagers when given the choice, but the potential for seeing them again makes it all a little easier to cope with those goodbye moments. Well, except for Chester—he’s my best buddy, and I’m not letting him go anytime soon.

Time continues to tick in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and amidst all this, I feel reassured and occasionally overwhelmed. The game never stands still, whether I’m fully immersed or taking a breather.