Animal Crossing: New Horizons has always found ways to surprise the community, but the 3.0 update is about to take island life to a new level. With the free addition of the resort hotel facility, players get to transform their islands into true vacation destinations. As the island rep, you’ll find yourself at the heart of all things hotel - decorating themed rooms, welcoming new faces, and exploring endless creative options. If you’re looking forward to the update and want inspiration for your hotel rooms, you're in the right place!
How To Run the Resort Hotel in ACNH 3.0?
The 3.0 update introduces a resort hotel run by Kapp’n and his family, Leilani, Leila, and Grams, who are joining the island in style. The hotel, situated just off the pier, is more than just a new building, it's an interactive facility with its own user interface. Here, you’ll select rooms to decorate, interact with the front desk, and manage your hotel’s visitors.
To get started, you interact with Leilani at the main desk, which opens the user interface for managing and decorating the hotel rooms. The process is streamlined and feels familiar to anyone who's played Happy Home Paradise, featuring a clipboard-style UI where you can browse rooms, select themes, and change decor on the fly. Players can also walk behind the counter, suggesting there may be more interactive features than first appear.
You’ll be in charge of decorating up to eight guest rooms, each with a suggested theme and a rotating cast of visiting villagers. Once rooms are ready, guests will check in, borrow outfits from mannequins in the lobby, and even wander around the island, making your village feel more alive than ever. For every room you successfully decorate, you’ll earn Hotel Tickets, which can be redeemed at Grams’ Souvenir Shop for exclusive hotel-themed items.
The hotel also features a furniture drop-off point for crafted items, where you can deliver requested DIYs in exchange for extra Hotel Tickets. Multi-crafting is now supported, letting you produce several items at once for convenience.
The hotel’s services aren’t limited to villagers alone; with upgrades, you’ll unlock an amiibo scanner at the counter, enabling you to invite special characters and design rooms specifically for them (with some exceptions, more on this below).
How To Customize Your Resort Hotel?
Customization is at the heart of the Resort Hotel experience. When you select a guest room to decorate, you’ll be given a recommended theme such as Seaside, Elegant, Cabin, Ice, Diner, Moroccan, Cute, or Zen, and a set of suggested items. You’re free to use these, but you also have access to your entire personal furniture catalog, allowing for endless creative freedom.
Decorating Tools and Features:
Happy Home Paradise-style editor: Drag and drop, adjust item variations, use accent walls, and place furniture just as you would in DLC vacation homes.
Mannequins in the lobby: Customize their outfits from your storage; guests and friends can change into these outfits when visiting.
Themed items: New furniture series and finishes debut with the 3.0 update. Special items like the Artful Series, new towel racks, and black marble finishes can be used for unique looks.
Grams’ Souvenir Shop: Spend Hotel Tickets earned through decorating or crafting to unlock exclusive hotel-themed items to further enhance your rooms or even the hotel’s public spaces.
Crafting Box: Fulfill crafting requests for bonus tickets, making it easy to earn rewards even if you prefer DIY over interior design.
Room Redesigns:
You can redecorate any room at any time. This means you can refresh themes, swap out furniture, or respond to new requests from guests. Redeveloping rooms also earns additional Hotel Tickets, encouraging ongoing creativity.
Rotating Stock and Upgrades:
Grams’ Souvenir Shop updates its stock periodically, offering new items to keep your hotel fresh. As your hotel gains popularity, you may unlock additional features, like the amiibo scanner or possibly new floors or special rooms, as hinted by the mysterious sparkling door icon on the floor plan.
ACNH 3.0 Hotel Room Layout Sizes & Decorating Rules
The Resort Hotel features eight standard guest rooms at launch, all accessible from the main hotel lobby. Details from the trailer and floor plan screenshots indicate:
Each room has a standard layout (likely a 6x6 or 8x8 interior, similar to vacation homes in Happy Home Paradise).
Special doors on the floor plan may hint at unique rooms (such as bathrooms, gyms, or restaurants), but their function is currently unknown.
Decorating rules mirror Happy Home Paradise: You can use your catalog, provided items, and accent walls. There are no hard limits on item placement besides the usual grid and space restrictions.
Room snapshots: The UI presents a thumbnail of each room, showing its current decor and a picture of the guest staying there.
Guest assignment: One guest per room, with the ability to reassign or redesign as needed.
The hotel’s lobby and communal spaces like Grams’ shop and the mannequin area, are also customizable, allowing you to coordinate the overall look and feel of your hotel.
Notes:
Room sizes are fixed but spacious enough for creative layouts.
No catalog restrictions: Any owned item can be used, and special hotel items are unlocked as you progress.
Frequent redecorating: You can change themes, swap guests, and experiment as much as you like for ongoing rewards.
With these systems in place, the Resort Hotel in ACNH 3.0 becomes a creative playground, blending classic Animal Crossing charm with the freedom to host, design, and curate your own island getaway.
ACNH 3.0 Hotel Room Themes & Best Design Ideas
At launch, the hotel appears to feature eight rooms, each with its own unique theme and a visiting villager. Guests can borrow outfits you set in the lobby and even wander around the island during their stay, adding life to your peaceful paradise. Decorating these rooms is not just about aesthetics, it’s your main tool to attract visitors and build your hotel’s reputation. The update also hints at possible future expansions, with UI details like stair icons suggesting multiple floors or more rooms as your reputation grows.
Nintendo has showcased eight different room themes in the update video, and while the official names may not be finalized, the variety is sure to spark plenty of decorating ideas. As you prepare, remember that the furniture you can use will come both from your personal catalog and special themed sets provided by the hotel, so if your catalog isn’t maxed out, now is the perfect time to start expanding!
Seaside Room Ideas
The seaside room is the perfect starting point, calming, comfortable, and reminiscent of a true resort escape. When creating this theme, opt for ocean-themed wallpapers and sandy flooring to evoke a beachside vibe. Items like rattan furniture, peacock chairs, and vine hanging chairs fit beautifully. Consider adding a small balcony area using partition walls or rugs to create a relaxing space overlooking the "sea." This theme lends itself to many interpretations: go for a New England beach cottage, a tropical retreat, or even a spa-inspired oasis. The key is serenity, soft colors, and furniture that invites guests to unwind.
Elegant Room Ideas
The elegant room radiates luxury and refinement. Think black marble accents, antique and elegant furniture in dark or neutral colorways, and classic touches like canopy beds. Playing with color can dramatically change the feel, try a light blue and white palette for a bright, airy atmosphere, or embrace a darker aesthetic for a sophisticated, moody look. Mixing antique and elegant series furniture can work well, especially if you keep to a coherent color scheme. Complete the room with plush rugs, refined lighting, and subtle floral arrangements for that “fit for royalty” ambiance.
Cabin Room Ideas
For the cabin room, draw inspiration from cozy rustic lodges and cottagecore retreats. Use log cabin wallpaper, wooden flooring, and country-style or patchwork furniture to set the mood. A fireplace is a must for that warm, welcoming glow. Mix and match different wooden series pieces to avoid monotony, and adjust lighting to sunset hours for extra coziness. Consider adding rocking chairs, bookshelves, and simple rugs. This theme works well for those who love a snug, homey escape, perfect for villagers like Coco who want to curl up with a good book.
Ice Room Ideas
The ice room is all about crisp, sparkling winter magic. Use ice and frozen furniture series alongside cool-toned wallpapers and flooring. While all-ice can be overwhelming, balance the look with white or stone floors and accent pieces in silver or gray. Frozen bear statues, ice beds, and matching tables can bring the theme to life, but don’t be afraid to include cozy touches—a white rug or soft lighting can warm up the chill. This theme is ideal for those who love unique, whimsical spaces and want to experiment with bolder, less common items.
Diner Room Ideas
The diner room is perhaps the most playful and divisive theme. Classic diner furniture in red, black, or aqua sets the stage, with checkered floors and bold, retro wallpapers. Beds can be tricky, but options like cool beds or even race car beds can fit the vibe. Lean into the maximalist side with food-themed décor, neon signs, and quirky accessories like donut beds or cherry speakers. If classic diner red isn’t your thing, try a monochrome color scheme for a modern twist. This room is all about fun, think of themed Airbnbs and let your creativity run wild.
Moroccan Room Ideas
Bring exotic warmth and style with the Moroccan room. Rich, warm colors—think oranges, browns, and terracotta, combined with Moroccan furniture and intricate wallpapers give this room its character. Add plush seating, low tables, and plenty of plants for an inviting, lounge-like feel. If your catalog is missing some items, consider complementing with pieces from other furniture lines in matching tones. Sunset lighting works wonders, making the space glow and highlighting all those beautiful patterns. Don’t be afraid to look up real-world Moroccan interiors for inspiration—Google images can be your friend here!
Cute Room Ideas
For the cute room, lean into pastel tones, playful furniture, and plenty of plushies. The cute and dreamy series are your go-tos, with beds, wardrobes, and tables in pinks, blues, and purples. If you want to try something different, mix in Sanrio items or experiment with a color scheme that’s not strictly pink—purple and black can create a “cute punk” effect, especially for villagers with a bit of an edge. Display clothes, use block lamps, and don’t forget adorable wall décor. While it can be a challenge to avoid the room feeling more like a bedroom than a hotel, focusing on a cohesive palette and minimizing clutter helps keep things fresh and inviting.
Zen Room Ideas
The zen room is all about calm, simplicity, and balance. Use shoji or traditional Japanese wallpaper, tatami mats, and low-profile furniture like tatami beds and floor seats. Create zones with partition walls for privacy and add a small tea set or rice cracker snacks for authenticity. Neutral tones, simple lighting, and uncluttered layouts are the order of the day. Blue accents and natural wood bring tranquility, while plants and minimal art keep the room lively without overwhelming the senses. This theme is perfect for those who appreciate a clean, harmonious space that feels like a true retreat.
Decorating your hotel in ACNH 3.0 is about expressing your own style while giving your villagers a place to relax and enjoy. Each theme offers countless possibilities; don’t be afraid to mix and match furniture lines, play with lighting, and adjust color palettes until you find what feels right. Remember, part of the fun comes from experimenting and sometimes even “struggle busing” your way through a design. If something doesn’t work, just start fresh!
Who Can You Invite to Your Resort Hotel?
The Resort Hotel is designed to host both villagers and special characters, offering more flexibility than ever before. Once you unlock the amiibo scanner, you can use amiibo cards or figures to invite a wide range of characters to stay at your hotel and design custom rooms for them.
Eligible Guests:
All standard villagers (over 400 in total)
Most special characters, such as Tortimer, Katrina, Reese, Cyrus, Copper, Booker, Pelly, Phyllis, Pete, and many others from previous Animal Crossing games
Special Cases:
You can also invite certain NPCs, as demonstrated by Label in the trailer, and create rooms that reflect their personality and backstory—for example, including personal touches like family photos.
Who Can’t Visit:
Not all characters are eligible for hotel stays. Characters that have permanent roles on your island or are currently visiting for events are not available for hotel invitations. This includes:
Tom Nook, Isabelle, Timmy & Tommy, Mabel & Sable, Blathers, Brewster, Kapp’n, Leilani, Leila, Grams, Orville, and Wilbur
All traveling NPCs when they’re currently on your island (such as Label, Kicks, CJ, Flick, Daisy Mae, Gulliver, Jack, Jingle, Leif, Luna, Pavé, Redd, Saharah, Wisp, Zipper T. Bunny, and K.K. Slider)
So, if a character is already in town or working at a facility, you won’t be able to host them at the hotel at that time. However, once they’re not present or working, most can be invited via amiibo.
As the update arrives and more hotel themes are revealed (rumor has it there may be as many as 20 in the future), there will be even more room for creativity. Whether you gravitate toward cozy cabins, sparkling ice palaces, or bold diner aesthetics, the key is to make spaces that you and your villagers will love.