Animal Crossing Hotel Visitors Can't Move In

The latest Animal Crossing: New Horizons update has arrived, bringing a bustling hotel to the game's islands. Players can now decorate eight different rooms and attract villagers from the massive roster of over 400 animals for a visit. This new feature offers an unprecedented opportunity to meet potential residents.

However, a significant limitation has emerged that has left the community disappointed. While these visiting pals can wander your island, see the sights, and even participate in activities like Group Stretching, there is one crucial thing they cannot do: stay forever. The hotel functions as a temporary showcase rather than a permanent recruitment center.

The new 3.0 update introduced the hotel as a central hub for social interaction. Players can decorate multiple rooms to attract a variety of villagers, with up to eight potential guests visiting at any given time. These animals roam the island freely, engaging in behaviors similar to permanent residents.

What makes the experience particularly engaging is the depth of interaction. Visitors will participate in island activities and even share unique dialogue about their vacation. The feature effectively acts as a large-scale preview system, allowing players to observe different villagers' personalities and aesthetics before making a commitment through other means.

These little guys will also roam around the island and do most of the things normal residents do while they're there.

The core frustration stems from the contrast with existing game mechanics. In other scenarios, players can successfully recruit villagers. If an animal visits through the Campsite, they can be persuaded to stay. During Island Excursions, players can similarly invite them to move in permanently.

The hotel operates under completely different rules. Even if a player has an available vacancy on their island, vacationing animals cannot be invited to move in, regardless of how much a player might want them to stay. This limitation feels particularly strict compared to the flexibility offered by other recruitment methods in the game.

• Campsite visitors can be persuaded to stay
• Island Excursion discoveries can be invited home
• Friends' moving-out villagers can be recruited
• Hotel visitors cannot be invited to stay permanently

The disappointment is amplified by the emotional depth the feature introduces. Players often spend significant resources, such as Nook Miles Tickets, searching for their "dreamie" villagers. The hotel presents these coveted characters as temporary guests, creating a bittersweet experience when they inevitably leave.

Perhaps most poignant is the ability for former island residents to visit via the hotel. These returning characters come with unique dialogue expressing how much they miss living on the island. This nostalgic element highlights what could have been a powerful reunion mechanic, but instead serves only as a fleeting moment of connection with no path to permanent return.

When the dreamie villagers you’ve spent hundreds of NM tickets searching for show up as tourists 🥲

Despite the limitations, the hotel serves a valuable strategic purpose. It functions as the most efficient method yet for meeting a wide variety of the game's 400+ villagers. With eight rooms potentially full at any time, players have eight chances per visit to discover a villager they might want to recruit through other means.

This preview system allows players to make more informed decisions when they do encounter desirable villagers through the Campsite or Island Excursions. Players can familiarize themselves with different personalities and designs before committing, making the eventual recruitment process more targeted and satisfying.

• Preview up to eight villagers simultaneously
• Observe personality traits in natural settings
• Learn which villagers exist in the game's roster
• Make informed recruitment decisions later

The hotel feature represents a significant addition to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, expanding social interaction possibilities. While the inability to recruit permanent residents from the hotel is disappointing, the feature still enhances the overall experience by providing a new way to engage with the game's extensive character roster.

Players returning to their islands after a hiatus will find the hotel an excellent starting point for rediscovering the game's charm. The update also includes other quality-of-life improvements, such as the ability to strafe and jump, making the overall experience more fluid and enjoyable for the dedicated community.