The biggest feature of New Horizons’ biggest update in three years is the Resort Hotel, a new addition to our docks that allows us to design rooms for guests on our island.
If you’ve already been playing New Horizons for some time and are hopping back in for the update, you’ll probably already have the Resort Hotel at your disposal. But if you’re a newcomer and don’t have access to it yet, don’t fret. We’ll explain how to unlock the Resort Hotel and how to start decorating rooms in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update.
When do you get the Resort Hotel in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?
For the majority of players who already have long-running game files and a five-star island, you’ll be pleased to know that all you have to do to unlock the Resort Hotel is to update your game to the latest version.
After it updates, you can jump into the game and expect Isabelle to announce the expansion on the dock. If Isabelle doesn’t tell you about the expansion, this could mean that your island isn’t at a high enough rating yet.
It seems you can unlock the Resort Hotel by having an island that’s at least three stars. This is because Kapp'n's family runs the hotel, and the only way to unlock Kapp’n is by achieving three stars.
Also, even after reaching three stars (make sure to consult Isabelle about island evaluations to find out your star rating), you must attend your first K.K. Slider concert to commemorate your new star level. Once that’s complete, you should soon get Kapp’n and his family on your island!
How to start decorating the Resort Hotel
After receiving word that the construction of the Resort Hotel is complete (don’t worry, it opens instantly), head over to your dock, either on the east or western side of your island. It’s now elongated, and sitting in the middle of it is a brand-new Resort Hotel.
Step inside, and you’ll find Tom Nook talking to Kapp’n and his wife Leilani. He’ll ask you about helping out, which you don’t have a choice over. Once you have free roam over the hotel, speak to Leilani behind the front desk.
She’ll immediately ask if you’re ready to decorate your first room, so accept, and you can get right to decorating. She’ll give you some recommendations of furniture to use, but you can use anything you want to design this room.
As a reminder, some features of room decorating may be locked behind the Happy Home Paradise DLC. I own this DLC, and it has features such as room dividers/walls, expanding rooms, changing lighting and sounds, and more. I can’t say for sure if every player now has these features to play with in the new update.
Once you’re done, take a photo of it and speak to Leilani. A guest will check in immediately, and you can talk to them inside their room or find them wandering around your island.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now on Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.
