How to Have Fun in a Hotel Room

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: January 10, 2023 References

So you're away from home, in a hotel room, and you're bored. What to do? Fortunately, there are lots of ways you can have fun in a hotel room whether you're alone or with family or other people.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Playing Games in a Hotel Room

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Play board or card games. If you’re not alone in the hotel room, and especially if you’re there with children, a board game can be a lot of fun.
- Even if you’re alone, you could play a game. If you have a deck of cards, try Solitaire! You could also play Solitaire online. There are many card games you can play if other people are in the room, like poker or gin rummy. You could also make up your own board game!
- Some hotels even have board games you can borrow. Ask at the front desk! If not, make sure to bring some along! If you’ve forgotten a board game, you could just play Pictionary with paper and pencils or pens. The goal is to draw a picture that the other people have to guess.
- Another fun game is the dictionary game. All you need is a dictionary. You choose a word, and all of the other players try to guess what it means. Then you read them one-by-one, including the real definition, and people guess whose definition is the right one. You get points if people guess your definition, even if it's fake, and you get points if you know the meaning of the word.
2
Play games that don't require extra items. Let’s say you can’t find a board game. There are some games you can play without anything special, as long as there is another person in the room.
- Try playing Charades. You write down movies, books, things and places on pieces of paper and the person who draws it, has to act out what is on the paper, for other people to guess.
- Charades can work with large families if you divide everyone up into teams. You’re not allowed to speak words when playing Charades.
- You could play I Spy. Choose an object. The other person must ask you a series of questions to try to guess what it is. Or you could sing 99 bottles of beer on the wall. "Take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall." And so on, until you get to 0.^{[1]
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3
Have a pillow fight. Be careful that you don’t break something! But having a pillow fight can be a lot of fun. Jumping on the bed can be too, but it's not a good idea if there are rooms below you. You could also build a blanket tent or fort.
- This will help children expend their energy and see the hotel room as a lot of fun because they get to do something they can’t do at home.
- Even if you’re there with another adult, a playful pillow fight might be a great way to lighten up the mood and have fun with each other. You could also ball up socks and try to see who can throw most of them into the garbage can.^{[2]
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Make towel animals. Kids will have a lot of fun making towel animals. Sometimes the maids in hotels make these for you. How cool to come back to the room to see a swan on the bed.
- You could leave the towel animal as a surprise for the maid. Mostly, though, children will have fun trying to make them. You can make birds, dogs, cats, and other common animals.
- Once they are done, have everyone try to draw the animals or play a game guessing what the animals are. You could also make animal shadows on the wall with your hands.
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Create a scavenger hunt. This can be fun for children. Secrete items throughout the room and perhaps throughout the hotel hallway.
- Write out clues for each item that you give to the children to see if they can crack the riddles and find the items first.
- Be careful about safety and hotel rules, though. Never allow children to run around a hotel unsupervised. Either do the scavenger hunt in your room or follow them around.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Having Fun by Yourself in a Hotel Room

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Go online. Most hotel rooms have free WiFi these days, so ask for the password at the front desk. Is going on your computer fun? It can be if you’re stuck in a hotel room alone.
- Read a book online, watch a video streaming service movie or TV show, or communicate with your friends on social media. The possibilities are endless.
- Play games online, write emails, try to write a book. The great thing about hotel rooms is that the daily stresses of life aren’t there, so you’re able to focus.
2
Do a hotel room tour. Even if you don't have a camera, it's still fun to walk around your hotel room and show it around. Plus, while poking around, you may find something cool!
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Read the magazines or brochures in the hotel. You could use the opportunity to learn about the location you’re visiting!
- If you don’t have a computer along or simply don’t feel like going online, reading magazines or brochures can be a way to pass the time. Or buy magazines in the hotel gift shop, if there is one.
- Educate yourself about the area. Maybe you’ll discover a tour or a new restaurant to try by doing so.^{[3]
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Order room service. It can actually be fun to order room service because it feels like a luxury to a lot of people. Once in a while, splurge on yourself!
- Order something off the menu that you’ve never tried before to make it all more interesting. Order several items and have a tasting party!
- You could also order into the room. Many hotels offer information about local pizza or Chinese food delivery services. Eating pizza in a hotel room can be fun.
5
Write. You could write someone a letter. The art of letter writing used to be very important in society, and today it can seem unusual and thus indicates to people you care about them because you’ve put a lot of thought into it.
- You could also try to write a book or a poem. If that’s not your thing, you could start writing a journal, perhaps by chronicling your trip. If writing is not your thing, you could also try drawing. The hotel probably has stationery in the room that you can use.
- Some people get lost in writing. It’s a good way to pass the time and feel less lonely because your words can transport you to a different place or create an intimate bond with people you miss by writing words you know they will eventually read.
6
Bring along entertainment options. Show up at the hotel room with some entertainment options in hand, whether it's equipment to play music or video games.
- Take along a DVD you haven't viewed yet. Watch it if you have a DVD player in the room. If there is a DVD player, the hotel might provide new ones too, so ask at the front desk.
- Load up songs and TV shows onto your MP3 player, iPod or computer. You could also listen to the radio. Most hotel rooms have one.
- If you can, bring a game console. You can hook it up to the TV and play games. Some hotels provide a game system to use, but require a fee to rent the games

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Finding Other Ways to Have Fun in a Hotel Room

1
Get romantic. Depends if you’re there with your partner, and depends on your age, and depends whether children are around, but if you’re of age, and circumstances permit, here’s your chance to get romantic.
- Ask for a hotel room with a whirlpool or at least a whirlpool tub. No question about it; in the right circumstances, this can make the visit a lot more fun!
- Even if you’re in the hotel room alone, taking a whirlpool bath can be relaxing. If you just have a regular tub, try a bubble bath!
2
Give someone a makeover. This works well with kids. Let them give mom or dad or a sibling a makeover.
- This can mean they get to put makeup on you or put your hair in a goofy ponytail. This will distract many children, and they will think it’s fun.^{[4]
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- Take hotel selfies. OK, maybe this one is a little goofy, but hotel lighting can make for some nice selfies because it’s sometimes dimmer. You will want to chronicle the makeover!
3
Rent a movie. Most hotels have movie on demand services on the television. Whether you’re alone or with family, renting a movie is a great way to pass the time.
- You could also watch cable television in most hotels. If you’re renting a movie, hit up the vending machine so you have your own version of movie snacks.
- Try watching a movie outside of your normal favorite genre. Look at your time in the hotel room as a time to learn about yourself and try new things. Everyone could wear pajamas and, climb into the same bed.
4
Meditate. The stresses are gone. For now, at least. So take the time to think. Write down plans for your future. Work through any problems.
- Consider the hotel stay a “staycation.” You don’t have to be doing something. Pamper yourself by doing nothing. No worries. No deadlines. No pressures.^{[5]
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- Take a nap, catch up on reading, watch a TV show that doesn’t require much thought, turn off your cell phone, or just lie back and think. If the hotel has a spa, you could visit it for a massage or other service.
5
Throw a secret party. Some people do this. They throw secret parties in hotel rooms. Do not do this if you are underage.
- If you do this, keep guests to a minimum, and don’t destroy the hotel room or do anything that could attract the attention of the police!^{[6]
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- Secret hotel room parties usually involve sending out invites to select people a couple weeks before. You will have to smuggle in food and drink and limit people who show up. Again, do this at your own peril! Never violate any laws! Be careful not to be too loud or you could generate a noise complaint!
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Watch people! It may sound absolutely mad, but it can actually be very interesting. It's even better doing it out of a window because no one will notice you're staring at them.
- Choose one or two people to watch, and see how they interact with other people and objects.
- See how much you can tell about someone's character by the way they walk, what they do, what they eat, what they drink, and about half a million other things. Humans are fascinating creatures.

Community Q&A

Question

What do you do if your hotel doesn't have much? Just a TV and a bed?

Community Answer

Get yourself some snacks from the vending machines, find some good shows to watch, and build yourself a bed-fort with the furniture and blankets. Listen to music on your phone, and call friends or family members. Some hotels rent video game consoles, so this might be a possibility.
Question

How can I have fun in a hotel room when my parents are asleep?

Community Answer

If you brought a tablet or smartphone, you can play around on that. You can also read a book or write in a journal if you have one. Basically, just try to do something quiet so you won't wake your parents up before they want to be up.
Question

What do I do if someone knocks on the door, as it may be the cleaner? Do I let them in?

Community Answer

Look through the peephole and open the door if it is the cleaner. If it is not the cleaner, do not open the door.

Warnings

Don't do anything that will get you kicked out of the hotel, so be careful, and do not do anything dangerous.

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Never mess up or break anything in the hotel room.

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