Hotel Scavenger Hunt for Kids (Plus a Free Printable!)

Have you have ever been at a hotel with your kids and find that they need something to do to burn off their energy? If so, then having them go on a fun hotel scavenger hunt may be just the thing for you!

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My kids love spending the night at a hotel. I usually try to find a place with a pool so there will be something fun for them to do, but it’s not always possible. And if your kids are like mine, they tend to get a little antsy if they spend too much time stuck in the hotel room!

That’s where this hotel scavenger hunt comes in! Just print off as many copies as you need (for an inexpensive way to print fun things like this, check out the HP Instant Ink program) and let your kids have a great time searching around the hotel to find all of the items on the list. And if you’re wondering what a scavenger hunt is or how to do one, then I’m here to help!

What is a scavenger hunt?

One of the traditional types of scavenger hunts involves trying to find all of the items on a specific list. You can physically collect all of the items, take pictures of them, or simply cross off the things that you find.

You can do the hunt in teams, as one large group, or individually. It can be an activity that is done just for fun, or it can be a competition to see who can find all the items first. It’s totally up to you how you want to do it!

How do you have a hotel scavenger hunt?

What to do first

Now that you’re more familiar with what it is, how do you use this in a hotel for a hotel scavenger hunt? First you’ll need to print your FREE hotel scavenger hunt printable (just sign up below and you’ll be able to print as many as you need!). Then you just need to decide if you’ll be in teams or do it a whole family.

Once that is figured out, you can give each person (or team) a copy of the scavenger hunt paper and have fun exploring the hotel to find all of the items on the list. Some can be found in your hotel room, while others are found in various places around the hotel. As you find each item, put a check mark or cross off the item. See if you can find all of the things on the list.

If you think that you will be doing this scavenger hunt again, you can always print it out and laminate it (or place it in a clear sheet protector). Then you can use dry erase markers and play as many times as you’d like!

Sign up below and get this FREE hotel scavenger hunt printable – as well as access to my entire free resource library!

Variations on how to play

Again, there are several different ways that you can have a scavenger hunt. Some ways will be better for your family than others, so pick what works for you and have fun!

• Take photos of each item that you find instead of (or in addition to) just crossing it off the list. You can also take funny selfies at each item if your kids are into that!
• Depending on the age of your children, you can have teams, play as individuals, or complete the hunt together as a family.
• If you play as teams or individuals, you can have a winner, or just play for something fun to do. Having small prizes at the end would be a fun surprise, but it is still a fun game to play even without prizes!
• If you decide to play in teams, you can time each group to see how fast they can complete the list and see which team did it the fastest.
• If you were doing a different kind of scavenger hunt (like a nature related one for example) you could actually collect each of the items on the list. This variation however, does not apply to a hotel scavenger hunt as you cannot physically take all of the items!

Staying safe

You want everyone to have a good time of course, but there are a few things to keep in mind when playing a game like this in a hotel. I’m sure you’ll remind your kids of this stuff anyways, but here are some rules just the same!

1. Be respectful of other guests and hotel workers (no interrupting or bothering people).
2. No going into employee only places or into other people’s rooms!
3. If your kids are older and playing without you, remind them not to talk to strangers and to always stay together.
4. No need to go outside for any of the items. Everything can be found inside the hotel.
5. They won’t need to yell or run in order to have fun playing the game!

How to include all ages in the game

Even if you have a variety of ages in your family, you can still do a hotel scavenger hunt. Here are some ways to make sure everyone can be part of the fun!

• If your kids are younger, you can all go together as one team and cross off the items as you find them. The kids can take the lead and figure out where to go, and you can be there to help (if needed) and to keep them safe.
• For older kids and teens, they could go in teams and see who can find everything the fastest. If the free scavenger hunt here seems too easy you can always add on a bonus challenge to do in addition to finding all the items. They can find out when the hotel opened, how many floors and rooms there are, or learn other interesting facts about the hotel.
• To make the game last longer or to make it a bit more difficult, you can not only have your kids find each item, but also count how many of each of the items they can find throughout the hotel (or in your hotel). This will take them longer to do as well as really get them moving because they will have to go all over the hotel to count some of these things!
• If you have competitive kids, you can award points for finding the items (easy items are worth fewer points than more difficult items), getting back in a certain amount of time, taking the silliest pictures or selfies of the items, and so on. Then add up the points to see who wins (or take away points if there was any cheating or they were late getting back if you had set a specific time limit.).

What are the benefits of doing a scavenger hunt?

Not only are scavenger hunts fun to do, they are good for other reasons too!

• If working in teams, it encourages cooperation.
• Works on problem solving and thinking skills.
• Gets the kids (or whole family) up and moving around.
• Your family gets to spend quality time doing something fun together.
• They are a great way to kill some time and burn off any extra energy the kids may have!

Items to find around the hotel

Here is list of items that you can look for around your hotel if you wanted to make up your own scavenger hunt. If you’d rather just print one that’s already made, you can sign up below and get my FREE hotel scavenger hunt printable!

• An elevator
• A vending machine
• A hair dryer
• A remote control
• A housekeeping cart
• A pen
• An exit sign
• A brochure
• A fire extinguisher
• A hotel employee
• An ice machine
• A clothes hanger
• A luggage cart
• A vending machine
• A plant or flowers
• A bar of soap
• A menu
• A pool towel
• An “in case of emergency” sign
• A telephone
• Stairs
• A wheelchair sign or picture
• Keys or a keycard
• An iron
• A painting
• A cup
• A smoke detector

Sign up for access to my FREE resource library and this FREE hotel scavenger hunt printable!

Your time at a hotel doesn’t have to be boring with this hotel scavenger hunt! It’ll get the kids moving and having fun at the same time. Just print out the list before your next hotel trip and watch your family enjoy some good quality time together!