SL Hotels - A beginner’s guide

How do I find good Second Life Hotels?

You've come to the right place! I have been to literally hundreds of different places in SL and have summarised the best ones on the recommendations page.

Do Second Life Hotels resemble real ones?

Yes, there are dozens of hotels and resorts that try and mimic the RL experience. By and large they all have reception desks (which are very often staffed by bots) bars, restaurants, spas and swimming pools.

They then have elevators up to the rooms. Sometimes these rooms are actually in skyboxes, sometimes they are within the main build.

How do I check in?

SL Hotels and resorts can broadly be split into two categories.

First of all, there are the hotels where you check yourself in.

These are on open sims which anyone can visit (some restrict certain areas for guests). Here you generally pay a rental board above reception, or you can tp into the room after which you have 1-2 minutes to pay before security kicks you out.

Then there are the RP resorts on restricted sims. With these, you pre-book via a website or Facebook page. You then get a time to check-in, after which you are given your 'keys' (your group tag), which gives you access to the sim for the duration of your stay.

What's the difference ?

Price and the level of RP.

Self check-in hotels on open sims charge anywhere from 100-1500L a night, depending on the place and the type of room you get. It’s possible to book RP spa or dinner services, and some do offer these, but many aren’t as big on RP.

The RP resorts are on restricted sims, meaning you'll only see other guests and staff during your stay.

They also have staff on hand to RP everything., from the check in experience to the tour of the resort to providing ‘breakfast’ in the morning to the spa.

These tend to be more expensive, with prices starting at 1500, going in some cases all the way up to 3000L a night.

Do people pay this, and is it worth it?

Yes and yes (sometimes). Some resorts are largely full despite charging these prices.

People pay to stay because some of these resorts offer an immersive and a truly unique experience.

Take the resorts operated by High Life Destinations. These take months to build, and there are serveral RP staff on site, hence the 2k or so a night charge.

However, if you don't want to pay these prices, you can still stay in a great hotel for 500L a night or less - a few are even free.

It just depends what you are looking for. Do you want a full RP experience, or do you want more flexibility and the ability to come and go when you want?

Why would I want to go and stay in these places?

For the same reasons as you would in RL.

Take a date / significant other. Isn't going to a fantastic hotel so much better than the default options of taking your date to a club or a beach (or a club on a beach!).

Or go with friends, the RP resorts in particular tend to have villas specifically geared for groups, where you can make a weekend of it.

And then, go to travel the world, in this case virtually. Where do you want to go? Paris? Bali? Fiji? Thailand? There are themed places to stay covering each of these destinations and more.

So there we have it, a quick two minute guide to Second Life Hotels and Resorts. I've loved discovering and staying in them over the past few years, it's transformed my SL experience for the better beyond recognition. Hopefully the reviews I've put together will be helpful for you to discover this often overlooked side of SL yourself

If you have any questions, please email me