Simulation games often promise a cozy escape into the slow rhythm of managing something mundane—but oddly satisfying. Pets Hotel, the latest to make its way to PlayStation 5, offers precisely that kind of experience: You’re the proud new owner of a pet hotel, and it’s your job to turn it into the five-star destination every dog, cat, rabbit, or turtle dreams of. Originally released on PC in April 2023 and later on Xbox Series X|S in November 2024, Pets Hotel now checks into the PS5 as of March 2025.
Welcome to the Doghouse
The core premise is simple: manage your hotel, care for your four-legged (or finned or shelled) guests, and expand your business while keeping customers—and their pets—happy. You’re given four distinct scenarios to start with, each acting like a soft tutorial with a twist. One has you inheriting a massive but poorly reviewed hotel, another throws you into chaos with a full roster of neglected animals. All of them share the same goal: recover from a bad situation and thrive within a 30-day time limit. Once you’ve cut your teeth on those, you’ll probably want to dive into sandbox mode, where you start from scratch and slowly build your furry empire. It’s in sandbox mode where the game shows its true form: a relaxing (if occasionally overwhelming) business sim with an eye toward customization and chaos management.
The Daily Grind and Grooming
Gameplay is more or less a long list of small tasks—simple on their own but cumulatively demanding. You’ll get a phone call, scribble down a pet’s name and details, and then manually input everything into your computer system: pet type, stay duration, room preferences, and any additional care packages. Be careful, though—a typo means redoing the entire registration process. That might seem like a minor issue, but when it happens repeatedly, it becomes more frustrating than it should be. Once the pet arrives, you’ll take it to a designated room and monitor its needs using a tablet. These needs are communicated via icons above the pet’s head and reflected in Sims-like need bars with more detail on the tablet. Feeding, grooming, walking, playing, petting, even clipping their nails—it’s all part of your daily duties. Complete them all by the time the owner returns, and you’ll be rewarded with a good review and payment. Neglect anything, and your hotel rating drops faster than a cat spotting a vacuum cleaner.
Build-a-Hotel
Beyond the pet care hustle, Pets Hotel includes a surprisingly in-depth building system. As your reputation (and income) grows, you can add more rooms, decorate them with different floorings and wall types, and invest in better facilities. It’s a genuinely fun side of the game that lets you get creative and personalize your hotel. Eventually, you’ll want to hire staff, like a receptionist to take phone calls or an assistant to help with pet care. These additions are a godsend, especially when the day-to-day starts getting too overwhelming with your – hopefully – expanding and thriving pets hotel.
Positive intent, rough execution
Unfortunately, Pets Hotel doesn’t always deliver on its full potential. While the ideas behind its systems are solid, the mechanics themselves are clunky and often unintuitive. Controls feel awkward, interactions lack finesse, and simple tasks can turn into chore-like annoyances. For a game aimed at a younger or more casual audience, this level of friction could be a real barrier to enjoyment. And as a parent, you’ll surely be called for help multiple times with these controls.
Visually, Pets Hotel is firmly in the “budget sim” category. Models are stiff, animations are basic, and textures wouldn’t look out of place on a PS3. It gets the job done, but it’s not winning any beauty contests. The sound design doesn’t help either—think endless loops of muzak that you’ll probably mute in favor of a podcast or your own playlist.
Conclusion
Pets Hotel has a lot of features you’d expect from a simulation game like this—and even a few pleasant surprises. The building mechanics are deeper than anticipated, and there’s a real sense of satisfaction in juggling your pet hotel responsibilities effectively. But unfortunately, a lot of the enjoyment gets bogged down by poor UI design, clunky controls, and the kind of bugs that don’t belong in any pet-friendly environment. If you’re willing to push past the rough edges and settle into its repetitive rhythm, there’s a decent time to be had here. Just temper your expectations and bring your own soundtrack.
