I always like to lighten up the mood when I travel, especially when I’m with my college frat buddies! Here’s my top hotel room pranks you can pull on your friends to keep the banter going and the laughs coming.
I’ve tried and tested all of these hilarious hotel room pranks and they never fail!
Hotel Room Pranks You Can Easily Pull Off
Elevator Confusion: The Phantom Floor
Ever wanted to just create confusion? Creating a phantom floor is one of the funniest hotel pranks I’ve seen.
You do this by making fake signs and buttons to insinuate a floor exists, when it really doesn’t. You can even use tape to block an elevator exit on any floor of your choice, which can create chaos!
For bonus points, try farting in the elevator before you leave for your floor. As long as it’s silent, nobody will know what hit them!
Saran Wrap Over the Toilet Bowl Joke
This one was one I started doing to my parents in middle school. They didn’t love it, but your friends will.
Tightly wrap saran wrap over a toilet, leaving zero crinkles or any sign of tampering. When they go to the bathroom, they will see their urine – or worse – spray everywhere! This is best executed at night when the lights will most likely remain off.
Room Service Pranks
Posing as room service using a disguised voice is a tough hotel prank to pull off, but when done properly, is pretty epic, I must say. Or, you can do it to a stranger in the hotel if you really want to go the extra mile!
Here’s the procedure for the prank:
- Phone a guest, pretending to be the front desk.
- Inform them about charges for unordered room service.
- Enjoy the mix of confusion and incredulous reactions that ensue.
- Don’t forget to disclose the prank before things escalate!
Travel Prank Kit
As an aside, I found a travel prank kit on Amazon that was seriously “LOL Funny.” Here’s a quick summary of what it all includes:
Marketed as “everything you need to lighten up a boring trip,” you’ll find the following items inside this kit:
- No Tear Toilet Paper
- Creepy Cockroach Dirty Face Soap
- A Rubber Mouse…..
- A bug that goes in a cocktail – and so much more.
Hotel Lobby Pranks
Here’s a list of light-hearted and harmless pranks that could be pulled in hotel lobbies, keeping in mind that they should avoid causing serious disruption or harm:
- Invisible Rope Trick: Two people pretend to hold an invisible rope across the lobby. As guests walk toward them, they “raise” the invisible rope, causing people to step over or stop confused.
- Elevator Surprise: Tape a piece of paper on the elevator that says, “Only works if you sing!” and watch as some guests might give it a try.
- Fake Concierge Calls: Stand near the concierge desk, pretend to take fake phone calls from imaginary guests asking for the most ridiculous requests, like “Does the hotel have a unicorn valet?”
- Remote-Control Toy Roaming: Let loose a remote-control car or small toy animal to wander around the lobby, surprising people as it zooms past their feet.
- Confusing Directions: Walk up to guests and confidently give them overly complicated directions to the elevators or bathrooms, with lots of unnecessary turns and floors.
- Complimentary “Air” Drinks: Set up an impromptu “lobby bar” offering free “invisible” drinks or snacks, serving them with great enthusiasm as if they were real.
- Lobby Ghost: Set up a friend hiding behind a plant or desk, and at the right moment, have them pop out making spooky ghost noises to surprise passersby.
- Endless Bellhop: As you check in, ask the bellhop for help with your luggage and start handing them increasingly absurd items (like a rubber chicken, a houseplant, or a huge teddy bear) from a small bag or suitcase that shouldn’t realistically fit those items.
- Stuck on Repeat: Keep asking the front desk for the time, but when they tell you, react in complete shock and ask again as if you forgot instantly.
- Celebrity Sighting: Walk around the lobby whispering to people, “Did you hear? A celebrity is staying here!” and point randomly at a regular guest, leading others to believe they’re in the presence of someone famous.
These pranks are meant to be fun and not disruptive—be sure to respect hotel staff and guests while keeping things lighthearted!
Hotel Checkout Pranks
Before checkout, casually mention to your friend that you’ve had some wild room service nights during the stay (e.g., ordering expensive champagne, spa treatments, etc.). Then, as you approach the checkout counter, ask the front desk clerk to pretend that your friend’s room bill is ridiculously high. Have the clerk read off a fake total (something outrageous like “$5,000”) and list out absurd charges like “private helicopter tour,” “pet giraffe rental,” or “diamond-encrusted pillow.”
Watch as your friend panics for a moment before you reveal it’s all a joke! Be sure to plan this with the front desk staff ahead of time to make sure it goes smoothly and doesn’t cause any real confusion.
These pranks work in ANY hotel, and even when staying in hostels. Let me know in the comments if you were able to pull off any of these hilarious pranks!
Summary
Well, there you have it! A guide to some hilarious hotel room pranks to make your stay memorable. Remember, the best travel pranks are those that evoke laughter without causing inconvenience or distress. So, next time you’re planning a stay, why not add a dash of mischief to it?
About Peter C.
Peter is a digital nomad who largely writes from Asia, Europe, and South America. Always following the "vibe," he sets up shop in hostels and AirBNB's and continues to entertain us with wild stories from life abroad. Ask him anything in our community forum.
