Hotels grow in Cities: Skylines when you give a commercial district the tourism specialisation from the After Dark expansion. Pick a district that tourists reach easily, paint it, set the specialisation and make sure enough undereducated workers live nearby — hotels, souvenir shops and cafés follow. Without After Dark, commercial zones never turn into hotels.
Hotels bring a city to life, and in Cities: Skylines 1 they grow by themselves, if the district is set up right. This tutorial shows the After Dark way: no mods and no placing hotels by hand. It’s how the hotel strip along the river in Westfield came about.
What you need
The After Dark expansion. It adds two specialisations for commercial districts: leisure (nightlife) and tourism. Tourism is the one that turns commercial buildings into hotels, plus souvenir shops, cafés and casinos. Without After Dark, none of your commercial zones will ever develop into hotels.
Setting it up
- Choose the right district (0:30). Tourists come for something: a beach, a landmark, a park, a harbour. Put the district within walking distance of that, and close to where tourists arrive, such as the train station, the airport or a highway exit.
- Zone commercial there, if it isn’t already.
- Paint a district over the commercial zones with the district tool.
- Set the tourism specialisation (1:16) in the district panel. Over time, the buildings rebuild as tourism businesses.
Keep the workers coming
Tourism businesses need undereducated workers (3:00). That’s the catch most players hit later: a city where everyone graduates from university runs out of staff for hotels and shops, and businesses start complaining about missing workers. Keep some housing with lower education nearby, or avoid blanket education policies in the area around your tourist district.
Getting tourists to come
- Attractions. Unique buildings, parks and landmarks raise the city’s attractiveness.
- Transport links. An airport, a passenger harbour and intercity trains bring tourists from outside. Make sure they can get from the terminal to the hotels by bus, tram or metro.
- Beaches and views. Tourism districts along water fill up faster.
Common problems
Hotels close down. Usually a lack of workers or customers. Check the education levels nearby and whether tourists can actually reach the district.
Nothing changes after setting the specialisation. Buildings switch over as they rebuild, which takes time. Speed up the game and give it a few weeks.
Noise complaints. Tourism districts are busy. Keep them away from quiet residential streets, or buffer them with parks.
The newer version
In 2023 I published a shorter step-by-step version of this setup: tourist districts for hotels. If you have the Hotels & Retreats DLC, it adds plopable hotels you manage directly, which is a different system from the growable tourism buildings here.
Video chapters
- 0:00Intro
- 0:30Choosing the right district for your hotels
- 1:16Choosing the tourism specialisation
- 3:00Hotels need undereducated workers over time
- 4:18A little hotel strip, animated
Clicking a chapter starts the video above at that point.
Related videos
FAQ
Do I need a DLC for hotels in Cities: Skylines?
For hotels that grow on their own, yes: the tourism specialisation comes with the After Dark expansion. Without it, commercial zones never become hotels.
Why do my hotels close?
Often because there aren't enough undereducated workers. A well-educated city runs out of people willing to work in hotels and shops.
Where should I put a hotel district?
Where tourists arrive and want to be — close to stations, the airport, beaches and attractions.
What's the difference between leisure and tourism specialisation?
Both come with After Dark. Leisure creates nightlife — bars and clubs that are busy at night. Tourism creates hotels and businesses that serve visitors.
How do I get more tourists in Cities: Skylines?
Raise attractiveness with unique buildings, parks and landmarks, and connect the city to the outside with an airport, passenger harbour or intercity trains.
