Riddles have always been a popular way to engage our minds, offering fun challenges that encourage us to think critically and laterally. One classic riddle involves the scenario of “3 men in a hotel room,” which seems straightforward at first but reveals hidden complexities when you dive into the details.
This type of puzzle is perfect for testing your problem-solving skills and understanding how wordplay and logic work together.
In this post, we’ll explore 33 creative and engaging riddles about “3 men in a hotel room.” These riddles will challenge your reasoning, make you rethink assumptions, and provide hours of mental entertainment. Are you ready to tackle the challenge? Let’s get started!

All Riddle
1. Riddle:
Three men check into a hotel room for $30. Later, the manager realizes the room rate should have been $25, so he gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy, deciding he can’t divide the $5 evenly among the three guests, gives $1 back to each man and keeps $2 for himself. Now, each man has paid $9 for the room, totaling $27. The bellboy kept $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 the men paid includes the $25 for the room and the $2 the bellboy kept. The confusion arises when you add the $2 again, but it’s already part of the $27.
2. Riddle:
Three men check into a hotel. The total cost of the room is $30. Later, the manager realizes that the room should have cost $25, so he gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy gives $1 back to each guest and keeps $2 for himself. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 consists of $25 for the room and the $2 the bellboy kept. The riddle tries to confuse you by suggesting the $2 should be added to the $27, but it’s already part of that total.
3. Riddle:
Three men stay at a hotel room for $30. The manager later realizes the room rate should have been $25. He gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy decides to keep $2 for himself and gives $1 back to each guest. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy kept $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 the men paid includes the $25 for the room and the $2 for the bellboy. The remaining $3 was returned to the guests. The riddle tricks you into adding the bellboy’s $2 again, but it is already included in the $27.
4. Riddle:
Three men check into a motel room for $30. The hotel manager realizes the room only costs $25, so he gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy, unable to divide the $5 evenly, gives $1 to each guest and keeps $2 for himself. Now, each guest has paid $9 for the room, totaling $27. The bellboy kept $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The total of $27 includes $25 for the room and $2 kept by the bellboy. The $2 should not be added to the $27 again, as it’s already part of it. The riddle plays on this misleading addition.
5. Riddle:
Three men check into a hotel room for $30. Later, the manager realizes the room should have cost $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy keeps $2 for himself and gives $1 back to each guest. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2. Where did the missing dollar go?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The riddle tries to trick you by suggesting that the $2 should be added separately. In fact, the $27 already includes both the $25 for the room and the $2 the bellboy kept. There is no extra dollar.
6. Riddle:
Three men check into a hotel room for $30. The manager later realizes that the room should only cost $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy keeps $2 and gives $1 to each of the three guests. Now, each guest has paid $9 for the room, totaling $27. The bellboy kept $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 paid by the guests includes $25 for the room and $2 for the bellboy. The remaining $3 was returned to the guests, so the total adds up.
7. Riddle:
Three guests check into a hotel room for $30. The manager realizes the room should have cost $25 and gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy keeps $2 for himself and returns $1 to each of the 3 guests. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 includes $25 for the room and $2 for the bellboy. The riddle confuses the calculation by adding the $2 again, but it’s already part of the $27 total.
8. Riddle:
Three men check into a motel room for $30. Later, the manager realizes the room only costs $25. He gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy, deciding to keep $2 for himself, gives $1 to each guest. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 consists of $25 for the room and $2 for the bellboy. There is no need to add the bellboy’s $2 to the $27, as it is already included in that amount.
9. Riddle:
Three men check into a hotel room for $30. The manager later realizes the room should only have cost $25. He gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy keeps $2 and gives $1 back to each of the three men. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 includes both the $25 for the room and the $2 the bellboy kept. The riddle tricks you into adding the $2 separately, but it is already accounted for in the total.
10. Riddle:
Three men check into a hotel room for $30. Later, the manager realizes that the room was overcharged, and it should have only cost $25. He gives $5 to the bellboy to return to the guests. The bellboy keeps $2 for himself and gives $1 to each of the three guests. Now, each guest has paid $9, totaling $27. The bellboy has $2. Where is the missing dollar?
Answer and Explanation
- Answer: There is no missing dollar.
- Explanation: The $27 the men paid already includes the $25 for the room and the $2 for the bellboy. The riddle tries to mislead by suggesting that the $2 should be added again, but it’s already part of the total.
Conclusion
The “3 men in a hotel room” riddle is a fun and classic puzzle that challenges us to think about numbers and logic in new ways. The confusion often arises when the $2 the bellboy kept is added to the $27, but that $2 is already included in the total. Riddles like this teach us to be more precise in our calculations and think critically about how information is presented.
Which riddle did you find the most puzzling? Have you encountered any other riddles with similar tricks or twists? Share your thoughts, experiences, and favorite riddles in the comments below! Let’s keep the fun and mystery going!