With Grand Theft Auto 5 free on the Epic Games Store for the last week, quite a few new and returning players are rampaging through Los Santos. With that, many of them have run into problems with one of Franklin’s missions: “The Hotel Assassination.” Here’s what you need to do to get the Gold.

GTA5: How to Get Gold on Hotel Assassination

There are five assassination missions in GTA5, which are all given to Franklin by Lester. The first of them, “The Hotel Assassination,” becomes available after you complete “Fame or Shame.” Your goal is to take out Brett Lowrey, the CEO of Bilkinton Research, as he leaves the Von Crastenburg Hotel. While Lester makes it sound like you’ve got some leeway in how to do this, you need to take Lowrey out with a sniper rifle in order to earn a Gold rank.

One of the major benefits of the assassination missions in GTA5 is that, as one of the rewards, Lester will give you stock tips (read: insider trading) ahead of time. If you wait to take on any of the assassination missions until after you’ve finished the fourth and final heist, “The Big Score,” you’ll have the extra money on hand to really take advantage of Lester’s information. If you do this correctly, you can earn well over $150 million per character.

Before you start “The Hotel Assassination,” be sure to invest all of each character’s available money into Betta Pharmaceuticals, which is available on the BAWSAQ stock exchange. You’re about to engage in a little artificial stock manipulation of your own. It’s also useful to fit your sniper rifle with a Suppressor, in order to avoid detection. If you can do this with a single silenced gunshot from cover, you’ll avoid police attention and can escape the area relatively easily.

When you start the mission, take a right and get your hands on a vehicle. Once you’ve got wheels, drive to the hotel for a cutscene. When it’s over, you’ll be given a 90-second timer in which to make preparations before Lowrey leaves the hotel. Drive to the top floor of the parking garage and park on the west side of the roof, near the top of the ramp, overlooking the hotel’s fountain. You can stand on your car’s roof for a little extra height, then pull out your sniper rifle and wait. From this angle, Lowrey will emerge from the entrance doors on your left, flanked by two bodyguards in black suits. Put a bullet in him, then use your car to make your escape. If your rifle is suppressed, you shouldn’t have to worry about pursuit, and will complete the mission with a Gold Medal as soon as you reach the street outside. For a full walkthrough, check out our video below.

Your rewards for completing “The Hotel Assassination” include $9,000 and a new safehouse for Franklin in Vinewood Hills. You also unlock two other missions, “Blitz Play” and “The Multi Target Assassination.” 

With GTA5 back in the news, we’re ramping up our coverage. Check out our game hub for more articles, including:

• More players means more people cheating in GTA Online
• How to use a parachute in GTA Online
• Here’s how to go AFK in GTA Online without getting kicked for inactivity

Have you been playing Grand Theft Auto 5 for the last 7 years, or are you a newcomer due to the Epic Games Store giveaway? Let us know via our official Twitter, @PrimaGames.