Do you have to stay at the hotel a day before meps or can you just get dropped off the day of?

Depends, really. I've done both. And please change your profile to read your real name.

I've suppressed the visibility of this post until you change your fake name.

If it's anything like what my son experienced recently, you have to be at MEPS at 0500, so most likely, you will be required to stay in the hotel unless you live within a few miles of MEPS. The government is paying for it, so there's really no good reason not to. Follow your recruiter's instructions TO THE LETTER, especially about weapons or anything that resembles a weapon, including pocket knives, etc.

Just stay in the hotel. Enjoy it. You get a decent meal, get to meet other future soldiers, etc.

Even when going as a direct commissioning officer I stayed at the hotel the night before MEPS (I went twice). You get a nice meal there, get to meet other folks, and they will make sure you get your butt up and to MEPS on time.

Just view this experience for what it is. It’s just your first glimpse of getting up early, getting on transport, to then sit and wait most of the day to process through stuff.

I stayed in a hotel both times, when I originally got in and then again in 2012 after a break in service. It was a great opportunity to talk to young recruits and give them advise. Plus, I got a couple free meals out of it. I will say that on my 2nd go around, I couldn't finish my medical because my paperwork for my LASIK surgery wasn't in my packet, so I had to come back a 2nd time. Because it was just that, I didn't have to be down at MEPS until after 0900 for the first swearing-in ceremony, so I drove myself then.

Depends on the recruiter, his assessment of your level of responsibility, and your distance to MEPS.
I was 23 with a car and a job and I lived 17 miles from MEPS, my recruiter asked me to meet him there at 0430.
Most recruiters dealing with most recruits would rather use the hotel option than stop by their house at 0200 or 0300 and try to wake them up because they "forgot" to set their alarm or tell their parents, or aren't home.

you have to stay at the hotel.