Game record I got in northern hotels (8)
I believe the answer is:
ninepins
'game' is the definition.
(ninepins is a kind of game)
'record i got in northern hotels' is the wordplay.
'record' becomes 'ep'.
'got in' indicates putting letters inside.
'northern' becomes 'N' (abbreviation e.g. N. Ireland).
'hotels' becomes 'inns' (inn is a kind of hotel).
'ep'+'i'='epi'
'n'+'inns'='ninns'
'epi' going inside 'ninns' is 'NINEPINS'.
(Other definitions for ninepins that I've seen before include "Bowling game" , "Skittles (IX, not V)" , "Skittles, IX objects to be knocked down" , "Form of skittles" , "Bowling targets" .)