Grand Austria Hotel: A Beginner's Guide To Playing

how to play grand austria hotel

Set in the Modern Age of Vienna, Grand Austria Hotel is a game that challenges players to try their luck as hoteliers. To win, players must expand their hotel, prepare new rooms, and satisfy their guests' culinary demands. Each guest must receive a proper dish and drink, and only then will they take a room. To succeed, players may need to hire additional staff, but they must also remember to pay homage to the emperor or risk falling into disgrace. The game board is placed in the middle of the table, with 3 guest rooms available at the start and up to 20 rooms that can be used overall. Players must attract guests, meet their needs, and fulfill their requests to earn rewards. The guests are picky—Nobles (blue cards) only take blue rooms, Artists (yellow cards) choose yellow rooms, and Citizens (red cards) opt for red rooms.

Characteristics Values
Setting Viennese Modern Age
Objective Turn your small hostel into the Grand Austria Hotel
Players 2-4
Dice 10 for 2 players, 12 for 3 players, and 14 for 4 players
Rooms 20 rooms in total, organised in 10 groups
Guests Nobles (blue cards), Artists (yellow cards), Citizens (red cards)
Staff Can be hired for various benefits, including additional Victory Points
Victory Points Earned through fulfilling guest requests, using all rooms in a group, and progressing on the Emperor track
Game Board Placed in the middle of the table, featuring the hotel, cafe, kitchen, and office

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Guests and their needs: Fulfill guest requests, including specific room colours for different guests

Guests are the most important part of the Grand Austria Hotel board game. At the beginning of the game, 3 guest rooms are available for use, and you can use up to 20 rooms in your hotel. The rooms are organized into 10 groups, and using all the rooms in a group provides valuable benefits. Nobles (blue cards) only take blue rooms, Artists (yellow cards) only take yellow rooms, and Citizens (red cards) only take red rooms. Tourists (green cards) are pleased with any room they can get.

To make your hotel successful, you will have to attract many guests and meet their needs and wishes. Once you fulfill a guest's request, they will stay at your hotel and bring you rewards. For example, making a guest happy is worth Victory Points and provides an additional action as a reward. Each guest requires a proper dish and drink. You may need to hire additional staff to help you manage your guests' needs.

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Staff: Hire staff with various benefits, including one-time bonuses, permanent effects, and Victory Points

Staff cards can be very useful in Grand Austria Hotel, but a clever player can manage without them. Staff can provide a range of benefits, from one-time bonuses to permanent effects and Victory Points.

Some staff cards offer one-time benefits, such as the Pool Attendant, who allows you to advance three spaces on the Emperor track, or the Page-boy, who can turn two rooms of any colour to the occupied side. Other staff have permanent effects, like the Fremdenfuhrer (Tour Guide), who gives you two Victory Points each time you complete a green guest's order and they move to a room.

Some staff can only be used once per round, like the Barmann, who provides one wine, or the Sous-Chef, who provides one coffee.

Finally, some staff can provide Victory Points at the end of the game. For example, the Rezeptionist (Receptionist) gives one Victory Point per room in your hotel, regardless of whether it's occupied or not. The Concierge gives three Victory Points per occupied blue room, and the Reservierungsleiter (Booking Manager) gives three Victory Points per occupied red room.

Remember, at the end of each round, you can turn your Staff cards face up again and pass the turn to the next player.

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Rooms: Sort and stack coloured room tiles. Utilise all rooms in a group for benefits

To play Grand Austria Hotel, you must first sort the room tiles by colour and place them in stacks next to the game board. There are 20 rooms in total, organised into 10 groups. Each group has two rooms of the same colour. Nobles (blue cards) only take blue rooms, Artists (yellow cards) only take yellow rooms, and Citizens (red cards) only take red rooms.

At the start of the game, three guest rooms are available. You can attract guests and meet their needs and wishes to fill these rooms. Once a guest's requests are fulfilled, they will stay at your hotel and bring rewards. If the guest is happy, they will take a room, allowing you to use your hotel to full capacity and gain additional actions.

Using all the rooms in a group provides valuable benefits. For example, if you use all the blue rooms, you may gain benefits that cater specifically to Nobles. Each group of rooms may have specific advantages, so it is important to plan your strategy accordingly.

Remember that staff can also be beneficial to your hotel. Some staff members provide one-time benefits upon hire, while others have permanent effects or give additional Victory Points at the end of the game. Utilise your staff wisely to maximise the potential of your rooms.

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Victory Points: Advance on the Victory Point track by earning points, including bonuses beyond space 13

Victory Points are crucial in Grand Austria Hotel, as the player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins. There are several ways to earn Victory Points, including through guests, Emperor Scorings, and occupied rooms.

The Emperor track, which consists of 13 spaces, plays a significant role in earning Victory Points. Each space on the Emperor track has a Victory Point value associated with it. Players cannot move past space 13 on the Emperor track. Instead, if a player's progress would take them beyond this point, they receive one Victory Point for each additional space they would have moved. For example, if a player's progress would have taken them five spaces beyond space 13, they receive five Victory Points.

In addition to the Emperor track, players can earn Victory Points through Prestige Cards. These cards are revealed during the game setup, with three random cards presented. Each Prestige Card offers a specific goal, such as achieving a particular combination of filled rooms or accumulating wealth. The first player to accomplish the goal on a Prestige Card receives 15 Victory Points, while second and third places earn 10 and 5 points, respectively.

Staff members can also contribute to Victory Points. Some staff members provide a one-time benefit when hired, while others have permanent effects or grant additional Victory Points at the end of the game. It is important to note that certain staff can only be utilised once per round.

The game features Emperor Scorings at the end of rounds 3, 5, and 7, where the emperor evaluates each player's hotel. Depending on how pleased the emperor is, players may receive points and bonuses. If the emperor is pleased, players may be rewarded, but if he is displeased, players may face punishments, such as losing all the food in their kitchen.

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Setup: Place game components, including dice, tiles, cards, and wooden disks, on the game board

To set up Grand Austria Hotel, begin by placing the game board in the middle of the table. Sort the room tiles by colour and place them in stacks next to the board.

The number of dice placed on the first Action space depends on the number of players: 10 dice for two players, 12 for three, and 14 for four players. Put any unused dice back into the game box. Take the Turn Order tiles with the correct number of players indicated, and place the rest to one side.

Each player should take an Overview card, a Hotel board, and six wooden disks in their chosen colour. Any remaining Overview cards, Hotel boards, and wooden disks should be returned to the game box. Each player then places one of their disks on space "0" of the Emperor track, one on space "0" of the Victory Point track, and one on space "10" of the Money track (representing 10 starting krones). The remaining disks should be placed next to the Hotel board.

Frequently asked questions

You are a hotelier in the Viennese Modern Age, trying to turn your small hotel into the Grand Austria Hotel. To do this, you must expand your hotel, prepare new rooms, and keep your guests happy by fulfilling their requests.

Each guest has different needs and wishes. Nobles (blue cards) only take blue rooms, Artists (yellow cards) only take yellow rooms, and Citizens (red cards) only take red rooms. You must also provide them with dishes and drinks, which you prepare in your Kitchen.

Staff can be very helpful in running your hotel. Each helper has a different effect: some provide a one-time benefit, while others have permanent effects or give you additional Victory Points at the end of the game.

The game has an Emperor track and a Victory Point track. You receive Victory Points for fulfilling guest requests and for progressing on the Emperor track. The player with the most Victory Points at the end of the game wins.

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