How to play Grand Austria Hotel

Three dice show 1: choose a legal dish combination.

Strength is the number of dice before removing one. Take at least as much strudel as cake. New items may go straight to guests for free; this position stores them to show the count.

Three dice show 2. Boost for 1 krone to take 2 wine and 2 coffee.

Boost once per turn for 1 krone. Remove only one real die.

Expand upward from prepared rooms and check adjacency and floor costs.

Rooms must be orthogonally adjacent. Floors 1–4 cost 0, 1, 2, 3 krones. This action prepares the selected single room.

Serve the Baroness 2 wine and 1 coffee; watch kitchen and order change together.

Moving up to three kitchen items costs 1 krone. Items on guests cannot be moved. Serving newly acquired items immediately is free.

The order is complete. Choose a matching vacant room for the Baroness.

Blue/red/yellow guests need matching rooms; green guests accept any. Remove the guest and score, then resolve optional rewards. This lesson shows check-in; the Baroness’s draw-three/hire-one reward is explained separately, without inventing random draws.

Three dice show 5. Play the Breakfast Server, printed cost 4.

Strength is a discount, not a card count. Play one card, minimum cost zero, with no automatic hand refill.

End of round five, on space 8: resolve Emperor scoring.

Score 5 VP at space 8, retreat five to 3, then gain the B-tile reward of 5 krones. Do not reset favor to zero.

Before round-five scoring, favor is 5 and three dice show 4. Compare two allocations.

Three favor reaches 8 then retreats to 3 for a reward. Three krones leaves favor at 5 then retreats to 0 for a penalty. Check this game’s Emperor tile before valuing the cash.

3 Emperor steps

3 krones cash

Three dice show 2; two dice show 6. Compare drinks directly with paid imitation.

The direct action gives three items; imitation gives two and costs 1 krone. Six buys access, not the target space’s strength.

Direct: 2 wine + 1 coffee

Imitate: 1 wine + 1 coffee, pay 1

Last turn of round seven: order complete, favor 10, C tile rewards/penalizes 8 VP. Compare checking in or leaving the guest, then resolve Emperor and final scoring.

Check-in scores the guest and group, freeing the table. A guest left in the café costs 5 VP even with a full order; items on that card do not score as leftovers. Both branches reach final scoring; the check-in branch declines its optional draw reward to avoid assuming unknown cards.

Check in, decline optional reward, score endgame

Leave guest and score the endgame

Guest queue, three objectives, three Emperor tiles, round/favor/score tracks.

1 dishes, 2 drinks, 3 rooms, 4 cash/favor, 5 staff, 6 imitate; use 10/12/14 dice for 2/3/4 players.

Each has 20 rooms in 10 color groups, a money track, kitchen and three café tables. Night sides match; day layouts differ.

30 blue, 29 red, 25 yellow; attendant side vacant, door-sign side occupied.

Guests have orders/color/VP/rewards; staff have costs/timing; objectives race to meet conditions.

Four each of A/B/C; use one from each group for rounds 3/5/7. Inspect all twelve original tiles and effects in this entry.

30 each of strudel/cake/wine/coffee; six markers in each of four colors; nine turn tiles, four overview cards, four score tiles, one round marker and one dustbin. See original component overview, rulebook p.3.

Reward: prepare one room free. Penalty: remove one vacant room from the highest available floor; if none, lose 5 VP.

Reward: gain 3 krones. Penalty: lose 3 krones, or 5 VP if unable.

Reward: draw three, play up to one at 3 discount, return others underneath. Penalty: return two staff from hand underneath, or lose 5 VP if unable.

Reward: gain two items of your choice and optionally serve them immediately. Penalty: return all kitchen items, leaving served items in place.

Reward: prepare and occupy one room free on floor 1 or 2. Penalty: remove two vacant rooms, each from the highest available floor; if fewer than two, lose 7 VP.

Reward: one of each item. Penalty: return all kitchen and served items.

Reward: gain 5 krones. Penalty: lose 5 krones, or lose 7 VP if unable.

Reward: draw three and play up to one free; return the others underneath. Penalty: return three staff from hand underneath, or lose 7 VP if unable.

Reward: 2 VP per played staff. Penalty: lose 2 VP per played staff.

Reward: prepare and occupy one room free, including a group bonus. Penalty: remove an occupied room from the highest floor, then one from the next highest occupied floor if possible; the 2022 rules do not require the same column.

Reward: gain 8 VP. Penalty: lose 8 VP.

Reward: play one staff from hand free. Penalty: remove one played final-scoring staff; if none, lose 10 VP.

Once per round, gain 1 strudel.

Once per round, gain 1 cake.

Once per round, gain 1 wine.

Once per round, gain 1 coffee.

Gain 2 krones when a satisfied red guest leaves the café.

Advance 1 Emperor step when a satisfied blue guest leaves.

Gain 1 krone when a satisfied yellow guest leaves.

Score 2 VP when a satisfied green guest leaves.

Blue rooms cost zero to prepare; you still need an action/effect.

Red rooms cost zero to prepare; you still need an action/effect.

Yellow rooms cost zero to prepare; you still need an action/effect.

Score 2 VP each time you take a 3 or 4.

Add one strength when taking a 1 or 2; a paid boost is still possible.

Before or after a main action using 1 or 2, prepare one room at normal cost; no extra action between.

Action 4 gains both money and Emperor steps at full strength.

Score 4 VP when taking a 4.

No imitation fee and +1 strength for a 6; revised 2022 cost: 5.

Add two strength to action 5, giving two more discount.

Score 5 VP when taking a 3.

Before or after action 5, advance two Emperor steps; no extra action between.

Immediately gain one of each of the four items.

Before or after action 3, play one staff at normal cost.

Gain 1 krone whenever a room becomes occupied.

Moving kitchen items onto guests is free.

Guest queue costs are waived; no additional guest action is provided.

Pay 1 krone to ignore the penalty in an Emperor scoring.

Final scoring: +3 VP per occupied red room.

Final scoring: +3 VP per occupied blue room.

Final scoring: copy one opponent’s played final-scoring staff, never your own.

Final scoring: +3 VP per occupied yellow room.

Final scoring: +1 VP per occupied room.

Final scoring: 2 VP per played staff, including this card.

Gain 4 extra VP when taking rewards from a guest requiring four or more items.

Final scoring: 1 VP per prepared room, vacant or occupied.

Immediately occupy up to two prepared rooms of any color.

Immediately gain 4 wine.

Final scoring: 2 VP per fully occupied room group.

Immediately fill one guest’s entire order from the supply.

Immediately gain 4 cake.

Final scoring: 5 VP per objective you have claimed.

Final scoring: twice your final Emperor position, after the last retreat; revised rules have no 12-VP cap.

Gain 5 extra VP whenever you get an Emperor reward.

Immediately gain 4 coffee.

Immediately gain 4 strudel.

Immediately advance three Emperor steps.

Final scoring: 5 VP per completely occupied floor.

Final scoring: 5 VP per completely occupied column.

Final scoring: 4 VP per set of occupied red, blue and yellow rooms.

Prepare one room on floor 1 or 2 for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw one staff; optionally prepare one room at normal cost. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one strudel. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one strudel and two krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one coffee and two Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one item of your choice and two krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw two staff into hand. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one cake; optionally play one staff at up to three discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Prepare up to two rooms, each at one krone discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Occupy one additional prepared room of any color. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one cake; optionally play one staff at up to two discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one coffee and three krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Prepare up to two rooms: one at one discount, the other at normal cost. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Take one guest for free and advance three Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Take one guest from the queue for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff at one krone discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

No extra reward; score the printed three VP. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff at one discount and prepare one room at normal cost. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw two staff and advance two Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Advance three Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain three krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff at one discount and advance three Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Prepare one room of any color for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Occupy one additional prepared room of any color. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play up to two staff, each at one krone discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one krone. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw three staff; play at most one immediately at up to three discount. Return the others underneath in your chosen order, or all three if you play none. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw three staff; optionally play one immediately for free; return the others underneath. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one krone. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Take one guest for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one krone and one Emperor step. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Take one guest for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one wine and three krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Occupy one additional prepared room of any color. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain five krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain three krones and take one guest for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain three krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff at up to three discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain three krones and take up to two guests free, refilling the queue between choices. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Prepare up to two rooms of any color for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain four krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one wine and three krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw three staff into hand. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain one krone. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Advance one Emperor step. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff at one discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Advance two Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff at up to three discount. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

2022 revision: use a nonempty action space without taking a die, paid boosting or take-a-die triggers. This is not an extra full turn. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Gain four krones. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw one staff into hand and advance two Emperor steps. Read order, color and base VP on the face.

Advance three Emperor steps and occupy one additional prepared room. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Advance three Emperor steps and take one guest for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Advance one Emperor step and occupy one additional prepared room. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Draw two staff into hand. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Play one staff for free. Read order, color and base VP on the face. Room preparation still follows adjacency rules.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Claim as an additional action, taking the highest free 15/10/5 VP spot; once per player per objective.

Play seven rounds. After the third Emperor scoring and final scoring, the highest total wins.

Break ties by final points for kitchen items and money; the rules give no further tiebreak.

Guests, room groups, objectives, the Emperor and staff can all contribute points.

Source: Official rulebook p. 3

Set out the game and action boards. Randomly select one objective and one Emperor tile from each A/B/C group; display five guests.

Use 10/12/14 dice for 2/3/4 players. Return unused components to the box.

At each round start, the player with turn tile 1 rolls all dice and groups them by value.

Source: Official rulebook p. 4

Start with 10 krones, one of each food/drink, six staff cards, one free guest and three prepared vacant rooms.

Start at the bottom-left room and expand orthogonally, paying floor costs. Use the same side of the hotel boards; the identical night side is recommended first. Initial guests are chosen counterclockwise, starting to the right of the first player.

Three first-floor rooms are free; each second-floor room costs 1 krone.

Source: Official rulebook p. 5

Normally deal six random cards. The introductory variant uses the marked A/B/C/D sets; the expert variant drafts six cards.

Keep one card and pass the rest left, until six are kept.

Do not combine drafting with a second random starting hand.

Source: Official rulebook p. 5

Resolve the visible numbers on turn tiles in ascending order, normally two turns per player: forward then backward.

Two players: 1–2–2–1. Three: 1–2–3–3–2–1. Pass turn tiles left after each round.

In a three-player game, player 3 may take two consecutive turns; each still has its own guest choice and die.

Source: Official rulebook p. 6

Optionally take one guest, then take one die from a nonempty action space and perform its main action.

Additional actions may occur before, between or after these actions, never inside another action.

If the café is full, first check in a satisfied guest to make room for a new one.

Source: Official rulebook p. 6

The café holds three guests. Take at most one during the normal guest step, paying its queue-space cost.

Queue costs left-to-right are 3,2,1,0,0. Slide remaining cards right and draw into the leftmost space. Reshuffle discards when needed.

A free-guest reward waives the queue cost, but still needs an empty café table.

Source: Official rulebook p. 6

Count the dice in that action space before removing one.

Once per turn, pay exactly 1 krone to increase strength by one; no repeated boosts.

Three dice showing 1 yield strength three even though only two remain afterward.

Source: Official rulebook p. 6

Take strudel and cake totaling the strength, with at least as much strudel as cake.

Use substitutes if physical cubes run out; the supply is intended to be unlimited.

At strength three: three strudel or two strudel and one cake; not one strudel and two cake.

Source: Official rulebook p. 7

Take wine and coffee totaling the strength, with at least as much wine as coffee.

The restriction applies to this acquisition, not to your existing stock.

Strength four permits two wine and two coffee; strength three does not permit one wine and two coffee.

Source: Official rulebook p. 7

Newly gained items may immediately go onto guests for free. Moving stored kitchen items costs 1 krone per batch of up to three.

Place only needed items. Items already served cannot be moved back or to another guest.

One payment may send two wine to one guest and one coffee to another.

Source: Official rulebook p. 8

Prepare up to the action strength in rooms, each orthogonally adjacent to an existing room and with a matching tile color.

Each room on floors 1/2/3/4 costs 0/1/2/3 krones. Pay before preparing. Printed placement VP score when covered.

Rooms can extend the chain one at a time; diagonal jumps do not count.

Source: Official rulebook p. 7

Freely split the action strength between krones and Emperor-track steps.

Money caps at 20 and excess is lost. Favor caps at 13 and each excess step scores 1 VP.

Strength three allows 3 cash, 2 cash+1 step, 1 cash+2 steps or 3 steps.

Source: Official rulebook p. 7

Play exactly one staff card from hand, reducing its cost by the action strength, minimum zero.

No automatic draw. Resolve immediate, once-per-round, ongoing and final-scoring effects at their indicated times.

At strength three, a Breakfast Server costing four costs one krone.

Source: Official rulebook p. 8

Pay 1 krone to imitate actions 1–5, using the number of dice showing 6 for strength.

The target may be empty. You may pay another krone to boost. Pay any costs of the copied action separately.

Two sixes can copy room preparation at strength two for 1 krone, even with no threes.

Source: Official rulebook p. 8

Once the entire order is filled and a matching vacant room exists, check the guest in as an additional action: flip the tile, score the guest and resolve rewards.

Blue/red/yellow guests require matching rooms. Green guests accept any color; there are no green rooms. Until check-in, the guest occupies a café table.

A satisfied noble with no vacant blue room cannot check into a red room.

Source: Official rulebook p. 9

When the last room in a color group becomes occupied, award that group once: blue VP, red cash, yellow favor.

For group sizes 1/2/3/4: blue gives 2/5/9/15 VP; red/yellow give 1/3/6/10 cash/steps. Merely preparing rooms does not trigger it.

Occupying single blue room 101 gives 2 VP; a two-room blue group needs both occupied.

Source: Official rulebook p. 9

As an additional action, meet the requirement, place a marker and take the highest remaining VP spot, once per objective per player.

This base game has three spots worth 15,10,5 VP. There is no fourth scoring spot or invented 3-VP tier.

The first player to meet and claim an objective takes 15 VP; do not wait for final scoring.

Source: Official rulebook p. 8

No. Wait until everyone else has passed or finished both turns, discard one remaining die, then reroll the rest.

Resume at the lowest uncovered turn number. Repeated passing shrinks the dice pool.

You can wait for a three, but the reroll does not guarantee one.

Source: Official rulebook p. 10

A round ends after everyone has used both turns, or repeated passing exhausts the dice.

Score the Emperor after rounds 3,5,7. Otherwise pass turn tiles, ready once-per-round staff and start the next round.

Round seven ends with Emperor scoring before final scoring.

Source: Official rulebook p. 11

First score the VP printed under your current position, retreat 3/5/7 steps, then resolve the Emperor tile using the new position.

After retreat: 3+ earns the reward; 1–2 is neutral; 0 suffers the penalty. Do not retreat below zero or reset the track.

In round five, space 8 scores 5 VP then retreats to 3 for a reward. Space 6 scores 4 VP then retreats to 1, neutral.

Source: Official rulebook p. 11

For a slash-separated penalty, resolve the left option if possible; only if you cannot fully do so, take the right-hand VP loss.

VP may fall below zero. Check the actual A/B/C tiles selected for this game.

For the B tile demanding five cash or seven VP, pay five if you can; lose seven VP only if you cannot.

Source: Official rulebook p. 11

Score final staff, occupied rooms at 1/2/3/4 VP by floor, one VP per kitchen item and krone, then lose five VP per café guest.

Vacant rooms score no room VP. Served items do not count as kitchen stock; satisfied but unseated guests still lose five.

An occupied second-floor room scores two; two kitchen wine and three cash score five; one remaining guest loses five.

Source: Official rulebook p. 12

This guide follows the 2022 rulebook. Older printed faces remain identifiable original artwork, with revisions stated beside them.

Kitchen Hand #17 costs five; Operator #41 no longer has the old 12-VP cap; E. Gizia #97 grants an extra main action, not a whole turn.

For #97, take no die, do not pay to boost, and do not trigger staff for taking a particular die.

Source: Official rulebook p. 18