On May 20, 2025, the early access hotel construction and tycoon management game from developer Pathos Interactive and publisher Wired Productions was released, in which you have to take care of various hotels in different countries. I'll tell you more in my review.
The girl for everything
In Hotel Architect, you take on the role of a hotel manager and take care of various hotel facilities. Each country has its advantages and disadvantages, and you have to adapt to the conditions of each country and make your hotel as comfortable as possible for your guests. In Greece, for example, it is very hot, so you have to make sure you have enough air conditioning units. As a manager and architect, you not only have to take care of furnishing the rooms, but also of building, improving, and expanding rooms, as well as hiring staff to serve your guests. As in typical games of this genre, you have various groups of workers at your disposal, such as waiters, cooks, and a cleaning service to keep the rooms clean. So you see, you're basically the jack of all trades, but don't worry, the campaign, which currently has four maps, serves as a tutorial and explains some of the steps involved. Once you've completed a scenario, you can also play in sandbox mode and design your hotel however you like.
Different customer groups
There are different groups of customers that you want and need to attract, and each group has different needs that you need to consider. Sun worshippers want outdoor sun loungers and windows in every room they rent, while backpackers like simple, inexpensive rooms and want to see plenty of opportunities for activities such as sports. They also have different preferences when it comes to food and drink, so make sure the hotel offers enough for each group. There are currently six different groups in the game, including the two already mentioned, sun worshippers and backpackers, as well as the rowdy, athletic businessmen, and upper class. Each group not only needs different furniture, windows, and activities, but also only visits your hotel if it has a certain star rating. This means that if you want to attract the high-paying upper class, you need at least a five-star hotel with large rooms (35) and a room value of at least $11,900.Zones and the critic
Your hotel is divided into several zones, including a sports zone, bar zone, kitchen zone, and so on, which helps your guests and employees keep track of things. Each zone has its own furniture, which you can upgrade with more experience and research points. This means that when you use research points, you unlock more items that are of better quality and thus increase the value of the rooms. You earn research points by completing certain quests and after receiving a review from a critic. The critic comes once a month and thoroughly inspects your hotel, and he is also the one who gives your hotel a star rating. This means that your hotel does not automatically receive four stars just because you have added better furniture and more zones, but only through the critic's rating. It should also be noted that, regardless of their decision, the critic can only improve or worsen your rating by one star. This means that if your hotel currently has two stars, but the critic rates your hotel at four stars, you will not end up with a four-star hotel, but only a three-star hotel. The same applies in reverse: if you previously had five stars and the critic says your hotel is only worth three stars, it will not drop to three stars, but to four stars. Every rating you receive therefore only improves or worsens the hotel by one star, regardless of how the critic ultimately rates the hotel.
Playtest/Demo Gameplay:
