Grand Austria Hotel
At a glance
Rules overview
English version of our rules overview, translated from the Chinese original (cunlema). The Chinese page is the source of record.
Game Overview
At the beginning of the 20th century, Vienna was one of the major centers of Europe, and you are in the thick of the Viennese Modern Age trying your luck as a hotelier. You must expand your little hotel, prepare new rooms, satisfy your guests' culinary requirements with proper dishes and drinks, hire additional staff, and render homage to the emperor so you do not fall into disgrace. The game is played over 7 rounds; at the end of rounds 3, 5, and 7 there is an Emperor Scoring, and after round 7 there is a Final Scoring. The player with the most Victory Points wins.
Core Mechanisms: Dice drafting from shared action spaces, guest fulfillment with dishes and drinks, room preparation and occupancy, staff card hiring, Emperor track management, and politics card objectives.
1. Game Components
| Component | Quantity/Description |
|---|---|
| Action board | 1 (with 6 Action spaces) |
| Game board | 1 |
| Hotel boards | 4 (two-sided) |
| Guest cards | 56 |
| Staff cards | 48 |
| Overview cards | 4 |
| Turn Order tiles | 9 |
| Politics cards | 12 |
| Round marker | 1 |
| Room tiles | 84 in 3 colors (front: free room, back: occupied) |
| Dice | 14 |
| Wooden disks | 24 (orange, light blue, purple, gray) |
| Dishes and drinks | 120 wooden cubes (30 each of 4 colors: black=coffee, white=cake, red=wine, light brown=strudel) |
| Emperor tiles | 12 |
| Dustbin | 1 |
| Victory Point markers | 4 |
2. Game Setup
- Place the game board in the middle of the table. It features spaces for Guest cards, the Emperor track, 3 spaces for Emperor tiles, and 3 spaces for Politics cards.
- Place the action board with the 6 Action spaces next to it. Place the dustbin and victory point markers next to it.
- Sort the 4 different dishes and drinks and place them next to the game board.
- Shuffle the Guest cards and place them face down in a stack. Draw 5 cards and place one each face up on the 5 Guest spaces.
- Shuffle the Staff cards and place them face down in a stack. On your first play, only use the recommended sets.
- Choose one Politics card from each of the A, B, and C cards and place them face up on the designated spaces.
- Choose one Emperor tile from each of the A, B, and C tiles and place them face up on the designated spaces.
- Sort the Room tiles by color into stacks next to the game board.
- Place dice on the first Action space: 10 dice (2-player), 12 dice (3-player), 14 dice (4-player). Return remaining dice to the box.
- Take Turn Order tiles with the correct number of players on their backs; return the rest to the box.
- Each player takes an Overview card, a Hotel board, and 6 wooden disks in a color of choice.
- Place one wooden disk on space "0" of the Emperor track and another on space "0" of the Victory Point track.
- Place one wooden disk on space "10" of the Money track of your Hotel board (you start with 10 krones). Place remaining wooden disks next to your Hotel board.
- Take a coffee, wine, cake, and strudel from the supply and place them in your Kitchen.
- Draw 6 Staff cards and keep them hidden.
- Put the round marker on space "1" of the Round track.
Preparations:
- Decide collectively which side of the Hotel boards to use (front sides recommended for first play).
- Randomly determine a start player, who receives Turn Order tile "1"; the next player clockwise receives "2", and so on.
- Beginning with the last player (highest Turn Order tile) and counterclockwise, each player chooses a guest from the face-up ones and places it in their Café at no cost. After each choice, slide remaining guests right and place a new one from the draw pile on the empty left space.
- Players then prepare up to 3 rooms by taking Room tiles and placing them on same-colored spaces of their Hotel board. You must start with the bottom left room; subsequent Room tiles must be adjacent to already placed ones. Pay the cost printed on your Hotel board.
3. Game Flow
The game is played over 7 rounds. Emperor Scoring occurs at the end of rounds 3, 5, and 7; Final Scoring occurs after round 7.
Start of Round: The start player (Turn Order tile "1") takes and rolls all dice, sorting them by rolled number onto corresponding Action spaces. The start player then takes a turn or passes.
On Your Turn:
1. Take a guest from the game board (optional).
2. Take a die and carry out the corresponding action (mandatory).
3. You may also take additional actions.
Turn Order: After finishing your turn, the player with the lowest number visible on their Turn Order tile goes next. When you take a die, you place it on the lowest visible number on your Turn Order tile.
Passing: Instead of taking a turn, you can pass. You must wait until every other player has either passed or taken two actions (covering both numbers on their Turn Order tile). When that happens, the player with the lowest number still showing takes the remaining dice from all Action spaces, removes one, and rolls the rest again, sorting them by number. That player can then take a turn or pass again. Play continues until all players have covered both numbers on their Turn Order tiles or there are no dice left on any Action space.
End of Round: At the end of each round, you can turn your Staff cards face up again. Pass your Turn Order tile to the next player clockwise. The new start player takes all dice and moves the Round marker one space forward.
4. Player Actions
Main Actions
1. Take a Guest from the Game Board (optional)
- Take one of the 5 face-up guests and place it in your Café.
- Pay the cost associated with the guest (printed on the game board) by moving your Money track disk down.
- Place the guest on a free Café space. If all spaces are occupied, you cannot take a guest.
- Slide remaining guests right; place a new guest from the draw pile on the empty left space.
2. Take a Die and Carry Out the Corresponding Action (mandatory)
Choose an Action space with at least one die. The number of dice on the space determines how much you get. Remove a die and place it on the lowest visible number on your Turn Order tile.
- Action 1: For each die, take 1 strudel or 1 cake. You cannot take more cake than strudel, but any other combination is allowed.
- Action 2: For each die, take 1 wine or 1 coffee. You cannot take more coffee than wine, but any other combination is allowed.
- Action 3: For each die, prepare a room. Take a Room tile of your choice and place it: adjacent to an already placed tile, front visible, paying the cost according to the row of the Room space, with color matching the Room space. If placed in the top right part of your Hotel board, immediately receive the printed Victory Points.
- Action 4: For each die, advance 1 space on the Emperor track or your Money track. You can split the total between the two tracks.
- Action 5: Play exactly one Staff card. For each die, the cost is reduced by 1. Pay the remaining cost by moving down on your Money track. If the cost drops below 0, you do not get any money.
- Action 6: Pay 1 krone and choose any of the other 5 actions (1-5). Take the action based on the number of dice showing "6", not the chosen number.
General Rule: Whenever you receive dishes and drinks, you can place them immediately on a guest's order. Place the rest in your Kitchen.
Additional Actions
On your turn, you can also take these additional actions:
- Once per turn: Pay 1 krone to add 1 to the number of dice on the chosen Action space.
- Pay 1 krone to move up to 3 dishes and drinks from your Kitchen to the orders on your Guest cards.
- Place a wooden disk on a Politics card (when you meet its requirement).
- Use a Staff card with a "once per round" effect (turn it to the other side when used).
- Move a guest whose order you completed to a free room. Immediately receive the printed Victory Points and the reward that guest provides. Guests can only move into an unoccupied room of the same color. Turn the room to the other side and place the guest on the discard pile. When you turn over the last room in a group, you immediately and only once receive an occupancy bonus.
Except for the first one (adding 1 to dice), you can take the additional actions any number of times during your turn.
If you have no free room of matching color, you cannot move a guest to a room. Guests for which you have no room stay in your Café and block space.
Guest Colors
- Nobles (blue cards) only take blue rooms.
- Artists (yellow cards) only take yellow rooms.
- Citizens (red cards) only take red rooms.
- Tourists (green cards) are pleased with any room.
Staff Cards
Staff cards have different effects: one-time benefits on hire, permanent effects, once-per-round effects, or game-end Victory Points. You decide when to use once-per-round staff; once used, turn them face down for the rest of the round.
Politics Cards
There are 12 Politics cards, but only 3 are used in each game. As soon as you meet the requirement on your turn, place a wooden disk on the highest available space and receive the printed Victory Points. You can only place one wooden disk per Politics card.
Occupancy Bonus
When all rooms in a group are occupied, you receive a bonus based on group size and room type: additional Emperor track advancements for yellow rooms, Victory Points for blue rooms, and krones for red rooms. The bigger the group, the greater the bonus. Each group provides its bonus only once, when you turn the last Room tile in that group.
5. Scoring and Game End
Emperor Track
There are 13 spaces on the Emperor track, each with a Victory Point value below it. You cannot move past space 13; instead, you receive 1 Victory Point for each space you would move beyond space 13.
Victory Point Track
For each Victory Point, advance your wooden disk 1 space. If you move past space 75, take a Victory Point marker with 75 facing up. If you move past space 75 again, turn the marker to the other side. At game end, add the number on your Victory Point marker to your track position.
Emperor Scoring (End of Rounds 3, 5, 7)
Each player receives Victory Points for their wooden disk on the Emperor track, per the value printed below the occupied space. Then each player must move their disk back: 3 spaces after the first, 5 spaces after the second, 7 spaces after the third Emperor Scoring.
- If your disk ends in the yellow area (at least space "3"), receive the bonus on the Emperor tile.
- If your disk ends on "0", suffer the penalty of the Emperor tile.
- If your disk ends on "1" or "2", neither bonus nor penalty.
Final Scoring (After Round 7)
- Occupied rooms: 1 VP per room in the first row, 2 VP each in the second row, 3 VP each in the third row, 4 VP each in the top row.
- Resources: 1 VP for each krone and leftover dish and drink in your Kitchen.
- Penalty: Lose 5 VP for each guest in your Café.
- Staff cards: Receive VP for Staff cards that provide them.
The player with the most Victory Points wins. In case of a tie, the player who has more dishes, drinks, and krones left wins.
Key Rules and Common Questions
Easy-to-miss Rules:
- You cannot take more cake than strudel (Action 1), and you cannot take more coffee than wine (Action 2).
- When you take a die, you must place it on the lowest visible number on your Turn Order tile.
- Guests stay in your Café and block space if you have no matching-color free room; they do not leave until you complete their order AND move them to a room.
- Each room group provides its occupancy bonus only once, at the moment you turn the last Room tile in that group.
- You can only place one wooden disk per Politics card.
- The Emperor track has 13 spaces; you cannot move past space 13, but receive 1 VP for each space you would have moved beyond it.
- After each Emperor Scoring, you must move your disk back 3, 5, or 7 spaces (first, second, third scoring respectively).
- Room tiles must be placed adjacent to already placed tiles, with the front visible, matching the color of the Room space, and paying the cost of the row.
- When passing, you must wait until every other player has either passed or taken two actions before you can re-roll remaining dice (removing one die first).
- At the end of each round, you can turn your once-per-round Staff cards face up again to reuse them next round.
- Guests for which you have no room stay in your Café and block space — you lose 5 VP per guest in your Café at final scoring.
- The penalty part of an Emperor tile usually shows 2 options; if one is not possible, you must choose the other.
FAQ:
Q: How many guests can I have in my Café?
A: Your Café can host 3 guests. If all spaces are occupied, you cannot take a new guest from the game board.
Q: Can I take a guest and a die on the same turn?
A: Yes. Taking a guest is optional, but taking a die and carrying out the corresponding action is mandatory on your turn.
Q: What happens if I can't move past space 13 on the Emperor track?
A: You receive 1 Victory Point for each space you would have moved beyond space 13.
Q: How many rooms can my hotel have?
A: Overall, you can use up to 20 rooms in your hotel, organized in 10 groups. At the start of the game, 3 guest rooms are already available for use.
Q: When do I get the occupancy bonus for a room group?
A: Only once, at the moment you turn the last Room tile in that group to mark it occupied.
Q: What happens if I move past space 75 on the Victory Point track?
A: Take a Victory Point marker with 75 facing up. If you pass 75 again, turn the marker to the other side. At game end, add the marker number to your track position.
Rules Q&A
Questions below are real questions players asked cunlema about this game; answers are ours, translated into English.
## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Grand Austria Hotel, during the dice selection phase, the first player skips, the second player also skips, it comes back to the first player, they roll the dice and then skip again — when it comes to the second player, do they need to re-roll the dice?** **A:** No. Once the dice are rolled during the dice selection phase, they remain on the board and are not re-rolled because players skip. Dice are only re-rolled to begin the next round of dice selection once all dice have been taken.
Conclusion: No re-roll is needed.
In Grand Austria Hotel, a re-roll is a global event triggered by specific conditions, rather than an action taken by each player in turn.
According to the rulebook text:
1. Trigger condition: When all other players have already skipped their turn or completed two actions (i.e., covered two numbers on the turn order track), the game enters the "re-roll phase."
2. Executor: At this time, the player with the smallest number currently showing on the turn order track is responsible for retrieving the remaining dice from the action area, removing one die, and re-rolling the rest.
3. Subsequent flow: After the re-roll is complete, this "smallest number player" decides whether to take a turn or continue to skip. The game continues in this order until all players have covered their turn order track or there are no dice left in the action area.
Analysis of your scenario:
* The previous player (A) and the next player (B) both skipped.
* When it is A's turn to act again, this means the condition "other players have skipped or completed two actions" is met, and A's turn order number is the smallest. Therefore, A becomes the executor of the re-roll.
* After A rolls the dice, if A chooses to skip again, this is simply A's choice for the current turn.
* At this point, B does not need to re-roll. B only needs to wait for the next cycle. Only when, in the next cycle, B becomes the one with the "smallest turn order number" and meets the re-roll condition will B go roll the dice (or if there are not enough dice / B doesn't want to use them, B will also skip).
In short, whoever has the smallest turn order number is responsible for the re-roll and taking the remaining dice. Other players simply wait passively or take their own turn.
## Restaurant Manager Ability In **Grand Austria Hotel**, the Restaurant Manager is one of the staff members a player can hire, with the following ability: - **Hiring Cost**: 2 cakes - **Ability**: When you perform a "Serve" action during the Action Phase, you may serve 1 additional guest. This employee belongs to the Kitchen Staff category, takes effect immediately upon hiring, and remains in effect until the end of the game.
Conclusion (Restaurant Manager, card 13)
- Cost: 2 crowns
- Effect type: Permanent effect — once played, its effect lasts for the remainder of the game
- Function: Whenever you take a die showing "1" or "2", you gain 1 additional food item, corresponding to the die face:
- Die face "1" → gain 1 additional dish
- Die face "2" → gain 1 additional drink
Conditions & Restrictions
- The rulebook explicitly states that "the normal rules still apply" in this case: you still cannot take more cakes than apple strudels, nor more coffee than wine. In other words, the 1 additional food item gained is also subject to this pairing restriction.
- The trigger condition reads "whenever you take a die showing 1 or 2." The die face must be 1 or 2; when taking a die showing any other number, the rulebook does not specify any trigger effect.
- As to whether it can stack with a specific action (e.g., the wild action, the add-die action), this was not found in the rulebook text, so no inference is made.
Notes
The rulebook's description of this card consists only of the above; other details not mentioned in the rulebook (e.g., whether you may choose not to receive it, whether it affects other cards) were not found in the rulebook.
This content is for reference only; in case of conflict, the rulebook and experienced players take precedence.
## Frequently Asked Questions **Grand Austria Hotel. After selecting a guest, choose to skip. Can you still invite a new guest when it's your turn?** Yes. In Grand Austria Hotel, selecting a guest and then choosing to skip does not consume your opportunity to invite a new guest this round. When your own turn comes, you can still invite a new guest.
According to the flow in the rulebook:
- On your turn, the actions are:
1. Take a guest from the game board (optional)
2. Take a die and perform the corresponding action (mandatory)
So you cannot "take a guest first, then choose to skip." Since taking a die and performing an action is mandatory, the "skip" in the rules refers to:
> "Instead of taking a turn, you can simply pass."
That is, Pass means giving up your entire turn, not skipping the second step. If you choose to Pass, no actions take place during that turn, so it is impossible to first select a guest and then skip.
Regarding your question "can I still invite a new guest when it's my turn?":
- After you Pass, you will wait until all other players have either passed or completed their two actions, after which dice are re-rolled, and it may become your turn again.
- At that point it is a new turn for you, and you can proceed normally through the flow: if there is still an open seat in the café, you may invite a new guest again.
Simple conclusion: "select a guest first, then skip" is not allowed; Pass must occur before you have performed any actions. When your turn comes around again, you can normally invite a new guest.
This content is for reference only; in case of any conflict, the rulebook and experienced players take precedence.
**Rules Overview** **Frequently Asked Questions** **Grand Austria Hotel: Do I Roll the Dice or Take Guests First?** Roll the dice first. At the start of each round, roll the dice first, then take guests based on the dice results.
In Grand Austria Hotel, take a guest first, then take a die.
The rulebook's "Course of Play" section states that on each turn you perform two steps in order (Rulebook snippet 10):
> On your turn, you take the following actions:
> 1. Take a guest from the game board. (optional) **
> 2. Take a die and carry out the corresponding action. (mandatory) **
Specifically:
- 1) Take a guest first (optional): You may take 1 of the 5 face-up guests on the board and place it in your café, paying the cost indicated on the board. If your café is full, you cannot take a guest.
- 2) Take a die and carry out an action (mandatory): Choose an action space that still has dice, carry out that action, then take 1 die from that action space and place it on the lowest visible number on your turn tile.
So, the opportunity to take a guest comes before the dice-taking action; if you want to take a guest this turn, you must do so before taking a die.
This content is for reference only; in case of any conflict, refer to the rulebook and experienced players nearby.
## Frequently Asked Questions **Must the take-a-guest action be the first action of my turn? Can it be in the middle of or after my main actions?** No. The take-a-guest action can be performed at any time during your turn — as your first action, in the middle of your main actions, or after your main actions. It is not restricted by order.
Conclusion:
Yes, taking a guest (Take a Guest) must be the first action of your turn. You cannot perform this action in the middle of or after your main actions.
Specific Rule Explanation:
According to the rulebook section "On your turn, you perform the following actions," the order of actions during a player's turn is strictly fixed:
- Step 1 (Optional): Take a guest from the game board (Take a guest from the game board).
- Step 2 (Mandatory): Take a die and carry out the corresponding action (Take a die and carry out the corresponding action).
Only after completing the above two steps may you perform Additional Actions. Therefore, taking a guest can only be the first action at the start of your turn and cannot be interspersed between other actions.
Rules, cards and Q&A (Chinese)
The rules, card data and player questions for this game are written in Chinese. Open the Chinese page to read them.
Where to find full rules
Full rules and card lookup are available in the cunlema app at cunlema.cn — pick this game and ask about any rule, card or turn you are unsure about.