There is nothing like getting the family together to play a board game. Not only do they teach valuable skills such as turn-taking, following instructions, how to be a good winner or loser – but it is also good for moral development and the strengthening of the family unit. My boys really love Hasbro’s Monopoly – in fact we have so many versions that we even have one in French! So they were keen to give Hotel Tycoon a try. I think the verdict was that they really enjoyed it as they asked to play it again and again.
Hotel Tycoon Review
Like Monopoly, but different… in a good way.
Setup: The first time you play Hotel Tycoon you will need to make all the buildings, which means folding all the cardboard panels and putting the relevant roofs and bases on. Luckily the box contains a sheet of paper that shows you how to pack all the buildings neatly into the box so you don’t need to remake them each time.
Playing: Each player puts their playing piece (an airplane) on the start runway, and then take turns to roll the standard six-sided die to decide how many spaces to move. Each space has an image on it depicting what action to take:
- A suitcase full of money – buy the title-deed to any land next to the space you are currently on. If you are the first person to buy the deed, then you pay the full price, but if another player has already purchased the deed but hasn’t yet built any buildings, you may buy it off them but only have to pay the repurchase price (which is half the original price) – the other player cannot refuse.
- A builder’s hat and tools – gives the opportunity to develop on any of the areas that you have the title-deed for. If you choose to build you have to decide where you want to build and how many buildings (which must be built in order) you want to build. You then have to announce to the other players your decision – then you must roll the second die, which has the coloured dots on (the Planning Permission die).
If you manage to roll a green dot then you just pay the bank the amount for the buildings you chose to build. If you roll a red dot planning permission was denied, and you may not build. If you are lucky enough to roll a ‘H’ you get all the buildings you announced for free no matter how much it would have cost. However if you are unlucky and roll a ‘2’ you must pay double the price – you cannot back out of the build even if you can’t afford it!! If this is the case then you must auction a site to raise funds.
- A hotel entrance – if you own an area with at least one building on it you can claim a free hotel entrance.
- A tower – you receive a free building for any area that you own the title-deed for.
As you progress around the board, passing the hangar (red line) will give players £2,000 and passing the air control tower (yellow line) will give players the opportunity to purchase one hotel entrance per area of land.
Hotel entrances (either bought or gained) are placed on spaces that are adjacent to areas that you own (and have a building on). Once a hotel entrance is placed on one side of a space, another cannot be placed on the other side, this can be quite a useful tactic if you want to block another player from placing entrances.
If you land on another player’s hotel entrance, you must roll the standard die to see how many nights you stay at their hotel. This in conjunction with the rating of the hotel (decided by the number of buildings) will determine the amount of money to be paid to the hotel owner.
Auctions: If you are in a position where you cannot pay a debt for whatever reason, then you must auction one or more sites, to raise funds to pay the debt off. If no-one bids then the buildings must be removed and the deed returned to the bank. If you cannot pay the debt, you are bankrupt and out of the game.
Summary: The game was fun to play, and in the early stages, title deeds can change hands many times, making it a frantic dash to get those first buildings onto a site. The ability to block other players from placing hotel entrances by placing yours on spaces that affect them makes for a tactical aspect of the game. The use of colourful 3D buildings make the game pleasing to the eye and a bit more fun for younger players.
Suitable for ages 8+ (but our 6-year-old played fine when playing with an adult)
Players 2-4
Visit http://www.hoteltycoongame.co.uk/ for further information and reviews.
Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/hoteltycoongame
I received the game for purposes of review. All words and opinions are my own. The giveaway has finished.