Hotel Architect News

Building a hotel empire takes skill, strategy… and the perfect playlist. While Hotel Architect isn’t out yet (we see you, waiting patiently 👀), that doesn’t mean you can’t set the mood for some top-tier virtual hospitality.

So, we’ve put together the unofficial, but absolutely essential Hotel Architect Playlist, because what’s a five-star stay without the right background music?



Featuring absolute bangers like:
"Hotel California" – The ultimate “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave” energy.
"Hotel Room Service" – Because we all know room service is the true backbone of any great stay!
"Heartbreak Hotel" – For when your guests start rage-posting 1-star reviews and your finances are circling the drain.
"Hotel Yorba" – A reminder that sometimes, a simple, no-frills stay is the way to go (or at least, easier to clean).

Check out the playlist here!

Whether you're planning your dream resort or embracing absolute chaos, this playlist has you covered. So crank up the tunes, pretend you're already managing the hotel of your dreams (or nightmares), and get ready for Hotel Architect!

The doors to the Hotel Architect playtest have officially closed, and what an incredible weekend it has been! Over the past few days, we’ve seen an amazing community come together to design, build, and manage hotels of every kind, from dream luxury getaways to absolute chaos zones.

[h2]A Huge Thank You 💖[/h2]
To everyone who played, shared feedback, reported bugs, and simply enjoyed the game: THANK YOU! Your insights and enthusiasm have been invaluable in shaping the future of Hotel Architect again.

We chuckled at your wild hotel layouts, winced at the occasional disasters, and admired your clever solutions to unexpected challenges. This playtest wouldn’t have been the same without you and your inventive ways to push Gothenburg to it's limits!

[h2]5 star Hotel Creations![/h2]
We'd awarding 5 stars to a few community members who rose to the challenge of Prettiest and Ugliest Hotels!

The Prettiest Build Award goes to AfroDuckling for a beautiful purple stylish yet efficient hotel:


And The other end of the scale, with the Ugliest Build Award goes to Cameron Harrison who self-nominated his build for the award in the Discord Server with 'I present my submission for "THE UGLIEST HOTEL" award: The Old Prison Hotel. 64 rooms for Backpackers with a pea soup kitchen and nothing else'


Lastly, the Ingenuity Award, is presented to NekoNi with their pink overload build, but the award wasn't for the awesome colour ;) It was in fact for the moose antler statues! Brilliant idea, and a great way to change up the decoration!


[h2]Shoutout to Our Content Creators 🎥[/h2]
A massive thank you to the streamers and content creators who brought Hotel Architect to life for their audiences over the weekend too! Watching your reactions and seeing the game through your eyes has been a joy.

Here’s just a few of the fantastic creators who showcased the game, so if you need more Hotel Architect to tide you by until the next opportunity to play, you've got plenty of watching material!
Please note some of the videos on this list are not appropriate for under 18s!

Marpesia
Capt_N_BiLL (French)
Copacaxi
Terberri
MsCuppyKate
Hfok (Cantonese)
xElfye (French)
EullerEf (Portuguese)
MadamZoum (French)
Dcalj
Cryptik Media Jocuri 247 (Romanian)
Gaming With Jamie
SourSticks Ch!pN00dle Mikiran DDS618
ItsNotTsubaki Rebichee (French)
FurHatchling HeyItsCat88 BubbleFaerie Gaming BlakeBerri KitamariePlays

(If we missed you or you make content in the coming weeks, let us know! We’d love to give you a shoutout.)

[h2]What’s Next? 🚀[/h2]
This playtest was just the beginning of a very big year! Your feedback is already helping us improve and polish the game as we prepare for what’s next. We’ll keep you updated with development news, sneak peeks, and more surprises along the way.

In the meantime, feel free to keep the conversation going in our community Discord - we’d love to hear more about your experiences or see screenshots of your hotels you made!

Thank you again for helping make Hotel Architect the best it can be. You’re officially part of our journey, and we can’t wait to share what’s next.

Stay tuned and keep building,
The Hotel Architect Team 🏗️

The Hotel Architect Playtest is Now Open!

The wait is over - Hotel Architect is officially in your hands for the weekend! 🏨🎉

It’s time to build, design, and manage the hotel of your dreams. We’re so excited for you to dive in and explore everything we’ve been working on. Whether you’re aiming for a luxurious five-star getaway or a quirky roadside motel, this is your moment to shine.



[h2]How to Get Started[/h2]
If you missed the mailing list sign up, don't worry - you can head to our steam page and request access with a few button clicks! Once you're in, you’re free to start building and managing right away!

[h2]What’s waiting for you in the playtest?[/h2]
If you haven't played Hotel Architect before in one of our other playtests, here’s a taste of what you’ll get to do:
Design Your Dream Hotel
Go wild with your layouts, choose your décor, and create the perfect vibe. From fancy lobbies to rooftop pools, you’re in charge of every detail.

Juggle Guests and Their Quirks
Some guests are easy to please… others? Not so much. Keep everyone happy while running the show, because a happy guest means more stars!

Experiment and Have Fun
Try new things, test bold ideas, and see what works. Want to build a hotel entirely out of suites or maybe you want a capsule room style hotel? Go for it.

[h2]Things added since your last opportunity to play: [/h2]
NEW FEATURES & CONTENT

• Ghosts! A haunted hotel is not just a spooky dream anymore! How to trigger ghosts and at what cost? That's up to you to find out—if you dare!
  
• Zone with multiple rooms: If you build two rooms with the same zone type and add a door between them, they’ll merge into a single unified zone.
  
• Electric machines can now break in two ways: either "in need of repair" (sparks) or "in need of replacement" (explosion + burnt).
  
• Toilets and basins can now get clogged.
  
• Staff candidates' experience level now depends on your hotel stars (the higher your stars, the higher the experience levels of the candidates).
  
• New wobbly placement effect on items.
  
• New furniture items!
  

FIXES

• Improved item rotation system.
  
• Staff XP is now being saved.
  
• Made important notifications more noticeable + added sound.
  
• Added notifications when: a plant dies, a machine breaks, a character collapses, or ghosts appear.
  
• Fixed visual bug in some plants.
  
• Fixed bug in the vehicle system.
  
• Crash report sender: If you experience a crash, a crash report window should now appear. Please click the send button—this way we will receive the report immediately and can help fix it faster. If not during the playtest, we’ll at least try to help with a workaround.
  

BALANCING

• Each guest type now has their preferred items (displayed with icons in the Item list's tooltip) for the following activities: entertainment, refreshment, gym.
  
• Critics will prioritize activities based on your current star level (e.g., they won’t look for a spa in a one-star hotel).
  
• Staff experience level has a higher impact on guest scoring.
  
• Reduced starting money in the Gothenburg scenario from 150,000 -> 100,000.
  

[h2]Now, Let’s Build Something Awesome![/h2]
We’re so grateful to have you with us on this journey. Watching you bring your creativity to life in Hotel Architect is going to be incredible, and we’re beyond excited to see the hotels you dream up.


Now, get out there, build something amazing, and don’t forget to enjoy the process (and maybe avoid angry guests).

See you in the lobby!
The Hotel Architect Team

Check in to the action and start building your dream hotel as Hotel Architect Opens It's Doors To The January Playtest!

We’re excited to announce that the 3rd Hotel Architect playtest is coming on January 24th (yes that’s next week!) and we’re inviting YOU to join in the fun! This is your chance to experience the game early, shape its development, and show off your dream hotel designs to the world. 

[h2]What to Expect [/h2]

As a play tester, you will get a chance to provide direct feedback to our developers, helping to shape changes and improvements before the game’s early access release! Your input could help define the game’s final features, balance, and overall experience but also the game is a whole lot of fun and you’ll get to play for free for a limited time before anybody else!

The playtest will run from 24th January to 28th January and will be only available on steam for windows players.

[h2]How to Join  [/h2]

If you haven’t joined us for a playtest before, you can sign up before 24th January by following this link: https://wired.gg/HAPlaytest

If you have signed up using the email, for a previous playtest, then you're all set already!

We will be in contact via email closer to the time with codes and instructions, so keep an eye on your inboxes! If you have any questions in the meantime, please join our Official Discord to ask any questions.

If you miss the deadline, not to worry, just head to the Hotel Architect page and start playing from January 24th!

[h2]Updates:[/h2]
If you played the last playtest, you might notice a few new features in this playtest and some important fixes since last time including:

• We heard you, ghosts are now a functioning feature in game - just don't expect them to pay for their stay!
  
• New wobbly placedown effect on items!
  
• Rework of guest schedule & preferred items within activities such as refreshments, entertainment and the gym.
  
• Removed screen edge panning.
  
• Fixed a pesky bug in the vehicle system.
  
• Fixed issues in item rotation/placement - this should now be much smoother.
  
• Reworked durability functionality: Electric machines can break in two ways: either "in need of repair" (sparks) or "in need of replacement" (explosion + burnt).
  
• Toilets and basins can get clogged making for a stinky situation!
  
• Combine zone by door: If you build two rooms and zone them with same zone type, and then install a door inbetween, the area is now seen as one zone This opens up for building suites with multiple rooms in one hotel room!
  
• Setup crash report sender: If you get a crash, a crash report window should now appear. Please click on the send button - this way we will receive the report immediately and can help fix it or if we can't during the playtest, at least try to help with a work around.
  

[h2]Can’t wait until next week? [/h2]

To celebrate the playtest announcement, we’ve got a brand new sparkly trailer looking at how your staff affect and function in your hotel!  
[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We’re excited to have you all play and give your feedback - Let us know what you think when you get to play!

From luxury resorts to budget accommodations, the possibilities are endless when playing Hotel Architect, but as with any business, financial management is critical... and running out of money can be a game-changing moment!

Here’s what you need to know about managing your finances in Hotel Architect and the consequences of letting your funds dwindle to zero, or worse!

You start out with a plot of land, a modest budget, and an ambitious dream. Your goal is to attract guests, manage staff, and expand your establishment, all while keeping an eye on the bottom line. The game allows you to design every aspect of your hotel, from the layout and room types to amenities like spas, gyms, casinos and restaurants.

But no matter how beautiful your hotel looks or how perfect your services are, a financial crisis can spell disaster!

[h2]What Happens When You Run Out of Money? [/h2]

Running out of money in Hotel Architect isn’t simply a minor inconvenience, it’s a potential game-over scenario. Here’s a breakdown of the consequences:

• Operations Grind to a Halt - Without funds, essential operations like paying staff, maintaining facilities, or ordering supplies come to a standstill. Your employees might quit, and guests will leave scathing reviews if services deteriorate.
  
  
• No Room for Expansion - Want to add new rooms or amenities to attract more guests? Forget about it. A lack of funds means you can’t invest in growth, locking you into a cycle of stagnation.
  
  
• Emergency Loans and Their Risks - The game allows you to take out loans in desperate situations. However, loans come with interest rates and repayment deadlines. Mismanaging them can plunge you deeper into debt, creating a financial death spiral.
  
  
• Reputation Takes a Hit - A poorly managed hotel earns bad reviews, which can deter future guests. Low occupancy rates mean even less income, exacerbating your financial woes.
  
  
• The Ultimate Penalty: Bankruptcy - If you can’t recover financially, you may be forced to declare bankruptcy. This results in a game-over scenario, where you’ll have to start fresh with a new hotel or reload an earlier save.
  

[h2]Tips to Avoid Financial Ruin [/h2]

Start Small and resist the urge to build a sprawling hotel right out of the gate. Focus on essential facilities and expand gradually as your income grows!

Monitor Your Budget and keep a close eye on your income and expenses using the finance tabs. Use the in-game financial tools to track where your money is going and identify areas where you can cut costs or gain profit.

Cater to Your Guests and their needs! Understanding your guest types is key, so far in playtests only 2 guest types have been available, but there are more in the game to discover. Build facilities that cater to their needs and preferences to maximize satisfaction and your hotel will become more popular as ratings go up!

Take calculated risks - While loans can be a lifesaver, use them wisely. Only borrow money if you have a clear plan to earn and repay it with interest!



Hopefully that's gotten you up to speed on how you can prevent your hotels from falling into ruin!

We release these blogs to help you understand more of Hotel Architect before you jump in, if there is anything you would like to know more about, leave us a comment below and we'll see if we can cover it or at least answer your questions!