- BGG rating
- 8.2
El Grande Big Box
- 2–5 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 2015
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,889
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Hotel Samoa
2010
Rules assistance for Hotel Samoa
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 3–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 10+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 3 players
Rules assistant for Hotel Samoa
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Hotel Samoa is a board game released in 2010 for 3–6 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Kristian Amundsen Østby and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Simultaneous Action Selection.
Similar games
- BGG rank
- BGG #790
- BGG rating
- 7.2
A Game of Thrones
- 3–5 players
- 180 min
- Complexity 3.5/5
- 2003
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,468
- BGG rating
- 6.3
TSCHAK!
- 2–4 players
- 40 min
- Complexity 1.6/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #469
- BGG rating
- 7.5
The Godfather: Corleone's Empire
- 2–5 players
- 60–90 min
- Complexity 2.6/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,451
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Craftsmen
- 2–5 players
- 120–180 min
- Complexity 4.0/5
- 2013
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,267
- BGG rating
- 6.6
Timbuktu
- 3–5 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.8/5
- 1993
- BGG rank
- BGG #538
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Die Macher
- 3–5 players
- 240 min
- Complexity 4.3/5
- 1986
- BGG rank
- BGG #4,060
- BGG rating
- 7.4
Brick & Mortar
- 2–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 3.3/5
- 2021
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,940
- BGG rating
- 6.7
Kokoro: Avenue of the Kodama
- 1–8 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.5/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #3,014
- BGG rating
- 6.8
Avenue
- 1–10 players
- 15 min
- Complexity 1.4/5
- 2016
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,463
- BGG rating
- 6.8
House of Cats
- 1–6 players
- 15–20 min
- Complexity 1.3/5
- 2023
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,152
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Gateway Island
- 1–12 players
- 15–45 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2022
About the game
Samoa. A popular vacation resort, where groups of tourists arrive every week. The hotel owners’ only care is to give these tourists the stay of their life - and of course to rid them of as much money as possible. Each round, new tourists of various nationalities will arrive at the island, and new upgrades in the form of build tiles will be available to buy for your hotel. Players will simultaneously choose one of their price cards to play, which indicates both your bid for building a hotel upgrade, and the price you set on your hotel rooms. The tourists will of course seek out the cheapest hotels first, so you must carefully plan when to demand sky high prices, and when to drop prices low in order to attract the tourists right under your opponents' noses. All the tourists have different personalities and abilities - so be sure to get the ones that benefit you the most. And of course you can enhance your hotel by building extra rooms, a swimming pool, or perhaps a luxury suite? In the end, it's the cash that counts. This is a fast and varied game of medium-light complexity, and as most decicions are made simultaneously by the players, the game has very little down time.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Arclight Games
- HUCH!
- White Goblin Games
- Z-Man Games
- Axel
Questions and answers
Hotel Samoa supports 3–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Hotel Samoa is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Hotel Samoa for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Hotel Samoa has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Hotel Samoa belongs to these categories: Economic. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Auction / Bidding, and Simultaneous Action Selection. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Hotel Samoa are: Kristian Amundsen Østby. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Hotel Samoa as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.