Hotel Architect: Final Thoughts on This Fun Sim Game

Hotel Architect is an upcoming sim game that is currently in early access. It recently had a free weekend, during which I got to play it. While I didn’t get to complete all the scenarios, I played enough to get a good impression of the game. So, what are my final thoughts on Hotel Architect? Will I buy it when it gets released, or was the free weekend enough for me?

The Highlights of Hotel Architect

Developed by Pathos Interactive, Hotel Architect has a lot of charm to offer. The idea of building and managing your own hotel is an appealing concept in itself, and Hotel Architect provides plenty of items and furniture that let you customize your hotel to your heart’s content. You can build restaurants, bars, spas, and more, and you can add fun items like arcade machines, surf simulators, and holiday decorations.

There is also a character creator that you can use to create guests or staff members. It had plenty of options for character design and outfits, and it can be quite a thrill when your own creation checks into your hotel. Of course, if your creation leaves you a negative review, then it can feel a little awkward, but that’s part of the fun.

In addition, each scenario has multiple objectives, each of which unlocks a reward such as new items and wallpapers for your hotel, or outfits for your customized characters. You might complete some of the objectives without even realizing it, but others will take more planning. Each scenario also unlocks unique items. For example, at the Greek hotel, you can unlock ancient Greek pillars and statues, which will remain unlocked for other scenarios. It’s super exciting to see what all you can unlock.

But, There Are Some Things Missing

As I said in my list of flaws that could be corrected, there is no way to manually rotate items when placing them. In addition, it can be irritating to have to wait for construction workers to build your masterpiece of a bedroom after you’ve finished designing it. Even when you turn up the speed, it can still take a while. Your staff can also be hard to please. Be prepared to get plenty of notifications about unhappy staff members, and there might be little you can do to please them.

In addition, I want the option to add and customize a swimming pool. Pools are such a popular part of hotels, so the lack of pools in this game seems odd. Maybe you can add pools later in the game, but from what I played, pools were nowhere to be seen. You can build a spa, but not a pool. It would be fun to build a pool and add items like diving boards and water sprinklers. 

It would also be fun to zone an entire area as an arcade. You can already add arcade machines, pinball tables, and whack-a-mole machines to your hotel, so the developers could simply expand the concept further and allow the player to build entire arcades. It could be a fun way for nostalgic gamers to recreate the childhood feels of finding an arcade in a hotel, and it would be a great way to entertain guests. 

So, Will I Buy Hotel Architect?

Will I buy Hotel Architect when it gets its full release? Will I perhaps buy it when it’s still in early access? It’s hard to say. I definitely had fun during the free weekend, and I would love to continue the game, but my gaming budget is limited, and there are other games on my “to buy” list before Hotel Architect. Still, I might pick up Hotel Architect sometime after its full release, especially if it’s on sale. I’ll keep it on my Steam wishlist for sure. If you want to check it out on Steam, the early access version is available for $19.99, though it’s currently on sale for $9.99.