Staff and Guests
How Staff cards work in Grand Austria Hotel — hiring, the four timings, discounts — and how guest rewards and the special guests resolve.
Staff cards
Each Staff card shows its cost in krones (top right), its name, its timing symbol and its effect. You start with 6 in your hand, hidden from the others.
To hire a Staff card — put it into play face up in front of you — you need an effect that lets
you play one: action 5, or a reward such as 
(free),
(3 krones less) or 
(draw 3, play one for 3 krones less, the
other two under the deck). 
only adds a card to your hand.
A discount larger than the cost gives no money back. You pay a Staff card once, when you hire it.
Timing
| Symbol | Timing | When it works |
|---|---|---|
 | One-time | Once, at the moment you hire it. |
 | Once per round | Any time on your turn, once each round — even the round you hire it. Turn it face down when used; turn it back at the end of the round. |
 | Permanent | From the moment it is in play, every time its condition happens, for the rest of the game. |
 | Game end | Only in the final scoring — and only if you hired it. |
Kinds of Staff
| Kind | Examples | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen helpers | Breakfast Server, Barkeeper, Waitress, Sous-Chef | 1 item every round |
| One-shot suppliers | Chef, Barista, Confectioner, Larder Cook, Sommelier | a batch of items when hired |
| Free rooms | Butler (blue), Chauffeur (red), Florist (yellow) | prepare rooms of one colour for nothing |
| Die bonuses | Decorator, Interior Architect, Laundress, Detective, Executive Housekeeper | extra rewards each time you take a certain die |
| Guest bonuses | Groom, Stableman, Masseuse, Tour Guide, Custodian | extra rewards when a guest of a colour moves in |
| End scorers | Concierge, Booking Manager, Reception Clerk, Chambermaid, Liftboy, Hotel Manager | points for rooms, floors, columns, sets |
Every card is listed with its cost and effect on Cards & Components.
Die-number Staff
Staff that trigger on “taking a die showing” a number (Decorator, Restaurant Manager, Interior Architect, Staff Manager, Bootblack, Laundress, Executive Housekeeper, Checker, Detective) work only when you really take that number.
Guest rewards
You take a guest’s points and reward only when the guest moves into a room. Rewards are optional, and you may take part of one. Common reward symbols:
| Symbol | Reward |
|---|---|
 | Advance that many steps on the Emperor track |
 | Take that dish or drink |
 | Take a dish or drink of your choice |
 | Score that many points |
 | Take that many krones |
 /  /  | Prepare a room paying full cost / 1 less / nothing |
 | Prepare a room of that colour for free |
 | Turn a prepared room of that colour (gray: any) to occupied, with no guest |
 | Fill a guest’s order of that colour (gray: any) from the supply |
 | Take a face-up guest for free, if you have a free table |
The full symbol list is on Cards & Components.
Special guests
| Guest | What to know |
|---|---|
 | Sculptor — a free room in row 1 or 2. No space there: the reward is lost. FAQ |
| Knight of the Empire | The only guest with no reward — just 3 points. |
| E. Gizia | Carry out the action of a space that still has a die, without taking the die. |
| Medicinal Councillor | Up to two free guests: refill the queue between them. |
| Painter | Up to 2 rooms, one of them (your choice) for 1 krone less. |