Running a Resort Hints/Tips

[Joria]

I am so fed up with the freezing and then losing everything because it happens JUST as I'm about to save.  My resort looked terrific.  I managed to bring it up to a really nice and very pretty little place, (mostly with recolors), by using funds I'd get from selling dive objects.  My poor Sim was diving herself blue and was always exhausted trying to make enough cash to keep upgrading.  Everyone thinks her food is terrific and by using $1 plants everywhere it's very colorful plant-wise.  It just seems to freeze up right at the 3 star level.  Having the "usual" employee problems with pathing, (nothing in their way and they stomp and yell), not showing up for work etc.  Ah well, going to try it one more time today and redo all I've done the last 3 times.  sigh

Has anyone put some of those paddle boat things in their resort, or a play ground?  My playground seems to be a highlight........for the adults!

[Chuckles_82]

I played for a few sim days so far. My first reaction was, 'hey, this is the resort from the demo!' So I went right ahead and put a pool and bar in, and cleaned up some of the messy decor.

Read the reviews before you start - then make any of the suggested changes.
Read them each morning at 7am after that.
Watch the people at the resort and see their reactions to things.
Let your own sim/s go on high free will and see what they do. Watch their thought bubbles. If they don't like something, change/fix it.
Put the price up when you get a review that says the customer is surprised at the low price.
If you build a pool, and chlorinate it, you will need to add chlorine to the new sections if you add to it.

Now I've messed around with it for a little while, I'm going to make my own sim (chose a pre-made sim first) and make a real go of it.

[Saltypaws]

Freezing seems to be a major problem for a lot of people, especially in resorts.  I can play a regular game without going to resorts, it plays fine and as soon as I play with my sims that have resorts or even visit resorts, my game freezes big time.

I did build a resort in Twinbrook, of all places and everyone in town showed up.  I put a playground in and I think every kid in town showed up.  It was huge hit, even though there was no beach.

I did put paddle boats in one of my resorts and no one even used them, so I guess it is just used by your sim.  

[Chuckles_82]

I have noticed with certain plants, (and other things that improve your resort) that when you place them, you get a blue + sign. The Banana Leaf plant in shrubs is one of those. If your resort needs 'more greenery' then you could try different plants until you get ones that count.

[Frey]

I have a question about roaches: Where are they!? I keep getting complaints about the roaches but I can't find them. Am I even supposed to see them anyway? Or do they just say there are roaches when it's dirty? I already have 3 high quality employees!

[Joria]

I have a question about roaches: Where are they!? I keep getting complaints about the roaches but I can't find them. Am I even supposed to see them anyway? Or do they just say there are roaches when it's dirty? I already have 3 high quality employees!

Check around the grounds and if you see bugs you have to "Stomp Roaches".  You can't delete or move the spawners but if you stomp them they stay gone for awhile.  They DO come back though no matter how clean your resort is.

I've tried adding different things to mine.  At first it was a standard bar which really annoyed the customers.  Bad reviews on the tiny bar but since I couldn't afford to put in a pool or a pool bar I thought that would work.  Better to have no bar at all I discovered!



Eventually I did make a pool and pool bar but no one goes to it.  They use the pool but not the bar but complain if it isn't there!  I moved that tiny bar to a newly created lower level because I was getting complaints about the pitiful "gym", (aka one treadmill and one weight machine), and wanted to build a proper gym.  That lower level is really VERY nice and more like the hotels my hubby and I always stayed in when we could.  There is a large gym with all in one rest rooms, a sauna, two massage rooms and then down the hall there is a dance floor/bar/karaoke with lots of rest rooms as well and windows open to the pool.  No one uses that bar either but they do come down, walk around and look at everything and then go back up again.  No more complaints!

My husband, (the math guy), and I did some tests about what financially added to the profit and what didn't.  It was interesting to find that at Hobart's Hideaway you start losing profitability after you have more than one upgraded tower.  Less was more even though full capacity and full amenities.  Oh, and the VIP rooms are just a waste of money.  No extra profit from more VIP rooms.  Things like play grounds, putting greens, and a game room, (the erstwhile mini-bar), while not used often DID add profit and had no maintenance costs.

The first thing I did was sell off stuff, clean up the grounds and replace more expense shrubs with more colorful $1 one and recolor EVERYTHING.  Nothing looked at all shabby by the end of day one and people started to flock in.

[tara1727]

I have a question about roaches: Where are they!? I keep getting complaints about the roaches but I can't find them. Am I even supposed to see them anyway? Or do they just say there are roaches when it's dirty? I already have 3 high quality employees!

If you're playing Hobart's Hideout there are roach spawners underground where the employees can't stomp them. Check this blog post by Crinrict.

Joria, they want professional bars, not the small ones where you make your own drinks. None of the townies ever uses the pool bars in my game as well but they will complain if it's closed. I think I made more profit by making all my bartenders and food cart person work all shifts.

[Frey]

Check around the grounds and if you see bugs you have to "Stomp Roaches".  You can't delete or move the spawners but if you stomp them they stay gone for awhile.  They DO come back though no matter how clean your resort is.

If you're playing Hobart's Hideout there are roach spawners underground where the employees can't stomp them. Check this blog post by Crinrict.

I meant I couldn't find them, so I couldn't make my employees stomp them. I am actually playing Hobart's so maybe it's what tara said, a hidden spawner somewhere. I haven't had time to load the game yet but I will go into buy mode and check that when I can.

Thanks!

[Shirin]

Your research is interesting, Joria!

But I'm curious, you said profitablity starts to dwindle with more than 1 upgraded tower. What do you mean by upgraded tower? The "upgrade for §5000" to get the central area, or all the way to spa services (§10,000)?

[aenito]

It was interesting to find that at Hobart's Hideaway you start losing profitability after you have more than one upgraded tower.  Less was more even though full capacity and full amenities.

What do you means by profitability? In my experience each aditional tower increased the accounting profits. I lose profitability if the resort is not fully booked but the occupancy is tied to the quality of the resort so the more stars you have, the more towers you can keep full of visitors.

[Joria]

To find the roaches you have to have a pool or fountain or lower level so you can go beneath the ground.  Use testingcheatsenabled true, then buydebug to be able to see them.  I couldn't always move the spawners this way but sometimes I could.  Once moved if they are active they will show up on the resort grounds and can be stomped.  I've noticed that at higher level, 4 and up, they don't seem to reappear.

Profitability to me was taking the amount of expenses and the amount of profit at the point I was at.  Then I tried various things to see what happened.  In some cases expenses went up quite a bit but profit either didn't or was raised in such a minor way to be not worth it.  I judged this by adding more towers and/or amenities.  When I tried adding more towers my profit did not increase more than 2% which I felt was unacceptable.  By adding another VIP suite I created, it was only 1%.  However, adding things like a child's playground and ALWAYS having kids food available even during breakfast was profitable because there was no added expense yet the amount of income was higher without my raising the cost of the rooms.  When I added more towers I had all my rooms, 84 of them, booked but that tiny bit of profit wasn't worth it. This was at moderate price for a room.  However, yesterday I used the blueprint mode and added a wedding chapel and another VIP suite and got an increase from over 3k to over 5k profit with minimal added expense and I DID raised the cost of the room.  My resort is still completely booked but at the higher room rate my reviews, while still good, are not quite as glowing as they were at the moderate rate.  It was easier to do than to explain.  I'm definitely not a math person.

By upgraded tower I meant you click on the tower and select upgrade and another room appears in the blank space in the middle.  Next time it was another row of them on top.  I like to build my own things but building my own VIP suite did not do as well as using the blue print and then making it look much better by remodeling it.  You can't remodel the towers though although I did add a bench outside each room and some flowers in front.  The guests use the benches a lot and I got some good reviews on how many places there were to sit and relax and enjoy the view.

The bar I put into the small room by the buffet was a professional bar with a bar tender.  They just didn't like the cramped space.  I now have two bars, one with a dance floor and karaoke machine, and one at the pool, (which I somehow deleted with no clue how I did that!) but neither of them is obviously used.  I just get complaints if they aren't there and good reviews if they are.  The only things that really gets used a lot are the buffet, the pool, and the kids slip and slide thing which gets used by the adults.  The kids just stand there and watch.     Oh, and once I put a wedding area in that was used immediately and frequently.  Interestingly enough the wedding guests often watched the wedding, ooohing and aaahing over it,  from the buffet!

[Frey]

I haven't had time to load the game yet but I will try that when I can, thanks Joria!

Just another question: what is blueprint mode? I probably know what it is and just don't know the name in english but I've never heard that before 

[fortheloveofcake]

Blue print mode is part of build mode, where you can plop down fully built and decorated rooms.

[aenito]

what is blueprint mode? I probably know what it is and just don't know the name in english but I've never heard that before 

Standard way to enter blueprint mode is pressing F3 to enter build mode and then click on the icon on the right of the toggle grid and toggle day/nigth

BUT with resorts there is an alternate way. In the "Improve Resort..." menu you have 3 options, build, buy and blueprint.

[Frey]

Oh! I get it now  I had no idea how it was called in english. Good to know!

Thank you!